[MUSIC] You should expect in an interview, we'll close an interview by asking you if you have any questions. If you have any doubt about how important this is, consider this. Einstein made the importance of right questions clear. He went on to say that once he had the right question, he could solve the problem before him in less than five minutes. If you ask the right questions, and you'll learn how to do that in this module, you'll be able to solve your decision problem with clarity and foresight. First, let's get the obvious out of the way, an interview goes both ways. The interviewer wants to knew if you would be a good fit for the organization. But you need to find out if the organization would be a good fit for you. The questions you asked should be prepared with that in mind. That said, I hope it's clear that you should always prepare questions to ask. Having no questions sends the message that A, you have no independent thought. Or B, you don't bother to prepare. Or C, [LAUGH] you're not particularly bright. Or D, some combination of A, B, and C. None of which can help your cause. The take away here should be obvious. Employers make judgments about you based on the questions you ask. Do your questions reflect your research? Are your questions intelligent, thoughtful, cordial? Enough said. The overarching strategy you've learned in this specialization, is to think about the hiring process from the hiring organization's point of view. The hiring organization uses the interview to evaluate your ability to do the job, your desire to do the job and you are likely fit in the organization. Now, let's think about you. You have similar questions, your research will have given you preliminary answers. But as the interview process or the courting process if you will, goes on from screening to first, to second to maybe third interview. You need to probe further, and really nail down the answers to six fundamental questions. Number one, can you do the job? You have to be honest with yourself here. If the answer's no or anything less than a confident yes, beware. Bad decisions may make good stories, but I imagine you have enough stories already. Number two, do you want to do the job? The organization may love you and want you, but you'd better be sure it's a job you want to do. Remember Steve Jobs' advice. The progressive mindset for the 21st century is to do what you enjoy doing and put your heart and soul into it. If that's not the case, and you plan to take the job anyway, at least be honest with yourself. Know why you're compromising. Number three, does the job fit in with your long range plans? The more thought you put into your long range goals, the easier it will be to create a directed career path, instead of simply a series of jobs. Now, as you grow and change, your goals may grow and change. That's part of life. Still, you should have a sense of how well the job aligns with the direction you've set for your life. Select the job that positions you best for the long term. Number 4, will you fit in? Do you like the boss? Do you like the people you will be working with? Does the mission of the organization speak to you? Do you like the atmosphere of the work place? Do you like the location of where you will be working? That's especially important if you're considering a relocation. Number 5, it's important to keep money in perspective. But you do have to live. As part of your research you should have considered your financial needs. If the job won't cover them, you have a problem. Number 6, the salary offer might be great, the stock options could make you rich. But if you're back on the street in a month, all that won't matter. Always evaluate the compensation packet you're offered in the light of your own analysis of the health of the organization. The last point brings up an issue that ties all these six questions together. If you accept a job with an organization, you are investing the one asset you have that is completely and absolutely irreplaceable, your time. Think carefully on that. If you wouldn't invest your money in the organization, then you better have a very good reason for investing your time. Money is a wholly replaceable resource, you don't want to lose it, you don't want to throw it away but you can always make more of it. Time, however, time is a wholly, absolutely, irreplaceable resource. Once it's gone, it's gone. You can adopt strategies to make the most of the time you have, but as the German poet Goethe said, nothing, is worth more than this day. Once this day is gone, no power in the world, no amount of money, nothing will bring it back. Your time is your most valuable asset. So if you wouldn't invest your money in the organization, then why would you invest your time? You might have a valid reason, but make it clear to yourself. If the organization is a publicly traded company, evaluate it like an investor. The company will have an investor relations representative who can tell you which brokers and analysts follow the stock. The analysts will have prepared a detailed report for investors. Call the broker, ask for a copy. It'll be objective and give you great material to evaluate the company by. You'll also be able to use the insights to impress the interviewer. There is no set number of questions to ask. It depends on what you need to know. Some of your questions might be answered during the interview. It also depends on where you are in the interviewing process. If this is the first interview, you'll want to ask general questions about where the company is going, what the culture is like, and what the organization deems valuable. By the second interview, you should hone in on specifics you need to decide if the fit is right for you. If there's a third, even more. Here are are a few final tips. First, ask open-ended questions. That's questions that can't be answered yes or no. They'll get the interviewer talking, so you get the information you want. This is a subtle tactic. Just as you learned that in telling your stories, you should make I statements, in asking questions consider making we statements. These give the impression that you're already part of the organization. For example Ms. Manager, what's the first challenge we're going to face? Mr. Interview, what are the three most important goals we'll have going forward? Finally think like an interviewer. Ask the same questions you might be asked. What are the department's strengths and weaknesses? Tell me about some of the recent problems you faced and how you've overcome them. Just don't forget the interview is a two-way street, just as they're deciding on you, you're deciding on them. In the next lessons, you'll learn how best to get the information you need to do just that. [MUSIC]
