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  • 1.  Interview the Interviewer

    Posted 01-09-2022 10:49 AM

    A company, its employees, and clients play significant roles in our professional development as well as our mental well-being after business hours. Those who have researched the company and developed professional plan/goals are often equipped with a pretty decent set of questions prior to the interview. However, there are at least three (3) periods when questions come to mind that would have provided invaluable insight into the company and the management team; these periods are 1) directly after the interview; 2) the early days on the job; and 3) the first job crisis. There are a countless number of questions that fall into categories and sub-categories that vary based on career stage (e.g., pre- & post licensing), field, industry, sector, company size, and location. What is a question 1) you wish you had asked; or 2) have asked; or 3) would like to ask? Why is this question important or significant?



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    James Williams P.E., M.ASCE
    Principal/Owner
    POA&M Structural Engineering, PLC
    Yorktown, VA
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  • 2.  RE: Interview the Interviewer

    Posted 01-12-2022 11:53 AM
    If you are just starting with the goal of becoming a professional engineer, you may want your questions to center around licensing requirements. How many professional engineers are on staff? Will I be working directly with professional engineers? Where the industry is exempt, you want to have some understanding if they are currently licensed.

    My most critical questions center around management. 
       "Can you give me an example of the current process for the projects or tasks to which I will be assigned?"
       "How are projects or tasks typically assigned and/or prioritized?"
       "Will I be assigned multiple or overlapping tasks or projects at any given time?
        "Who and how are the milestones or due dates determined?"
       "How do these processes differ in emergency situations?"

    There are plenty, but these few questions provide some into whether they have a PLAN. There is no guarantee a plan is actually followed. You may find that plans are "company size" and industry dependent. With my own company for which I am currently the one and only employee, my plans change from day-to-day and project to project. However, I do have a standard process for starting and ending. It starts with developing a Plan of Action with Milestones.

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    James Williams P.E., M.ASCE
    Principal/Owner
    POA&M Structural Engineering, PLC
    Yorktown, VA
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  • 3.  RE: Interview the Interviewer

    Posted 01-21-2022 12:12 PM

    Hey James,

    This may be a bit corny, but one question I tend to ask directly during interviews is simply "what do you like about working here?".  It is a general question, but I have found that people's responses to it can provide more information than the question is asking for at face value. 

    For example, if someone can answer the question right away, and provide a few different answers, it is usually a good sign. This either means they really enjoy the type of work they do, the people they work with, or the work-life balance the opportunity offers. To some extent, it is going to show that the organization has itself pretty well organized or managed. 

    On the other hand, if someone has to pause and search for an answer, or appears flustered about having to answer that question - that is also telling. 



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    Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
    Civil Engineer
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  • 4.  RE: Interview the Interviewer

    Posted 01-21-2022 06:01 PM
    No such thing as "corny" when it comes to a question, especially if it, as you noted, provides feedback (i.e., smile, smirk, side-eye, eyes to the ceiling, etc.). Body language as well as the verbal. Do they exhibit patience in responding to "corny" or "dorky" or "outlandish" questions? I guess we cannot be too outlandish given the importance of first impressions.

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    James Williams P.E., M.ASCE
    Principal/Owner
    POA&M Structural Engineering, PLC
    Yorktown, VA
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  • 5.  RE: Interview the Interviewer

    Posted 01-24-2022 10:53 PM

    James –

    First and foremost, it is vitally important for the job candidate to have questions ready for each of their interviews.  The questions preferably focus on the particulars of the interview.  That is, the initial interview may have more general questions but the subsequent interviews should be more specific. 

    Of course, once the question is posed, listen to the response; what are they saying? What are they not saying?  What is being said between the lines?

    If you have the opportunity, try asking the same question of multiple interviewers; how are the responses different? How are they the same?

    Regardless of the job market, both parties are better served to assure teaming up meets the objectives for the position.  Personally, I always favored candidates that came prepared with questions, and my best hire was a candidate that had multiple pages of questions.  They were prepared to assure the position was a good match for them (he is now a VP at the company).

