From: gheim@eng.auburn.edu (Greg Heim)
Newsgroups: misc.jobs.misc
Subject: SUMMARY: What to ask the interviewer (long)
Date: 5 Oct 92 17:33:10 GMT
Article-I.D.: lab14.gheim.921005123310
Organization: Alabama Department of Tourism (NOT!)


For those who requested a summary and for those interested in general...
(Some of these are posts you may have seen, most are email.  Sorry, I didn't 
have the time to edit out the garbage.)

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From: Bradley Wong <bwong@csulb.edu>
Message-Id: <199209302053.AA18654@beach.csulb.edu>
To: gheim@eng.auburn.edu
Subject: Re: What to ask the interviewer...
Newsgroups: misc.jobs.misc
Organization: Cal State Long Beach
Cc: 
Status: RO

In article <gheim.920930124704@lab14.eng.auburn.edu> you write:
>
>I have a couple of new-at-interviewing questions.  I haven't seen answers
>in the books I have read.
>
>Q1: When it is my turn to ask questions, what are good things to ask the 
>    interviewer?

1. What are the responsibilities of the position.
2. What are the career paths for this position.
3. When do I start. :)

>
>Q2: What is a good answer for "What benefits are you expecting?"
>

Comprehensive - I have interviewed recently with many companies and
                have NEVER been asked this.

Its pretty much, this is what we have, period.

>
>Thanks for any help,
>
>Greg
>
>
>
>                     | Recent Graduate, looking for job in Atlanta area.
>Greg Heim            | 3+ Years _real_ experience in... UNIX administration,
>USENET Junkie        | Relational DB design, PC Hardware/Software Tech Support,
>gheim@eng.auburn.edu | Shell programming. Resourceful problem solver. Hire me!

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From: loosemore-sandra@CS.YALE.EDU (Sandra Loosemore)
Message-Id: <199210010103.AA01007@MONAD.SYSTEMSZ.CS.YALE.EDU>
To: gheim@eng.auburn.edu (Greg Heim)
Subject: What to ask the interviewer...
Status: RO

You ask:

   Q1: When it is my turn to ask questions, what are good things to ask the 
       interviewer?

One I like to use is to ask the interviewer what he/she thinks are the
good and bad points of working for that company.  If you are
interviewing with people in the group you'd be working for in addition
to the hiring manager, you might recap briefly what the hiring manager
has told you about the job and ask them if you have an accurate
impression of what you'd be doing.  (Warning: sometimes hiring
managers lie to make the job sound better than it really is.  If one
of the other people *tells* you the manager is lying, beware of office
politics!)  If the job would involve relocating, you can ask things
like whether it's practical to live within walking/biking distance of
the office, about the local cultural attractions, the climate, and stuff
like that.

   Q2: What is a good answer for "What benefits are you expecting?"

You should probably say something like, "I would *be interested* in
an HMO and deferred compensation", depending on what's important to you.
Actually, this is all pretty standard at larger companies, but you
ought to avoid sounding like you'll refuse the job out-of-hand if you
don't get something you ask for.

-Sandra

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From: Maarten Landzaat <M.J.Landzaat@fel.tno.nl>
Message-Id: <199210011634.AA23095@fel.tno.nl>
To: gheim@eng.auburn.edu
Subject: Re: What to ask the interviewer...
Newsgroups: misc.jobs.misc
Status: RO

In misc.jobs.misc you write:


>I have a couple of new-at-interviewing questions.  I haven't seen answers
>in the books I have read.

>Q1: When it is my turn to ask questions, what are good things to ask the 
>    interviewer?

Definitely ask details about the work you will have to do. Ask about
the company as a whole, its structure etc. This may not interest you, but
this gives the impression that you are interested in the company, which is
subconciously flattering the interviewer.
In any case: talk about something. Becoming silent is deadly.

For your own good, ask everything about your career path, say what you
want to do in 5 years, ask about education you will be given, etc.


