Why is This A Great Place to Work?

This is my favorite question to ask when I’m interviewing for a job. I say, “I’m looking for a great place to work.  Why is Xyz Company a great place to work?” The range of responses is revealing.

Some hiring managers have already answered this question in the way they talk about their work, their team and the company. It is apparent from their enthusiasm that they like where they work.

Others are not as comfortable. I look for body language to read between the lines. Slumping shoulders, a lowering of their voice, eyes to the floor (maybe all in a split second) tell me that they are not as convinced as they’d like to be.

I liked this article on, determining the corporate culture of a company. While jobs are tight (and they won’t be forever), the ability to assess whether a company is a good fit for us is an important skill.

Think about answering these questions for the last place you worked and then think of the answers you’d like to have for your next employer.

• What 5 key words or key phrases best describe your company?
• What would you guess would be the 5 key words or phrases that your (husband/wife…) would use to describe your company?
• What is your favorite day of the workweek? Why?

By the way, turnabout is fair play. I am always prepared to answer their question about why I’m the kind of employee who would contribute to making their company a great place to work. Happy Holidays.

Ok, Now That’s Funny (Did You Really Say That During an Interview?)

Tis’ the season to need a laugh and here you go.  This link will take you to stories of  things that people have said in job interviews. They simply couldn’t have made them up. To tell a funny interview story on myself; I once called an executive by the wrong name (his name was Leo I was calling him Bill) during one part of a job interview. Why didn’t he say something? (I got the job anyway, phew.) Here are a couple of my favorites to get you started.

Hiring managers report:

• When I told a college student that the position would not work with his schedule, he asked, “Can I hire an assistant?” No.  Goodbye.
• Candidates have asked me if they can work under the table. Huh?
• We had an applicant who put down as a qualification that he had his haircut by Charles Worthington and had done some hair modeling. He was applying for a financial analyst. That hair thing is so important in the numbers game.
• Q) A goal you worked very hard to achieve?
  A) My Girlfriend! Umm.
  Q) Your scores on the resume don’t match from what you just said?
  A) Oh! I might have sent you the wrong resume. This resume was for XYZ company! Speechless.
• An applicant said she was a “people person” not a “numbers person” – in her interview for an accounting position. Perfect.

And my favorite…

I once had a friendly well-dressed guy fill out his application with sparkly purple ink. I asked him about it and he said that he felt the purple would help to make him more memorable. Memorable? Yes. Employed? No.

Please share your funny interview stories; I’ll post them after the first of the year.