Top Shelf Take: The Interview Is a Two-Way Street

[00:00:03] Welcome to Top Shelf Take from SpeakEasy HR, presented by Payroll Partners. This is a quick take to cover one topic, share one perspective and give you one takeaway. And now your host, David Noe. Hey there and cheers to you. Welcome to another Top Shelf Take from SpeakEasy HR, presented by Payroll Partners.

[00:00:25] I'm David Noe, an HR leader with 20 years of experience, small business owner, recruiter, content creator and host of SpeakEasy HR. Wherever you're catching this today, thanks for making Top Shelf Take part of your day. If you're new here, this is a quick take where we cover one topic, share one perspective and give you one takeaway. So let's get into it. The interview is a two-way street.

[00:00:50] I've been talking a lot about recruiting lately on my LinkedIn posts and other Top Shelf Take topics. And I think job seekers forget that it's a two-way street. So when you're looking for a job, especially when you've been searching for a while and it could be six months or more, it's really easy to walk into an interview when you have them and really be thinking, I need them to like me. I need to say the right things. I need them to convince and I need to convince them to hire me.

[00:01:20] And yes, you probably want to put your best foot forward, right? But there's another question you should be really asking throughout the interview. Is this a place where I actually want to work? Because the job isn't necessarily the goal. It's getting the right job. And those are two different things. So think about it. You're not just interviewing for a job and a paycheck. I know that's important. But you're potentially choosing a manager. You're choosing a team.

[00:01:48] You're choosing a new work environment, a new culture. You're choosing where you're going to be spending a lot of your time in the future. So don't be afraid to interview the company too. And I'll give you some tips on that with the right questions and the right topics. So start with the manager. Ask questions that help you understand how they lead, how they manage. So what does communication look like and how do they communicate?

[00:02:15] How do they give feedback? What happens when you make a mistake? How do they support their team and help them learn? That is so important. And then ask about success. Don't just ask, what would I be doing in this role? You should ask, what would success look like in the next six months from now? I get applicants that do ask that in interviews, but not every time. So you really need to ask about success. And are their expectations realistic?

[00:02:42] Do they have a plan for getting you to a better place in the future with the company and progress? That information is so important. So pay attention to the questions they ask you too, right? Are they interested in your experience? Are they listening to your answers? Do they ask follow-up questions? Or does it feel like they're simply checking boxes on a list of questions? So if it is a natural conversation that they go into with you in an interview,

[00:03:09] and you really feel like you're having a genuine conversation. So pay attention to how they communicate with you through the process. Do they show up on time? Do they communicate the next steps? Do they follow through when they say they're going to? That's one that I feel like a lot of people lack and they fail at that. And communicating and following up with applicants when they actually interview them. Do they respect your time? Because there's a lot. And how companies treat you during the recruiting process will tell you a lot of how they might treat you as an employee.

[00:03:39] Now that doesn't mean every delayed email or scheduled interview that gets rescheduled or things change is a red flag. Things happen. People have lives. Things become an unexpected situation that you have to just navigate. So flexibility matters. And ask about flexibility. Culture matters. So ask what the culture actually looks like. Why do people like working there? Ask the people in the room. What's their favorite part about working in that company?

[00:04:08] Don't be afraid to find out what you're actually signing up for and be curious. Show that you're curious in the interview and really ask those questions. So write those down. Take a notepad. Write all these questions down. Have them for every single job interview that you go to. So obviously an offer is an opportunity, but it's not an obligation. So take a step back. Think about the role. Think about the manager, the team, the environment, and really ask yourself,

[00:04:37] can I see myself being successful and happy here? That is one important question because sometimes we're so focused on getting that offer. And when you forget to evaluate everything else and you want to accept it, you really need to sit down and think. So here's your takeaway. Don't walk into an interview thinking, I hope they choose me. Walk in thinking, let's figure out if we're the right fit for each other. So do your homework. Ask the right questions. Listen carefully. Pay attention to the experience.

[00:05:06] And remember, you're interviewing them just as much as they're interviewing you. Because the goal isn't simply to get a job. The goal is to find the right opportunity for you. That's this week's Top Shelf Take. Cheers and we'll see you next time.