Page 67 - John Kador - 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview-McGraw-Hill (2002)

THE RULES OF THE GAME

says. The best way to demonstrate that is to ask Parker informed ques-
tions, such as:

I’ve scanned your Web site and the materials you sent me. I understand
that Integrated Design specializes in employee data integration. As a
service business, has the recent economic downturn changed the weight
of the build-versus-buy calculation that every customer must evaluate?

Such a question tells Parker that the candidate not only researched the
company’s mission but has a mature understanding of the challenges of
a service company. On the other hand, Parker experiences a visceral
turn-off for applicants who show no evidence they looked at the re-
cruitment information packet she sent about the company. She also has
no use for applicants who expect her to repeat all the information con-
tained in the information packet. Such applicants—they hardly rise to
the status of candidates—are too unmotivated to get Parker’s attention.
“If candidates ask no questions at all, especially after I sent them an in-
formation packet of recruitment materials, I know they are cruising,” agrees
Bob Conlin, VP of marketing at Incentive Systems in Bedford, Massachu-
setts. “If a candidate tells me she is considering committing the next phase
of her career to Incentive Systems, I want to know she is thinking hard
about the opportunity. I expect to hear some very probing questions.”
One of the strongest candidates in Conlin’s experience was prepared
not only with great questions, but with a portfolio of materials the can-
didate could point to during the interview. The candidate for a senior
marketing position had copies of Incentive Systems’ company’s data
sheets and full-page ads and those of its competitors. Using these ma-
terials, the candidate asked informed questions about the merits of spe-
cific marketing campaigns on behalf of specific products. “As soon as
he pulled out the portfolio, I said to myself, ‘This is my guy!’” Conlin
recalls.

START WITH THE COMPANY’S WEB SITE
In the age of the Internet, there is absolutely no excuse for you not to
have excellent information about a company. All public companies and
most private companies have Web sites. The Web sites are free and avail-
able 24 hours a day. You can access the Web sites from any computer

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