Page 128 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

QUESTIONS FOR HIRING MANAGERS

company has shared the wealth with employees. If results have not
been good, you are asking for an acknowledgment that there was
nothing to share.

8-87
What are the repercussions of having a significant variance to the oper-
ating plan?
You are asking how the company deals with failure.

8-88
I’m glad to hear that I will be part of a team. Let me ask about reward
structures for teams. Does the company have a formal team-based
compensation process?
A big issue for companies is that they pay lip service to the team
effort but reward people as individuals. Here’s an exception to the
rule about not asking compensation questions before the interviewer
brings up the subject.

8-89
Is the company more of an early adapter of technology, a first mover,
or is it content to first let other companies work the bugs out and then
implement a more mature version of the technology?
This question not only tells the hiring manager that you are thinking
about technology but also gives you a clue about whether the com-
pany is a leader or prefers to follow.

8-90
How does the company contribute to thought leadership in its market?
This is an elegant way of inquiring about the company’s commit-
ment to a leadership position in articulating the issues of the indus-
try. How important is it for you to be part of such an intellectual
environment? Can you contribute?

8-91
A company’s most critical asset is its knowledge base. How advanced is
the company’s commitment to knowledge management?
This question demonstrates a high level of thinking about an emerg-
ing competency: the management of actionable knowledge so that it
can be used across the company.

107