You're listening to Business English Pod, the Business English podcast for professionals on the move.
There is one question that you will definitely be asked in any interview, a question for which you should always prepare a response.
That is, do you have any questions for me?
In this episode, we will focus on how to deal with this question.
We'll talk about what interviewers expect from you, and we'll emphasize the importance of preparation.
We'll also study how you can use this opportunity to interview the interviewer, that is, to find out whether the company is a good fit for you.
Meanwhile, we'll talk about how, for the interviewer, this is a chance to put your company in the best possible light.
In the listening, we will return to Yala Santos' interview.
Remember, she is an HR specialist at a manufacturing company who is interviewing for an HR manager position in a business unit of a fast-moving consumer goods company, Fun Beverages International.
As you listen, try to answer the following questions.
3.
Yala's second question is a little tougher.
What does she ask?
Yes, I can see what you mean about cultural differences.
Sounds pretty challenging.
Definitely.
But, you know, it was a really good experience.
I feel that I'm much stronger because of it.
Great.
Well, I think that's just about everything I want to get through today.
Do you have any questions for me?
Yes, actually, I do have a couple.
Great.
Okay.
First, I was wondering, what would you say is the best thing about working for this company?
Hmm, that's an excellent question.
Let me think about that.
I think what truly sets us apart is a genuine commitment to long-term development.
There's a strong dedication here to helping people reach their full potential.
Well, as I said, I'm definitely looking for a place where I can grow and make a long-term contribution.
Those are qualities we really value in employees.
Okay.
Well, another question I might have is about how the HR department is viewed in this company.
You mean in terms of Well, would you say, you get adequate budgetary and leadership support from upper management?
I see.
Yes.
Well, especially since we went to a more matrix-style management system after the merger, we've seen the executive team take a keen interest in setting up strong HR systems in individual business units.
As the dialogue begins, Yala and the interviewer have just finished talking about another topic.
Then the interviewer asks, Do you have any questions for me?
Let's look from the HR perspective at a couple more ways to ask this.
Do you have anything you'd like to ask before we finish the interview?
We'd like to turn it over to you before we finish.
Do you have any questions you'd like to ask us about the company?
As an interviewee, how should you respond to this question?
This is about interviewing the interviewer, finding a good match.
In fact, in some cases the interviewer is listening to what you ask or don't ask.
They want to see, for example, that you are genuinely interested in the position.
The best way you can do this is to do your research beforehand and prepare a few questions to ask.
Also, you want to be listening carefully to the questions you are asked during the interview and prepare a few of your own in response.
How does Yala respond?
Yes, actually, I do have a couple.
Great.
Yala doesn't hesitate.
She is expecting this.
We should all follow Yala's example.
Avoid saying no, I don't have any questions, as this would show you have not prepared adequately for the interview.
What's Yala's first question?
Okay, first, I was wondering, what would you say is the best thing about working for this company?
Save that for the salary negotiation, which we'll deal with in another episode.
It might be all right to ask a question or two about compensation, but at the very least we should first ask a few general questions to establish that we are very interested in the job and that we have thought carefully about it.
Also, avoid asking if you got the job.
Don't be impatient.
And don't ask what the company does.
Do your research ahead of time.
Finally, though it may well be okay to ask one or two tough questions, if you have them, it might be better to open with one or two positive, general questions, like Yala's, that allow the interviewer to first put the company in the best light.
Let's study a few more good general, positive questions that we can ask almost any company as a warm-up to tougher questions.
What kinds of assignments might I expect in the first six months of the job?
What characteristics do the achievers in this company seem to share?
How do you feel about creativity and individuality?
What do you like best about your company?
What projects do you have in the development stage now?
Recall that Yala has just asked the interviewer what the best thing about working at Fun Beverages is.
How does the interviewer respond?
Hmm.
That's an excellent question.
Let me think about that.
I think what truly sets us apart is a genuine commitment to long-term development.
From the HR perspective.
You should be prepared to answer this type of question, because it is a chance to portray your company in the best light in order to recruit excellent prospects.
In this case, the interviewer decides to emphasize long-term development.
What really sets us apart means what really differentiates us is.
The interviewer means that Fun Beverage's commitment to long-term career growth differentiates it from the competition.