>Q2: What is a good answer for "What benefits are you expecting?"

If this is your first job, ask your friends and determine an average salary
to expect. It can't hurt to put a little on top of that and saying "that's
about average". Companies often don't have details on salaries given
by their competitors other than by job interviews.

If this is your second job, you'll know what you`re worth. 

I took these from books, and I also believe in them. 

Advice: Base your decision more on the work, people and the atmosphere, than
on the benefits. You'll be spending the biggest part of your life at work. 
Having fun at work is VERY important.


>Thanks for any help,

In return, would you please post or mail a summary?
I'd very much like to hear the opinions of others and I'm sure everyone is.

-- 
Maarten J. Landzaat (analyst/programmer, bass player, Atari/midi freak)
BSO/Aerospace & Systems			Mail: Spuistraat 97
Email: maarten.landzaat@fel.tno.nl	      1012 SV  Amsterdam
Phone: +31 20 6266098			      The Netherlands

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From: Jeff Griffith <griffith@avo.hp.com>
Message-Id: <9210022311.AA04648@hpavla.avo.hp.com>
To: gheim@eng.auburn.edu
Subject: Re: What to ask the interviewer...
Newsgroups: misc.jobs.misc
Status: RO


>>References: <1992Sep30.170046.29264@netcom.com>
>>
>>I have a couple of new-at-interviewing questions.  I haven't seen answers
>>in the books I have read.
>>
>>Q1: When it is my turn to ask questions, what are good things to ask the 
>>    interviewer?
>>
>>Q2: What is a good answer for "What benefits are you expecting?"
>>
>>
>>Thanks for any help,
>>
>>Greg
>>

Greg,

	I'll answer the second quesetion first, its easier :->. 

	1) 15 days Flexible Time Off (not two weeks vacation + 5 size days)
	2) 10 legal holidays
	3) Medical (preferable one that covers preventative care without
		having to go to an HMO or other prepayed plan)
	4) Dental 100% preventative, 80% otherwise (what the 50% on really
		big stuff like root canals and caps)
	4) Combined medical/dental deductible
	5) Eyeglasses - a pair a year plus checkup
	6) 3 years salary in term-life insurance
	7) real flex-time starting time (not "pick a slot in this window
		and thats when you punch the timeclock each day" ).
	8) Prepaid Tuition is better than Tuition reimbursement - HP has both
		depending on the program.
	9) An informal one, but make sure all travel is on company time
		(unless its a small company, then you need to help them
		a bit here). Its real nice flying to the West Coast from
		Philly on Monday morning and flying back on Friday morning
		instead of having to travel on Sunday (out) and Saturday (back)
	10) Company contributes matching money to a 401K
	11) Profit Sharing (but make sure that its no considered as part
		of the base salary when the offer is made. Many companies
		figure that your salary is "base+profit sharing"; but profit
		sharing isn't guaranteed as any mortgage banker will tell you).
	11) Prescription plan; flat co-payment $3/$4 works better than
		80% and see if they cover contraceptives (many don't! :->)
	
	That's the basics (at least all I could think of :->). These more
	about retirement plans and family leave and Employee Assistance
	Programs (for burn-outs and druggies :->), etc but these really
	varying from company to company.

	These are about 10% better than what I have at HP; sort of the
	best I've had from all employers combined. You won't get this
	at you'll probably have to pay about $200 a month to get it (for
	yourself AND family). See if you can get this for free and kick
	the daylights out of any deductibles. Teradyne had me paying $250
	a month for my wife and I (I was 30 at the time), and the policy
	had a $250 PER PERSON deductible. I now have a $150 FAMILY deductible,
	but even this is too high (my 2 year old just fulfilled the family
	deductible this year). The only year we eliminated the deductible 
	before October was the year my son was born.

As for the rest of the interview, you can ask questions at any time. You're
there to learn as much about them as you can. You don't want to work for
anyone that won't let you ask questions. Usually, interviews like candidates
that show an interest in the company; asking questions expresses this interest.

