the art of asking the * right interview questions

successfully landing your next big career opportunity comes down to aligning on two big questions:

1) Are these your type of people? → Do you share the same values as the team?

2) Are you cognitively capable? → Can you perform the hard skills for the job?

In the long and winding road that is our careers, finding your next big thing (and ensuing things) are stepping stones. and knowing how to assess which place is yours is a mix between good self reflection & grreeeat discovery (aka the art of asking questions).

Are you cognitively capable? → Can you perform the hard skills for the job?

There’s the transactional exchange of work. Can I do the job? Or would I be capable of mentally/physically learning to do the skills of the job? Can I work the 80 hours required each week at this stage in my life? Do I want to..? Am I interested in the subject?

Good questions to ask during the interview rounds to would be:

-what does a typical week look like in terms of hours and calls? what is the cadence for team meetings, or manager/direct report meetings or calls?

-how much of my day is spent doing X vs Y? what’s the 80/20?

-what is the most “fun” part of the job? and what’s the most tedious or difficult part?

-what type of person would excel at this job? what does success look like for this role? what hard skills do I need to know or learn?

Once you know what is required for the hard skills of the role, try to see if it’s right for you.

A great barometer for any achievement is to ask yourself, am I willing to sacrifice what achieving this would require of me?

→ Sacrifice is the other (less glamorous, but more rewarding) side of success. Success requires sacrifice, long hours, difficult environments, risk taking, intensity, rejection and failure. People often like to dream of careers and lives they wish they had, but they aren’t ready to be honest to themselves about if they are willing to sacrifice what it takes to achieve that.

Understanding your own strengths is key to assessing if you are cognitively capable of the job you are shooting for. This is the entry gate to number two.

Are these your type of people? → Do you share the same values as the team? Are you woven from the same thread? Am I cut from the same cloth?

You will become a product of the people you spend the most time with.

Ask yourself, would I want to be like my coworkers? Do I admire my manager?

If you wrote out on a piece of paper adjectives to describe the team, would you be happy if someone said those same things about you? (this isss also a great barometer to judge the strength of any relationships in your life !! )

Good questions to ask during the interview rounds to try gauge what real life working there would be like:

-tell me what a bad day at this company is like? tell me what a good day is like?

-what are your strengths and weaknesses as a manager? and as an organization?

-why do you think people at the company work so hard?

-what is one of your favorite memories working here and why?

These questions get to the core of the why. finding out “why are people the way they are” is a stealthy way to discover what someone truly values. anddd its much better to ask roundabout questions then point blank ask for company values since those are more or less aspirational, and we want to know what it’s like day in and day out. That’s what values really are.

ask yourself, why do you want to work? then have the honor of spending your life finding and building with people who work for the same reasons.

If you are unsure how to tackle such a rather large behemoth of a question… take a trip down memory lane and think of your proudest personal/academic/professional achievements and why they were so great to you.

Knowing your why is key to picking great places to work, great people to date, great people to trust, and most importantly building a great life. we all have the honor of discovering our why, and creating a shared experience with people who value the same reasons. this is rare + priceless :))))

Don’t lie to yourself on your why either - or lie and probably learn the hard way (which is totally okay and lessons learnt the hard way are very needed)

During the first 5 years of your career, your why is the single most important pillar. even more important than money.

Your why will change throughout your career and the shifting priorities of life ((we all get old, want to spend more time with loved ones, and don’t have the same mental or physical capacity to get things done)) soooo ask good questions throughout the interview process, and spend time asking yourself good questions tooo!!

~ add a dash of wonder, a fuckkk ton of elbow grease, a birds eye view of things, anddd you are on your wayyy to landing your next big thing ~