Questions to the recruiter. What is important to know at a job interview?

When going for a job interview, our first thought is how to impress a potential employer and we forget about ourselves what we need to know to make an important decision about our future employment.

Not every professional is able to attend a job interview without experiencing a bit of worry in front of their future supervisor or the whole team. In order to avoid forgetting important questions in preparation, we recommend writing them in your phone notes or even writing them out by hand (no, it's not weird:)).

So, the questions we recommend asking your potential employer can be divided into three types: 

1. Organisational

These may include information about the company's processes, interview stages, future team, working hours, and others. For example:

• How many stages does the interview for this position include and how will they take place?
• What does the hierarchy look like in the company? How many people work in the company, and how many in a particular department? 
• Who will be my supervisor, or how many people will I supervise in a management position? 
• P.S. Feel free to find out more about your future boss, perhaps even request a link to his LinkedIn profile as you will have a long and productive partnership and need to consider all human factors.
• How many days off and holidays does the company provide for the employee, and what are the flexible working hours?
• Does the position include business travel, and is there an opportunity to combine working in an office with working from home? 
• What exactly will my job description entail? Find out more about the responsibilities of the position. 
• What work tools will be provided, and how does the company treat the extra expense of necessary work resources?
• What training opportunities does the company provide for its employees, and how does it promote career development for the specific position?

2. Administrative

This type of question is the most important one that needs to be clarified during the interview.
It is not uncommon for candidates to fail to clarify an important question about benefits or paperwork beforehand and find themselves faced with an unacceptable problem after only one month with the company. 

However uncomfortable you may feel, be sure to ask the following questions of the recruiter/company representative at the interview: 

• How is the registration with the company made?
• On what dates and with what frequency are wages paid?
• How many official holiday and sick leave days does the company provide and how are these days processed?
• Does the company have a policy about tracking hours worked and how are workers paid for time off and overtime?
• What does the job description include in terms of health insurance, benefits, and other programs for company employees?
• Does the company offer bonus payments (bonuses, holiday payments, or emergency support)?
• How often does the company review salaries?
• How long is the probationary period and how is it paid for? What are the main criteria for evaluating the employee during the probationary period? (It is very important to clarify this point right away to avoid misunderstandings at the end of the probationary period and possible rejection by the company).

3. General questions about the company and the position you are applying for

In this part, we have added questions that many of us shy away from or even forget to ask at a job interview, but they are just as important, and even more so. These questions will give you an overview of the company's culture, its employees, and the position:
Find out more about the history of the vacancy: is it a new position or a replacement for an existing candidate? In the latter case, it is important to know the employee's reasons for leaving.

• What values are embedded in the company's operating philosophy?
• What is the current social position of the company and how has the company adapted to the new work environment?
• What growth opportunities does the company offer? 
• Does the company organise team-building and other activities for its employees?
• How does the company take care of its employees and personal employer brand?

There is a chance that you may not be able to get all your questions answered: the recruiter may not have enough information to answer you, and in some cases, the recruiter may be avoiding answering. Nevertheless, even with these reactions, you should be able to identify with the communication style and culture of the company so that you can better understand what to expect in the future.  

What else is important?

Before joining a new company, we always recommend researching as much information about the company as you can from public sources. Aside from the company's website and social media, it's important to look at reviews on various forums and gather an overall assessment for yourself. Of course, you should not take 100% of the reviews as true, because it is not uncommon for reviews to be pre-ordered and paid for, either by the company itself or by its competitors. 

A detailed review of the company and its employees will give you a rough idea of the atmosphere within. If employees are actively sharing their experiences and positive feelings about working for the company then they feel safe and comfortable enough, which is a definite plus for the company :).

However, if you have encountered some unpleasant cases in feedback (unpaid salaries, scandalous dismissals, etc.) - don't worry and ask the representative directly during the interview, as there are always two sides to any story. If the recruiter evades or ignores the question altogether, it's enough to determine the truthfulness of the story. If, however, the recruiter answers without hesitation and explains the company's position in a particular situation - this is a good indicator.

Summary 

When trying to leave a good impression of yourself to a prospective employer, don't forget about your own feelings and questions to ask in order to create a clear picture of the company. 

Be sure to keep in touch with the recruiter on social media/ messenger or by post. In case you forget, feel shy, or hesitate to ask the questions you are concerned about, you can always ask them after the interview in a format you feel comfortable with. 

At Talentgrator, we hold career counselling sessions with our candidates before referring them to our clients for an interview. We remind you of the important aspects to talk about and the questions to ask at the interview :). 

Feel free to subscribe to our Telegram channel Talentgrator, where you'll get fresh and burning job offers in the IT entertainment industry every day, which means practicing more often and improving your interviewing skills!