Important Questions You Should Ask an Interviewer

By Joe Filipone

Being unemployed, or underemployed, can be a very dramatic and traumatic event for all of us. It’s changes our routine from getting up early in the morning, preparing for the day’s work, to one day finding out we’ve just been laid off by a company where we’ve worked for a long time.

In certain cases there is no actual layoff. One day, for one reason or another, some people just decide to quit their jobs. It doesn’t matter how it actually happens, what matters is that they  are out of work and now have to go about finding another job.

Yet, over the last five to ten years, the work environment has changed so drastically that we often ask ourselves, “How will we land our next job?”  Where will our next job lead come from?  Will it be from social media? Will it be from networking? Will it be a phone call received from a Recruiter or a job email posting sent by a family member or friend?

Regardless of how you get your next job lead, let’s say you’ve already passed the phone interview stage and are now being invited to come in for an in-person interview.

During the interview, based on the job description for the position, you and the Human Resources HR person feel you are a good fit for the job – but – and yes, there is a but — the Interviewer suddenly says, “You have a great résumé, you appear to have great qualifications and references, but, sorry, you just don’t have the exact skill set we are looking for. Good luck in your job search.” It’s tough to hear those words, but, how should you react when you do hear them?

Often you leave one of these interviews feeling that things went well, but, when you arrive home and get feedback from the Interviewer telling you that you just don’t have the skills for the job – how humiliating it that?

Please tell me if I am wrong about this, but, years ago, companies used to train quality people to help them fit into a position they were looking to fill.  Today, the world has changed. It appears companies want that perfect fit, the one person they will like and who will perform every duty the job entails with no additional training provided.

So, what’s the best way prepare for this kind of interview? Is there a way to land a position when you don’t have every single qualification the company wants? Here are a few suggestions on what to do.

First, before you go to an in-person interview, you have to make sure you ask the proper questions of the Interviewer, such as: What skills, or applications, does the job entail?

Your firm lists a bunch of skills and requirements in the job description I read, but, are there any other skills I have to have that are not part of that list?

Sometimes it’s hard to ask these questions of an Interviewer because you don’t want to appear rude or confrontational, but they simply have to be asked so that the interviewee can obtain all the information about the job that he or she needs.

Perhaps another way to prepare for this kind of job interview is to tap the resources of the many Trainers that PSGCNJ has to offer. Chances are someone is out there who can help you.  Sometimes taking a class at a local college, just to enhance your skills, can make the difference between actually landing the job and hearing that you don’t have the appropriate skills for the position.

Eventually, we will all land a job; it’s just a question of when. So, do you have the proper skill set or “landing gear” to actually get the job you want?  Remember, when preparing for an interview, if you ask the proper questions about the position you’ve got a better chance at actually landing the job than the next applicant.