The most important question you will be asked in your next job interview has nothing to do with years of manufacturing experience, certifications, credentials, hobbies, apprenticeships, welding skills, supervisory know-how, hands on expertise or education.
It has nothing to do with any of those things, and everything to do with a critical turning point you’ll face in every job interview for the rest of your life.
The question is this:
“Do you have any questions for me?”
It’s inevitable, and it’s far and away the most significant opportunity you will have in a manufacturing job interview to distance yourself from your competition.
Why? Because it’s equally inevitable that the wild majority of manufacturing job candidates will respond to that question in one of these predictable ways:
“Does the 401K program come with a percentage match?”
“How many paid holidays are there?”
“Does the insurance include dental?”
Or my personal favorite:
“No, I can’t think of anything right now,” (interject slight chuckle here) ”but I’m sure I’ll come up with five or six on the way home.”
The irony of this last common response is that by answering the interviewer’s query in this manner, the candidate is likely to be driving home from this particular establishment for the first and last time, all in one shot.
But the candidate who is willing to ask a few thoughtful questions at this critical point in a job interview puts himself in a whole different category from the rest of the herd. That’s because so few (in my experience, it’s about one in 15) take the time to understand enough about the company they’re interviewing with to ask any meaningful questions in the first place.
All it takes is a few clicks on the Internet, and you can arm yourself with sufficient knowledge about the company’s structure, products, services, locations, markets and public image, among many other things. And with a little information on these subjects, you can get maximum leverage out the interview with questions like these:
“How much enthusiasm is there for R&D related to new products or services?”
“Is the company looking at expanding beyond North America in the near future?”
“Does the company have a policy of promoting from within?”
And once again, my personal favorite:
“What can you tell me about the company’s level of profitability?”
You should only skip this last one if the company is publicly traded and you’ve already read its annual report. If the company does not make its finances a matter of public record, then by all means you need to ask about profitability. You will be one of the few who do, and the interviewer will see that you are interested in more than just a job.
She will see that you are interested in working for a successful company, and that fact alone may be all it takes to put you among the top of the candidates she’s seriously considering.
By: David DiCola
David DiCola is a 20-year manufacturing management veteran and the author of Customer Golf – The Short Game, a novel about overcoming obstacles in business and in golf.
It has nothing to do with any of those things, and everything to do with a critical turning point you’ll face in every job interview for the rest of your life.
The question is this:
“Do you have any questions for me?”
It’s inevitable, and it’s far and away the most significant opportunity you will have in a manufacturing job interview to distance yourself from your competition.
Why? Because it’s equally inevitable that the wild majority of manufacturing job candidates will respond to that question in one of these predictable ways:
“Does the 401K program come with a percentage match?”
“How many paid holidays are there?”
“Does the insurance include dental?”
Or my personal favorite:
“No, I can’t think of anything right now,” (interject slight chuckle here) ”but I’m sure I’ll come up with five or six on the way home.”
The irony of this last common response is that by answering the interviewer’s query in this manner, the candidate is likely to be driving home from this particular establishment for the first and last time, all in one shot.
But the candidate who is willing to ask a few thoughtful questions at this critical point in a job interview puts himself in a whole different category from the rest of the herd. That’s because so few (in my experience, it’s about one in 15) take the time to understand enough about the company they’re interviewing with to ask any meaningful questions in the first place.
All it takes is a few clicks on the Internet, and you can arm yourself with sufficient knowledge about the company’s structure, products, services, locations, markets and public image, among many other things. And with a little information on these subjects, you can get maximum leverage out the interview with questions like these:
“How much enthusiasm is there for R&D related to new products or services?”
“Is the company looking at expanding beyond North America in the near future?”
“Does the company have a policy of promoting from within?”
And once again, my personal favorite:
“What can you tell me about the company’s level of profitability?”
You should only skip this last one if the company is publicly traded and you’ve already read its annual report. If the company does not make its finances a matter of public record, then by all means you need to ask about profitability. You will be one of the few who do, and the interviewer will see that you are interested in more than just a job.
She will see that you are interested in working for a successful company, and that fact alone may be all it takes to put you among the top of the candidates she’s seriously considering.
By: David DiCola
David DiCola is a 20-year manufacturing management veteran and the author of Customer Golf – The Short Game, a novel about overcoming obstacles in business and in golf.
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