Page 165 - John Kador - 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview-McGraw-Hill (2002)

THE QUESTION LIFE CYCLE

THE COMPANY

13-1
What’s the gross profit margin of the division I will be working in? What
percentage of the total profit from the company does it generate? Is it
increasing or decreasing?
It’s critical to know the contribution of your division or department to
the total profit of the organization.
13-2
What’s your company’s “killer application”? What percentage of the
market share does it have? Will I be working on it?
Every company has a core product that often generates the lion’s share
of the revenues. If that’s where you want to be, make sure that’s where
you will be placed.

13-3
Can you give me some examples of the best and worst aspects of the com-
pany’s culture?
Does the hiring manager have enough insight to know that every cor-
porate culture has both positive and negative qualities?
13-4
What makes this company a great place to work? What outside evidence
(rankings or awards) do you have to prove this is a great place to work?
What is the company going to do in the next year to make it better?
This is a fairly aggressive question, but if it’s fair for the company to ask
you to prove you are the best, the reverse is also true.

13-5
What would I see if I stood outside the front door at five o’clock? Would
everyone be smiling? Staying late or leaving early? Would everyone be
taking work home?
Why not conduct this experiment before you ask the question? See if the
interviewer’s answer squares with your observations.

13-6
Lots of your competitors have great products and people programs.What
is the deciding factor that makes this opportunity superior? Are you will-

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