How to Determine if a Job is Right For You: Important Questions to Ask During Interviews

Important questions to ask during interviews.

Out of the countless jobs on the market, how do I know which one is a good fit for me? Job hunting can be an overwhelming task. Oftentimes, the driving factor tends to be compensation and benefits. While salary is an important aspect of a job, it shouldn’t be the only thing that drives your employment decisions. Being able to identify the characteristics of your ideal role will guide your decision to the right career path. Below we are going to cover various factors to consider that will help you decide if a job is right for you, along with questions to ask during your interview.

Nature of the Job

The responsibilities involved with the role directly impacts your job satisfaction. Research has found that the most satisfying jobs are ones that are engaging and allow you to enter a state of flow. Engaging tasks keep people focused and motivates them to develop their skills. Searching for roles with a steep learning curve will set you up for future success. To learn more about the daily responsibilities and whether this is a valuable experience for you, here are some questions to ask during your interview:

• Can you describe the day-to-day tasks of this role?
• What skills do your employees develop from this role?
• How will the skills I learn from this role help me in the future?
  
  

Workplace Culture

Think about a time where you worked well in a team or with a group of people. What did you like about working with that group? Identifying your ideal workplace will not only maximize your productivity, but will increase your happiness as well. A paper by the Harvard Business Review revealed that, “a positive workplace is more successful over time because it increases positive emotions and well-being. This, in turn, improves people’s relationships with each other and amplifies their abilities and their creativity”. To learn more about the workplace culture of the role you are considering here are some questions to ask during your interview:

• Who will I be working directly with?
• How would you describe the workplace values?
• What is the mission statement of the company?
  
  

Flexibility

Flexibility in your work schedule allows you to have more control over your personal time. This might be important for you if you have to juggle school, sports and a part-time job. Finding an ideal balance between our work and personal life is something we will constantly work towards. In fact, a study from Deloitte found that a work-life balance is the most important job characteristic amongst millennials (when salary or other financial benefits are removed from the equation). To learn more about the flexibility of the role you are considering here are some questions to ask during your interview:

• How flexible is the schedule?
• How do you describe the work-life balance of the employees?
• Are there any black-out dates?
  
  

Job searching can be an overwhelming task. However, the characteristics above will guide your decision to the right career path.