John Borrowman, CPC
Borrowman Baker LLC
Gallatin, TN
You could be forgiven for thinking that an interview is a one way process, that is you, the candidate are being probed by the employer to see if you are the right fit for the job. But, the truth is that in all sectors, and Business Valuation is no exception, there is an expectation that candidates ask the employers question at the appropriate time of the interview. In fact, its goes beyond expectation as a cross industry survey by Employment Ontario Service found that one of the top 15 reasons that employer’s reject candidate is because they “fail to ask questions about the job and company”.
So, as you can see, asking your interviewer questions is more than just a recruitment custom, it is part of the selection process and if you as a business valuation candidate want to impress at interview you’ll need to make sure you have a good set of questions to ask.
You will usually be prompted to ask questions at the end of the interview, with the typical query, “Do You Have Any Questions for Us?” So, at this stage how should you respond? Of course you should be ready with questions and there are three areas of questioning that you should focus on and you can see these below.
One question should be about the practice operations. Why? Because you want to show that you are interested in the practice, but be careful to show that you have already done background research as this also shows interest. So, your question might be along the lines of, “I was looking through your company news section and noticed that you have experienced some growth in recent times, can you tell me what your growth plans and strategies are for the next 12-18 months?”
Another area to question around is about your manager and managerial style of the practice. Why? One of the chief reasons that candidates fail or choose to leave a company is down to a boss relationship. So, make sure you make inquiries about management style; good probing questions might be, “How would you describe your management style”, or “How would I be managed; are you more hands-on or will I be left to find my own way etc..?”
Last but not least, the other important area to inquire about is the valuation role itself. You might ask questions like, “How did the role become available?” or “How much autonomy will I have?”
Of course, when asking the questions, be mindful of the interviewer’s time and I’d recommend asking perhaps 2 to 3 good questions and have more ready if you feel the time is available. You can always follow up with additional questions via email after interview.
If you’d like any tips on the kind of questions to ask the interviewer, please do contact us.
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