The primary thing to do is relax; try to behave as you would on a typical
workday in that environment. Talk to the people about what they do outside
of work as well as inside; get to know them because they're the people you're
going to be around all the time. In general, be honest; present yourself 
as you normally are and they will respond in kind.

Good Luck,
Jeff Griffith
	

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From news.duc.auburn.edu!darwin.sura.net!haven.umd.edu!uunet!munnari.oz.au!sol.deakin.OZ.AU!cs.uow.edu.au!cc.uow.edu.au!u8901852 Fri Oct  2 09:14:02 CDT 1992
Status: O

gheim@eng.auburn.edu (Greg Heim) writes:


>I have a couple of new-at-interviewing questions.  I haven't seen answers
>in the books I have read.

>Q1: When it is my turn to ask questions, what are good things to ask the 
>    interviewer?

>Q2: What is a good answer for "What benefits are you expecting?"


>Thanks for any help,

>Greg


Questions to ask the interviewer.  I like to ask whether or not they 
encourage further tertairy (collage, University, etc) studies.  This question
 shows that you're willing, and want to, continue to learn.  If they say no,
 its a good idea to make it clear that this will not discourage you not to 
take the job (eg its fine for you to do undertake study in your own time).
Another question is whether there is an opportunity for travel within the
job.  You can ask about the oportunity for promotion.  The question about
money is a tricky one - you don't want to seem to anxious or eager to find
out.  Its best to ask towards the end of the interview - or not at all.  A 
polite way of asking that I've heard about is to ask if they could give an
indication of the pay scale for someone of my qualifications within their
 company?  A question to end on is to ask where do we go from here? 
 i.e what the next steps are, do you contact them, will they let you know,
 etc. (however you want to word the question). 


What benefits are you expecting?  Now that's a  harder question.  With salary
you don't want to over or under price yourself.  Give an indication of the
range that you think is appropriate.  Or just say that you would want to 
receive the appropraite salary of someone of my age and qualifications.  
Other benefits - not a good idea to mention sickness benefits (they might
start thinking you're going to take sickies all the time).  You could mention
superannuation benefits (depending on the laws and customs in your country), 
or the possibility of joing a health scheme with the company???  I really
don't know the answer to this question.  It would be a good idea to try and
 find out before hand, what benefits they do offer so you can mention some
of them.  Never say you have to have a certain benefit before you'll work 
there, its no good cutting off you're chances early.  You can always refuse
the job later on.

Hope this helps.

Jenny.



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From news.duc.auburn.edu!darwin.sura.net!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!udecc.engr.udayton.edu!blackbird.afit.af.mil!falcon.aamrl.wpafb.af.mil!bkottmann Fri Oct  2 09:16:17 CDT 1992
Status: O

In article <gheim.920930124704@lab14.eng.auburn.edu>, gheim@eng.auburn.edu (Greg Heim) writes:
> 
> I have a couple of new-at-interviewing questions.  I haven't seen answers
> in the books I have read.
> 
> Q1: When it is my turn to ask questions, what are good things to ask the 
>     interviewer?

	Ask them about benefits.  Ask them about firing/layoff policies (i.e.
do they come in on Thursday and say "tomorrow is your last day, thanx").  Ask
them where the company is headed.  Ask them about major projects.  Etc.  Show
them that you are interested in their company.  Some of this you should already
know (direction, major projects), but if it hasn't come up yet, ask them.

> Q2: What is a good answer for "What benefits are you expecting?"

	Health care.  Stock investment opportunities.  Retirement/pension. 
Good sick leave policies/vacation time.  Family leave time
(babies/illness/death).  Flexible work hours.  Comp time.  Overtime.

