Interview strategy: prepare smart questions to ask

Had a job interview that went very well this week – I enjoyed talking with the individual who would be my boss, and the position sounded like an interesting combination of project-oriented marketing work, oversight and enhancement of some ongoing advertising programs, and a little administrative support for the small office. The level of autonomy in decision-making, the largely self-directed work, and the healthy marketing budget were all very promising.

The interview itself was an opportunity to put into practice some valuable advice I’d gleaned from recently reading the book 101 Dynamite Questions to Ask at Your Job Interview by Richard Fein. I’ve known forever that it’s a bad idea to not have prepared questions to ask the interviewer, and I’m determined to find a position that’s a good fit for me personally as well as professionally. But how to formulate my questions, and how to determine which questions to ask?

Fein’s book provides a way to break down the job, the company and its industry into distinct segments, and craft questions that will reveal information you can use to make an informed decision should an offer come your way.

For example, as a marketing professional I’m concerned with the company’s level of openness to new marketing channels. I’m personally enthusiastic about exploring online social media channels as marketing tools. So, one of my questions was designed to tell me what’s currently working for them (“What is presently the marketing channel that brings you the most new business?”), and the follow-up would tell me if they were open to new ideas (“What new channels would you be willing to explore to gain more prospects?”). The answers to these questions were very encouraging: the owner named their most productive marketing channel and stated that he would like me to formalize a program for mining that channel more effectively. When asked about new channels, he essentially said, “I’m open to whatever you come up with.” 

Of course, I also wanted to ask about the salary range for the position, but Fein had advised that this question was premature in a first interview. So I approached it another way: because the position also involved a small amount of office support, I asked about the “growth plan” for the job: “Where do you envision it in two years’ time, and how it fits into the company structure?”  I also asked whether he perceived it as an entry-level job, or whether he was seeking a more strategic, experienced marketing person. Again the answers to these were encouraging.

Other good things about this job: a low-stress commute and a small-office atmosphere that relies on committed team players to function smoothly. I hope to be called back for a second interview.