Page 119 - John Kador - 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview-McGraw-Hill (2002)

INTERVIEW THE INTERVIEWER

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How often and in what form does the company report its results inter-
nally to its employees?
Look for an answer that involves the word “intranet.”
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In the recent past, how has the company acknowledged and rewarded
outstanding performance?
This question can put the interviewer in a tough spot. If the company has
enjoyed good results, you are asking for specific ways the 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.
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What are the repercussions of having a significant variance to the oper-
ating plan?
You are asking how the company deals with failure.
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Are budgeting decisions typically made at corporate headquarters, or are
the decisions made in a more decentralized fashion?
The answer to this question reveals how “top down” decision making
is at the company.

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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 com-
pensation 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 ask-
ing compensation questions before the interviewer brings up the subject.

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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 im-
plement a more mature version of the technology?
This question tells the hiring manager not only that you are thinking
about technology, but that you get a clue about whether the company is
a leader or prefers to follow.

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