How does Yala respond?
Well, as I said, I'm definitely looking for a place where I can grow and make a long-term contribution.
Those are qualities we really value in employees.
Yala refers back to a comment she has made earlier.
Well, as I said, to emphasise that her values are in line with the company's.
Finding a good match that is demonstrating shared values or common perspectives is an important interview goal.
Let's listen to some more language for emphasising shared perspectives.
Yes.
Well, obviously this is an area where I think my values really align with this organization's.
It sounds like our interests really intersect at several points.
I also really value a cooperative, teamwork-oriented working style.
What's Yala's next question?
Okay.
Well, another question I might have is about how the HR department is viewed in this company.
This time, Yala is asking a tougher question, one about the relationship between HR and the rest of the company.
Notice how she is a little bit more careful with her approach.
She says.
Another question I might have is When asking tough questions, there are a number of softening phrases you can use, as we've studied in previous episodes, such as BP 49 and 50.
Let's review some of these.
I was wondering... Perhaps you could tell me... Would it be possible to tell me...
Could you possibly clarify a point for me?
How does the interviewer respond to Yala's tough question?
First, he asks for clarification.
Then Yala asks her question in more direct terms.
You mean in terms of Well, would you say, you get adequate budgetary and leadership support from upper management?
As an interviewer, it's important to ask for clarification.
This may be especially important when interviewees are questioning you, because they might be shy about asking you directly what's on their minds.
By clarifying their queries, you show them that you are truly interested in what they have to say.
We've handled asking for clarification in BEP 34 and 35, so those would be good episodes to review.
Now, before we finish the show today, let's go over some more tough questions that we can ask interviewers.
First, let's listen to some general questions that we can ask about the company, its strengths and weaknesses, and how your job fits in.
How important does upper management consider the function of this position to be?
Could you describe your company's management style and the type of employee who fits well with it?
What are the company's strengths and weaknesses compared to its competition?
How will my leadership responsibilities and performance be measured?
By whom?
Now here are a couple of questions we might be able to ask about salary and benefits, if it's appropriate.
Are salary adjustments geared to the cost of living or job performance?
Does your company encourage further education?
Do you offer flexi time?
Some tough questions you can ask about staffing and turnover include the following.
Have you cut your staff in the last three years?
Is this a new position or am I replacing someone?
What is the largest single challenge facing your staff now?
May I talk with the last person who held this position?
Do you fill positions from the outside or promote from within first?
Has there been much turnover in this job area?
How does the interviewer respond to Yala's question about management support for HR?
He begins by discussing historical changes within the company.
Apparently Fun Beverages has recently undergone a merger and along with this, has changed to a matrix-style management system.
Matrix management means that the organisational structure is flat.
Instead of a top-down command and control structure, every employee has several functional managers and they all cooperate flexibly in teams based on each individual project.
Finally, there's one last question you can always ask an interviewer.
What is the next course of action?
When should I expect to hear from you or should I contact you?
In this episode we've covered a few basics and given you some ideas of the types of questions you can ask.
The most important thing you can do to get ready for this part of the interview is to prepare by doing research on the company and thinking up several good questions before the interview.
Now let's practice some of what we've learned.
You'll hear a series of cues that consist of question parts.
Based on these parts, reconstruct the whole question.
Try to use softeners.
For example...
If you hear important management consider this position, you can say something like how important would you say management considers this position to be?
Let's give it a try.
Characteristics, achievers, this company, share.
Example answer.
What characteristics would you say achievers in this company seem to share?
Projects you have development stage now.
Example answer.
Can I ask what projects you have in the development stage now?
Plans for expansion.
Example answer.
I was wondering, what are your plans for expansion?
Describe your company's management style.
Example answer.
Could you describe your company's management style?
Largest single challenge facing your staff Example answer.
What would you say is the largest single challenge facing your staff now?
How did you do?
Try doing the practice again to develop fluency.
That's all for this episode on interviewing the interviewer.
We've talked about how important it is to prepare, and we've seen that this is both a great opportunity to demonstrate our knowledge about the company and to find out more about whether or not it's a good match.
Meanwhile from the HR point of view this is a chance to portray your organisation in the best light.
Thanks for listening.
