Questions To Ask During A Job InterviewQuestions To Ask During A Job Interview

Thinking about a new job? While you're busy trying to impress your prospective employer, don't forget to ask the right kind of questions to help you determine whether the organization is a good place for IT pros to work. That's the advice of Gregg Stocker, director of performance improvement at Ico Polymers, a $350 million-a-year manufacturer, and author of the recently released book Avoiding The Corporate Death Spiral: Recognizing & Eliminating The Warning Signs Of Decline (Quality Press Books, 2006).

There are basic questions that any job candidate should ask, regardless of the company or the type of work they hope to do, Stocker says. Those include asking how performance is measured. For instance, what are the company's key metrics--are they based on finances, customer satisfaction, meeting deadlines? What kinds of performance reviews are used--are they 360-degree reviews, where feedback is collected from colleagues up and down the org chart?

An IT person also should try calculating the odds of having his or her job eventually being outsourced before taking a new position. For instance, has the company done any IT outsourcing or offshoring, and if so, what kind? If IT hasn't been outsourced, are there other areas of the company that have been outsourced--like manufacturing or design? If so, that could be "writing on the wall" that IT is next, Stocker says.

People Skills
IT professionals also should try to get a sense of whether or not their immediate boss has good people skills, as well as an understanding of technology if the boss isn't from the IT organization, Stocker says. That's because it's important for the boss to have an understanding of the value of the work provided by IT and the individual, especially if outsourcing is being considered.

Prospective IT employees also should ask about employee turnover and job satisfaction and probe about the team with which they would work. Do the people get along? Have they worked together long? Stocker suggests keeping ears open to clues about discontent, distrust, or a lack of respect for the team.

Since no job is completely safe from being outsourced, offshored, or eliminated, ask about training and career development opportunities offered by the company. Getting the chance to learn and use new skills and move into new roles might be the best insurance for keeping a job or finding a new one later.