Joan Lloyd has a great post that I saw at Don't turn down the new job before asking these questions by Joan Lloyd bizjournals.com. Her questions are:
* What specific results are you expecting in the first three months? Six? One year? How will you measure those results?
* To whom can I go for questions as I'm learning my responsibilities? How much time will you have to devote to getting me up to speed?
* Who are the strongest performers on the staff and would they be willing resources to help me with day-to-day questions and processes?
* What are the biggest problems that need resolution within the first six months? What has been done thus far? Who would I have to work with to settle these issues?
* Why have you gone to the outside to fill this position?
* May I meet some of the staff before making my final decision? That way we can make sure it's a good fit from all perspectives.
If you're a hiring manager, you need to answer these questions before you start interviewing, so you can answer a candidate. Yes, you need to answer them.
Here is my two cents: the question of results and performance measurement are often the most difficult to answer. How specific is a specific result? What about the instances in which the project is nascent or largely undefined? What about high level roles in which the problem is there, but the results and the “path” is not well understood? These are everyday situations we run into on the hiring side and the candidate side, so we try to be as clear as reasonably possible in thinking about these types of questions. Many managers want a new hire, especially if the person is high-level, to define the results and create the plan – so there is a sense of autonomy and ownership.
Your post is a reminder that these are very valuable questions to keep in mind!
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