Two Way Interviewing

5/2/2014 
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In todays’ job market it is no longer a one-sided interview, job seekers are also interviewing across the desk to ensure that what they are seeing is a good fit for them too!

Just last week I was teaching a senior level business course full of both HR and business majors and as it always seems to happen when I stand in front of a group of soon to be graduates, the topic of resumes and the job search crept into conversation.

So my advice to them?   Aside from my usual commentary on professionalism, being prepared with knowledge of the company and the position itself and a few practice behavioral interview questions is that they need to be proactive and assess the environment and the company to determine if it is a place where they want to work.

A tight job market aside, stepping into the wrong job or a work environment that does not fit who you are will only create job disappointment and possibly job hopping and missed opportunities.

When you are called for an interview start assessing from that very call or email by asking yourself a few questions:

Work climate/environment:

• How were you treated from the minute you arrived?
• Were you greeted professionally and warmly?
• Were you given clear directions on where to park and how to locate the interviewees office?
• Was the interviewer timely in greeting you?
• Did you notice others in the office, if so, how did they treat each other?
• What was the work environment like from the way the building smelled, to the office furniture, to the technology that you could see?
• And whether you enjoy a relaxed, casual atmosphere or a traditional business environment did what you see agree with what you hope to have in your next job?

Professionalism: 

• Were you treated with mutual respect during the interview process?
• Did they have good eye contact, a firm handshake both at the start and conclusion of the interview?
• Were you given time to present your responses to their questions?
• What were the questions like, did they seem to fit the expectations of the job and were they relevant?
• Could you envision working with the interviewer(s) day in/day out?
• Did they give you a copy of the actual job description to review before you left?
• Were you given a tour of the facility?
• Did they provide a timeline of what would happen next and when you would hear from them again?

​In the end you truly do not know if the job offer will produce a ‘great fit’ for you and only time on the job will answer this question however do put some trust into any unusual vibe, gut feeling or uneasiness from this first encounter and before saying ‘yes’ ask a few more questions!