Asking questions during interviews

[Anonymous]

I currently work at a place that isn’t great. I have been there less than a year and am looking to leave. Job before that I was there for 1.5 years, and job before that, was there for 3.5 years. In my late twenties. I just had an interview at one place and have two different interviews elsewhere coming up. I want to get a better feel for workplaces before accepting an offer this time. Hope to be at my next workplace 2+ years. Things I care about - supportive manager, proper guidance/training, good work-life balance, stability, and health insurance costs. However, I don’t feel comfortable asking about these sorts of things in interviews because I think it may not look good for me. Do I ask about them after an offer? Just look for red flags in interviews? Just look at Glassdoor? What do most people do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I currently work at a place that isn’t great. I have been there less than a year and am looking to leave. Job before that I was there for 1.5 years, and job before that, was there for 3.5 years. In my late twenties. I just had an interview at one place and have two different interviews elsewhere coming up. I want to get a better feel for workplaces before accepting an offer this time. Hope to be at my next workplace 2+ years. Things I care about - supportive manager, proper guidance/training, good work-life balance, stability, and health insurance costs. However, I don’t feel comfortable asking about these sorts of things in interviews because I think it may not look good for me. Do I ask about them after an offer? Just look for red flags in interviews? Just look at Glassdoor? What do most people do?

The places that value these things will not penalize you for asking about them. So, it won’t look good for you to ask at the places you don’t want to accidentally end up in anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I currently work at a place that isn’t great. I have been there less than a year and am looking to leave. Job before that I was there for 1.5 years, and job before that, was there for 3.5 years. In my late twenties. I just had an interview at one place and have two different interviews elsewhere coming up. I want to get a better feel for workplaces before accepting an offer this time. Hope to be at my next workplace 2+ years. Things I care about - supportive manager, proper guidance/training, good work-life balance, stability, and health insurance costs. However, I don’t feel comfortable asking about these sorts of things in interviews because I think it may not look good for me. Do I ask about them after an offer? Just look for red flags in interviews? Just look at Glassdoor? What do most people do?

The places that value these things will not penalize you for asking about them. So, it won’t look good for you to ask at the places you don’t want to accidentally end up in anyway.

+1

I work at a great place and we are glad to answer questions like this from candidates.

[Anonymous]

I hire and would have no issue answering those questions. I love nothing better than to talk about my program.

Something I've been asked is "how did this position become available?" Sometimes it shows you how the manager speaks poorly of people who have left or the reverse and it shows that they left for a promotion that I supported.

[Anonymous]

Ask how long most people stay at the company. That will tell you a lot. At my law firm, we have a LOT of people who've been there 20+ years, in all different positions. It's just that good a place to work.

[Anonymous]

All of those topics are fair game, but I would hold off on asking about health insurance costs. Perhaps wait until second interview or once offer is in hand. As someone who has done hiring, specific questions about benefits in the first interview irked me.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't be so direct asking about the work-life balance (yes, red flag). Ask about the culture of the workplace, what a typical day looks like for the employees in the position you are going for, why the last person in the position left (promoted from within? Moved to another department? Moved to another company?)

[Anonymous]

All of those topics are fair game, but I would hold off on asking about health insurance costs. Perhaps wait until second interview or once offer is in hand. As someone who has done hiring, specific questions about benefits in the first interview irked me.

This. Same as a candidate--I have been in job intereviews where the company had me spend an hour with someone who told me all about employee benefits before I had even been offered the job (and, in at least one case, I was never given an offer). It seemed like a huge waste of time for everyone involved, since benefits discussions are meaningless until and unless an offer has been made.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't be so direct asking about the work-life balance (yes, red flag). Ask about the culture of the workplace, what a typical day looks like for the employees in the position you are going for, why the last person in the position left (promoted from within? Moved to another department? Moved to another company?)

The other question I like for getting a sense of work life balance is asking the interviewer what they like most and least about working at the company. That as well as the questions PP suggests are good ways to get a sense of what employees value and do. No one will say “the work life balance is crap” while they’re interviewing but if they talk about how they value the team’s dedication and like on site laundry facilities, run.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks for all the feedback - very helpful.