C.J. Braden • 2 Minute Read
3 Questions to Always Ask During a Job Interview
If you are a part of the great resignation, or just find yourself needing some job interview help, we are here for you. Job interview navigation is simple, despite so many making it difficult. Of course you need to know what the job scope is (what you will be doing) but there are three simple other questions that can really tell you what you need to know about the company you could potentially be working for.
We did a lot of research on job interviewing and conducted some actual field testing as well which produced our top three questions to always ask during a job interview. Read on to learn what the questions are and why you should ask them.
1- What is your culture like?
Does the company thrive on “Work Hard, Play Hard" and are you okay with that?
What is your culture like?
Pay attention to company culture. I realized, about 6 months in, that the culture at my last corporate position was not for me. I learned a lot from the role and company, but I am creative and true creative people did not thrive in their climate. I saw this early on, and tried to fit into the company mold, but as time went on, I just did not fit. I had big ideas, and big ideas went to this company, unfortunately, to die.
Why you should ask this question: If you are looking to stay with a company long term, culture matters! If you don’t fit in with a company’s culture, and you don’t have opportunities to improve it, you won’t stick around long term. Though online reviews are hit and miss, you can gauge what is going on with company culture by doing some online research (try Glassdoor) and by asking during an interview.
What we mean by culture: Culture is all about the style in which people work, their belief system, their diversity, and their values.
Does the company allow for creativity?
For example, if you do some research and learn that the company you want to work for supports a particular political group (and doesn’t have involvement in politics with their business), you may want to think twice, even if they support who you do. I believe you should want to work for a company that puts their employees first, then their customers and their product. When companies get involved in things that don’t have anything to do with those three things, so many parts of the business can suffer.
Now, if a business wants to support a charitable organization, that could be fine, but make sure you do your research there too. If they are throwing lots of financial support at something that doesn’t jive with who you really are, you may want to steer clear of this too.
Diversity goes hand and hand with culture, so that’s always something to be aware of too. But, make sure a company knows what the meaning of diversity is. I once worked for a company that claimed they were all about inclusion and diversity but there were some fellow workers that had a big issue with my hair color and my creative look, and when I brought it up to leadership, it was swept under the rug. That was an “interesting” experience to have at such a “diverse” company…lol!
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2- What kind of growth opportunities do you offer?
Growth potential should always be a thought in a job search
What kind of growth opportunities do you offer?
Focus on growth potential if you like to learn new things. A new job should always offer you some way to learn something new.
Why you should ask this question: When interviewing, focus on seeing if you can grow with the company if you want to be able to stay for a while. Once you learn everything there is to know about your job, it can get boring at times. If you get bored, you can become complacent, which leads to…you guessed it…not liking your job! If you want to keep waking up excited in the morning to start your work day, you need to have growth opportunities. It’s human nature.
Growing with a company can be as simple as receiving free training via conference opportunities, CBT offerings (computer based training), on the job training, mentorship programs and more. Growing can also mean being able to easily move into new positions in the company to learn and grow yourself as a team player. Growing can also be about financial gain opportunities like monetary awards and bonuses. All of these things are valuable and worth having as an option.
Curriculum Vitae is similar to a resume
At my last corporate role, I stopped growing at year 2. I did “coffee dates” (in person and virtually) with tons of people in different departments at that point, trying to see if fit anywhere else at the company. I tried doing some volunteer activities within the organization and spoke to my manager about possible growth opportunities, but I still wasn’t being challenged. I scored the highest level you could on an annual review several years in a row, and so I finally realized I reached my growth level at that particular company, so I eventually moved on.
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3- What is the salary range for this position?
Ask what your salary is BEFORE you start the job
What is the salary range for this position?
Think about it like this: The company you are interviewing with is basically buying a piece of your life. You will spend so much time working during your lifetime, so you need to be clear on how much value you bring to the table. Know your worth.
To easily know what range you should be looking for in the position you applied for, research the salary before the interview if it was not listed. In my opinion, all jobs should have a salary posted (this is 2022!), but so many unfortunately do not. To find a range on your own, do a Google search with the job title+salary. You can also do a job search with the job title + salary + location, as location can be a factor due to cost of living variances. FYI-I’m not really on board with salary fluctuations according to where you live as a job should pay what it needs to pay, but it happens and you should know about it.
An online job salary search can provide a good baseline
Also, do a Glassdoor search on the company and the salary for positions within the company. The salaries you find will be estimates, of course, and each company has different ways of ranking their titles and salary ranges, but you should be able to find an decent estimate.
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Then, after you do your research, if a salary isn’t listed in a job posting, you at least know what to expect when you ask the question. Often times a recruiter will ask what you expect for salary at some point in your interview. In our field testing during actual interviews, we have turned this question around when it was asked. We asked “What is the salary range for this position” or “Can you give me a salary range for this position at your company?”.
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We have also been smart enough to know what a positions should pay (based on research) and gave a range to the company when absolutely needed. The smart companies said they absolutely could match the range we put out there. Score!
Here’s why you should ask this: You gotta pay your bills, right? Then you gotta ask the salary question! Every single position has a salary range at each company. When the position is listed, the recruiter and/or hiring manager should know what the company has budgeted. A company would not (or should not) list a job without knowing of some sort of budget. If you ask this question and they refuse to answer, seriously, refuse to continue in the interview process. It’s a tell tale sign that the company is not transparent and why would you want to work for a company that is secretive from the start?
Sometimes it’s the recruiter that will know exactly what the range is, but the hiring manager won’t. If you go into a direct interview with a hiring manager and they can’t give you a range, you need to ask to talk to someone that can. Push back…it’s okay! You can also push back on required interview “testing”, especially if you have disability.
In a field test I did with several companies, one out of three would not give me a salary range. The one that would not give me a range told me it was against corporate policy. I thought that was strange, so I gave them a number to see if they would budge, and they faltered. The recruiter ended up spilling the range, which was lower than the numbers I gave. Whoops. There’s goes that corporate policy right out the window. That was two strikes for me. They fibbed about the policy AND they paid considerably lower than what I knew the average to be for the role because I did my research.
A creative office environment may be best for some people
You should also ask about salary because why on earth would you not ask about a salary? I had a friend recently go on numerous interviews for a position he really wanted. He never once asked about salary. I knew what the range would be for the job (I did some research) and told him. He thought I was wrong and said he expected it to be more. When the offer finally came, it was about 20% less than he thought it would be. Luckily, it was a bit higher than he was making, so he took the role, but was disappointed. I didn’t say “I told you so” but I thought it to myself, but of course.
Even if you are not proactively looking for a job, you should still do salary research if you suspect you are underpaid. My husband worked at a large Fortune 100 company and left after 17 years after I helped him realize he was grossly underpaid. After about 6 months of applying, he was able to move on to a new company with a 40% pay increase. It was awesome to know I trusted my gut and research, and was correct.
While interviewing for the new role he ultimately got, he ALWAYS asked about salary early on when interviewing and the companies that were good were honest about salary in the first interview. He consistently turns the question of “what do you expect out of salary” back to them (if they aren’t up front about it) and says “What is the salary range for this position” and scored a great paying position without anyone being offended. He also quotes specific salary ranges to recruiters if he has researched and knows it’s appropriate for the company and location.
Are there any other question you like to always ask during a job interview? If so, let us know in the comments section below!
C.J. (Carolyn) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.