|
|
The Other Side of the Interview
By Blake Leong
You may have
seen articles before about how to nail a job interview.
“Dress to impress, have questions about the company ready,
do your research, get enough sleep the night before…” you’ve
heard it all right? And those are all things that you should
definitely do.
But while the interviewer is asking you
questions to see if you’re right for their company, don’t
forget to be mentally evaluating if this company is right
for you! It takes a bit of self-awareness, but with a little
practice, you’ll get to know what things suit you and do not
suit you about this job versus that job.
I once went on a
job interview for a job I thought I really wanted with a
reputable company. The interviewer asked me some standard
questions, but then started with this line of questions:
“Why didn’t you get a better GPA in college?”
“Why do you
want to work here?”
“What is your biggest weakness?”
“Where
do you see yourself in five years?”
Years later, after I’d
left that job, I read a column about the ten worst interview
questions to ask a candidate. It read like a transcript of
my interview all those years ago. Why’d I leave that job?
Simply put, I hated it. The interviewer questions made me
raise my eyebrow at the time, but I ignored it because it
was a well-paying job with a good company.
The lesson here
is that the interview is often a good indicator of the
corporate culture of your new potential employer. If you’re
sitting in the interview, and little red flags are going up
in your mind, pay attention to that and make a mental note.
Just because you wow them and get the job doesn’t mean it’s
going to be a good fit for you.
It will be hard to excel if
you and your company are just not a good fit. That’s not to
say that the interview is a tell-all about the company you
are applying for, but you should certainly be on the lookout
for anything that makes you feel a little less “warm and
fuzzy” about your potential new career.
|
|
