Interviewing

Before you interview for a position, learn as much about it and the employer as possible. If you found the position through a recruiter, he or she should be able to provide that information for you. If not, conduct research on the Web, visit the library, and tap into industry contacts.

Questions To Ask

After you have studied the company, make a list of questions to ask the employer:

• What are you looking for in this position and what is most important?
• What is the number one priority for this position?
• If I were to take this position, what obstacles do you see that would prevent me from being successful?
• What support is available to help me fulfill my goals?
• What can you tell me about those who report to this position? What are their strengths or weaknesses?
• Are there any projects in motion for which I will inherit responsibility? What is their history and status?
• What can you tell me about the person I report to? What is his/her management style? How does he/she show support?
• Does this organization offer advancement opportunities when a job is done well?
• Is patient satisfaction measured and how successful are you?
• What is your turnover rate for this department? Do you have a retention program?
• Do you offer management training programs and provide for appropriate seminars to remain current?

Questions You May Be Asked

Your recruiter should be able to give you a good idea of the hiring authority's personality, his or her typical interview demeanor, and a few important questions that the employer is likely to ask:

• Tell me about yourself - spend about 2-3 minutes talking about background, education and tailor your responses to the job.
• What would your staff say about you?
• What would your boss say about you?
• What was the most difficult decision you have made? What did you do?
• What was the biggest contribution you made? What problems did you encounter and what was the result?
• Describe a situation that best describes your ability to lead a project? How did you motivate your team and what was the result?
• Describe a situation where you had to fire someone? What happened? What did you do? What was the result?
• Describe the last important task you delegated? What instructions did you give? How did you check on the progress and what was the outcome?
• Tell me about a person who was promoted as a result of your actions? What role did you play and what is that person doing today?