Interviewing has a parallel in dating when both sides are putting their best foot forward.…
John Borrowman, CPC
Borrowman Baker, LLC
Gallatin, TN
Interviewing is like dating. Both sides are putting their best foot forward. It’s no surprise that useful, real-life information can get missed in either scenario.
When you interview, you want to find a practice where a good job performance will bring rewards. It’s natural to want the room to climb the career ladder. “Rise as fast as you want to” can sound sweet.
Test that by asking to talk with someone who is evidence of what you are being told. Maybe someone many levels up started in your job. Maybe there is a “fast-tracker” in another department who is an example. Don’t be shy about checking claims. If proof is quickly offered, great. If it’s not, you need to know that now.
Culture is tops on everyone’s list of things to ask about. Settling for euphemisms about “work-life balance” risks getting tangled up in subjective judgments, though. If you want reliable information about what the culture is day-to-day, ask your would-be peers. Ask specific questions that include a scenario:
If you know several days in advance, can you usually get away for your child’s soccer game?
If you really must stay home at the last minute with a sick child, how does management usually take that news?
It is easy to get swept up in the romance that a practice you respect wants you to come to work for them. Taking the time to ask the right questions can help you avoid the heartache of a bad job choice.
When it comes to dating, you are on your own.
John Borrowman