Brett--------------------------------------------------------------------------
	"Why the courts don't tell a husband who has been living off his wife
to go out and get a job is beyond my comprehension."--Joan Lunden
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------



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From: douglash@tcd01.meaddata.com (Douglas Holzworth)
Message-Id: <9210021737.AA04338@tcd01.meaddata.com>
To: gheim@eng.auburn.edu (Greg Heim)
Subject: Re: What to ask the interviewer...
Status: R

In article <gheim.920930124704@lab14.eng.auburn.edu> you write:
|> 
|> I have a couple of new-at-interviewing questions.  I haven't seen answers
|> in the books I have read.
|> 
|> Q1: When it is my turn to ask questions, what are good things to ask the 
|>     interviewer?
|> 
|> Q2: What is a good answer for "What benefits are you expecting?"
|> 
|> 
|> Thanks for any help,
|> 
|> Greg
|> 
|> 
|> 
|>                      | Recent Graduate, looking for job in Atlanta area.
|> Greg Heim            | 3+ Years _real_ experience in... UNIX administration,
|> USENET Junkie        | Relational DB design, PC Hardware/Software Tech Support,
|> gheim@eng.auburn.edu | Shell programming. Resourceful problem solver. Hire me!

I passed by your original post upon first reading, but then saw some of the
responses you were getting and felt ethically compelled to add my two-cents. :)

Q1: When it is your turn -- When I am interviewing candidates, I find their
    focus to be a good indicator of their motivation and drive.

    A strong candidate: Can you tell me more about the responsibilities of
    the position/the projects we typically take on?  (Focus: what the candidate
    can do for me.  "We" connotes he already feels part of the team.)  What
    direction is the department/company taking?  What kind of new initiatives 
    might we be looking forward to in the next few years?  What qualities 
    do you value in an employee?  (I have been known to take a candidate
    like this over someone with more education and experience -- what this
    one doesn't know, he/she will LEARN!  I know I'llget good performance.)

    A weak candidate: What are the hours?  What does this pay?  Would I have
    to do overtime?  (Focus is on what this person is expecting from me/the
    company.)  What are the benefits?  When is payday?  (I don't care if this
    person has a string of PhDs and 50 years experience, all he/she appears
    to care about is what I can do for him/her.  All they'll do is come
    in -- if I'm lucky -- and take up space.  I can't teach this person
    enthusiasm.)

    Interestingly enough, some of those "weak candidate" questions are very 
    valid -- IN A FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEW OR AFTER AN OFFER HAS BEEN RECEIVED.
    Now is when you have showed your value and it is time for the company
    to stress its value to you, if it hasn't already.

Q2: What benefits are you expecting -- That's a rude question.  I never ask
    it.  I always identify what the available benefits are (although I do save
    this for the follow-up interview or when making an offer -- never in
    the first interview).

    In the past, I've been on the other end of that question.  I didn't want
    to price myself out of a job and I didn't want to give away the farm.
    What often worked for me was "I'm fairly flexible on benefits -- if you'd
    go over your package with me, I could verify that its acceptable."
    This put the ball back in their court without committing me.

I hope this helps.  Good luck in your job search.

Doug Holzworth
Section Mgr, Technical Communications
Mead Data Central, Inc.
Dayton, OH

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From news.duc.auburn.edu!darwin.sura.net!wupost!uunet!orca!orca!pmartz Sun Oct  4 19:22:22 CDT 1992

In article <gheim.920930124704@lab14.eng.auburn.edu>, gheim@eng.auburn.edu (Greg Heim) writes:
> 
> I have a couple of new-at-interviewing questions.  I haven't seen answers
> in the books I have read.
> 
> Q1: When it is my turn to ask questions, what are good things to ask the 
>     interviewer?

You don't necessarily need to wait for your turn. If they are
describing a position they have in mind for you, ask them questions
about it. It shows you're paying attention. If what they're saying
doesn't make sense, ask for clarification.

One of my personal favorite questions to ask is, "If you hire me, what
do you have in mind for my first project?" When they descrive that to
you, this ahould generate even more questions on your part.
-- 

   -paul	pmartz@dsd.es.com
		Evans & Sutherland



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