I have been asked to find people for the ultimate bad situation. For example a job had 4 bosses in 1 year – each one fired. 7 coworkers had quit in that same year.
I asked the difficult questions, and then refused to place someone in that job. However, I have placed people in difficult situations if I thought they could win.
It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. (Aesop)
It takes guts, bravery really, to ask some difficult questions during interviews. If you are blindly desperate for any job, don’t ask these. Otherwise, get the gumption to ask your interviewers:
1. Why did the previous person who had this job leave?
2. How long had he been with the company?
3. How long have you been with this company?
4. Personally, how do you feel about the company and its future?
5. How will I be evaluated in 12 months time if I take this job?
The next trick is to be brave enough to ask followup questions where there are negatives. Probe problems. Make sure you know what you are getting into.
No job is perfect. They may want you to fix problems. They may have fixed a weakness that caused weak players to leave. So, keep your eyes open. At the very least, you’ll know more about what you are getting into.
Something to do today
Put those questions on your interview prep list. Read them right before leaving your car for your interview.
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