Page 156 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

DEFENSIVE QUESTIONS

10-2
Do you foresee this job involving significant amounts of overtime or
work on weekends?
It’s a fair question, so ask it straight.

10-3
I understand the company has experienced layoffs within the last two
years. Can you review the reasons why they were necessary?
It will make the interviewer uncomfortable, but the interviewer
expects questions about layoffs.

10-4
How were the layoffs handled in terms of notification, severance, out-
placement services, and so forth?
You want to know how your termination, should you be downsized,
will likely be handled.

10-5
Are there formal metrics in place for measuring and rewarding perfor-
mance over time?
The impression you want to leave is that you are good and you want
the metrics to recognize it.

10-6
How effectively has the company communicated its top three business
goals?
If the interviewer cannot articulate them, you have your answer.

10-7
Why did you lose your last new business pitch/client?
It takes confidence for an organization to understand its failures.
The interviewer may not share the details with you, but he or she
should be able to communicate that the company learned from its
mistakes. Watch out for organizations that blame forces external to
the company (the economy, the balance of payments, the ruthless-
ness of the competition) for its loss. Organizations fare better when
they accept full responsibility for their outcomes, good and bad.

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