Questions women should ask at interview. Following my last post about how the workplace has let me down and finding myself a mum struggling with how to steer my career going forward, I got to thinking about interviews again.
I thoroughly enjoy creating career content and discussion on here, nearly all of it based on or inspired by my own experiences. What I find most interesting in reading back on older posts, are the different things that have sparked a new idea for some advice to share.
I can’t imagine working again in marketing, which is such a shame as I spent seven years building my experience in that field. But my recent experience has completely put me off those kind of roles, certainly for the foreseeable. If you want me, you can work with me directly as a freelancer.
With that in mind, here are some questions women should ask at interview, particularly for those a few years into their career when you’re wise to not prove how high you can jump just because your boss asks you too.
How does the organisation support a healthy work/life balance, particularly for families?
This is unlikely to be a concern when you’re early in building your career, however once you get a bit older and you have a family or are considering starting one, you want to know how well an organisation supports its employees.
So many organisations talk the talk but don’t walk the walk, and even though many of its employees will have families, including the boss, people still forget that work isn’t everything. In fact, work, however much you might love your job, is still just a means to paying the bills.
Are you able to provide me with any examples of how women have done well in this company?
This is a perfect example of questions women should ask at interview. As part of doing some initial research about the company as I advise in this interview post, you may have gained an idea about how many women the company employees.
Your interviewer may well be a woman, so it would be a good opportunity to understand her experience, particularly if she is a mother. How long has she been with the company? has she experienced promotion? Are there any women on the Board of Directors?
How does the organisation support equal opportunities and encourage diversity?
We are all so much more aware about the people around us now, and even though some organisations try to recruit as widely as possible with people from an assortment of backgrounds and cultures, many are still failing.
This isn’t necessarily a reason to turn down a good job, but it can be eye opening so it should definitely be on the list of questions women should ask at interview. For the record men should also be asking this question.
It’s also worth remembering that you may be asked about how you work with different people, so don’t be afraid to fire the question back.
How does the company encourage self development within its staff? What training would be offered to me?
Too many companies boast they offer a generous training budget to each of their employees, but actually getting them to spend it can be tricky. It’s also important to ensure you gain something from every employment, no matter how long or short a time you are/were with them.
As a content writer, if I was going into another employment I would want to know how I could improve my writing further. This could be in learning a different style, and/or being involved in more advanced projects such as the creation of white papers.
By improving your skill set and self development, a company that invests in you will reap the rewards.
What other questions women should ask at interview would you include here?
Until next time x