    The interview question topic, though, is very broad.  Companies and employers in different fields will have different characteristics and thus require a different set of questions.  Similarly, different positions will warrant different questions.

    Important, too, is to gain a sense of how the different interviewers within a firm relate to each other.  Folks that don't seem to get along or present contradictory information, for example, should set off some red flags for the candidate.  I recall interviewing for a department head position at a multidisciplinary consulting firm about whom I had followed through the years and about which I had a high opinion.  After a series of interviews including the president, other officers, and members of the department, I had my last interview with the Board Chairman, along with the president.  Not only was conflicting information presented, but the whole "vision" as conveyed by others was markedly different than previously conveyed, a fatal red flag for me.

    Questions from the candidates are, of course, tells for the interviewers, so a judicious selection of questions is important.  For example, something like "do you sponsor happy hour in the office" may not be well received.  However, something like "do you offer opportunities for co-workers to get together and get to know each other" would tend to present better to the interviewers.

    Fundamentally, what is important to you?  What do you want from this position, from this firm and how can you get to know your objectives will be met?  Do you know someone at the firm? Do you know someone that knows someone at the firm?  If not, the interviews will be critical to help assure this is the correct match.

    Do research on the firm – what is their customer base? How long have their customers been doing business with them?
    Do the principals participate in professional activities?
    Is the firm public or privately held?
    Are you interested in ownership potential?
    What is the succession plan – for co-workers and for clients?
    Is the firm "technology" oriented or more "commodity" engineering?
    Are you more interested in engineering work or project management?  How does the firm approach these two career paths?
    What does management do to promote mentoring and collaboration amongst co-workers?
    What do co-workers do to support each other?  Are co-workers competitors?
    How have current staff progressed during their tenure at the firm?
    How many senior staff have been brought in from outside the firm?

    Naturally, the candidate likely will not get through all their questions and may very likely be pursuing a line of conversation that originates with one of their questions!  Not to worry; if you get lost in the dialog, that is probably a good thing.

    Chuck



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    Charles Howard P.E., M.ASCE
    MEMBER
    Richmond VA
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  • 6.  RE: Interview the Interviewer

    Posted 01-25-2022 05:17 PM
    Thanks, Charles. You hit on critical aspects of effectively communicating when you state "Listen to what they are saying; what they are not saying; and ... between the lines". 

    One may get caught up in making that great first impression by asking a series of questions designed to reveal the depth of one's own knowledge, without truly expecting an answer. In some cases, one may forget to listen (period), neither comprehending what is not being said nor reading between the lines. Excellent point. 

    With regards to that "fatal red flag", I know an engineer's 1st instinct is to "fix it". I am curious as to how you talked yourself out of it. LOL! That doggone method of problem solving leaks into all aspects of my life beginning with the "Statement of the Problem", any problem. I have to remind myself not to start the process of problem solving. When I forget, I ask those around for forgiveness. [As a self-employed consultant, solving without getting compensated is one of my challenges.]

    I once missed a serious red flag related to technical comprehension that was in plain sight. I pointed it out during the interview, but did not grasp what it meant. I was so focused on explaining why I responded a certain way, why there was an "error", and probably how "smart" I must seem for catching it,  that I never fully digested the challenge it would mean from day-to-day. While the experience (like them all) had its moments, it was still a very educational and enjoyable experience. Like most things, you find yourself working with some excellent individuals.

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    James Williams P.E., M.ASCE
    Principal/Owner
    POA&M Structural Engineering, PLC
    Yorktown, VA
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  • 7.  RE: Interview the Interviewer

    Posted 01-25-2022 10:49 PM
    One question to keep in your pocket is to simply ask if you missed anything of importance in your questions (e.g., about the company / role). Also, don't forget company culture. There was a good thread on topic several months ago.

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    Mitch Winkler P.E., M.ASCE
    Houston, TX
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