Know what to say before the interview begins

By COLLEEN CLARKE, SUN MEDIA

Practice, practice, practice! Before a face-to-face interview or phone interview, know the answers to these questions:

- When was the company formed or founded?

- Have there been mergers or name changes?

- What are the company's products or services?

- What is the size of the company, number of employees, rank within the industry?

- Who are the company's primary customers and competitors?

- Where are the company's offices, plants and facilities located?

- What are the company's goals, its philosophy and mission statement?

- Who are the key players, chairman, CEO, president?

- How is the financial health of the company?

- How was the company's performance in the last year?

- What major articles or press releases have appeared about the company within the last three to six months?

- What, currently, is its main focus?

- What glitches or accolades has it been noted for lately?

QUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK:

- What is the company doing to stay competitive?

- Where do you see the most opportunity for growth this year?

- What are this department's goals for the next fiscal year?

- How are you staffing the growth?

- What is the most important contribution I could make within the first 30 to 90 days of my employment?

- What is the first issue to be addressed?

- Who does this position report to?


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