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04-26-2009, 10:41 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Philadelphia, PA
4,997 posts, read 1,562,116 times
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Does anyone really need to ask this question on a job interview???
"Why is the position open?"
I see so many articles suggesting that is one of the questions you should ask but why do we need to know the answer to that question anyway when we kind of already know either the last person was fired, resigned, or got promoted. Has anyone ever asked this dumb question at a interview?
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04-26-2009, 11:13 AM
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I've asked the question, but not quite so bluntly. I think it's a fair question. The job that I just got I said "Is this a new position due to company growth?"
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04-26-2009, 11:32 AM
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Moderator
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Join Date: May 2007
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I always ask why the job is open. I want to know what happened to the last person. You can tell a lot about a job about why the person left.
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04-26-2009, 11:54 AM
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Senior Member
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Location: Philadelphia, PA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FarNorthDallas
I always ask why the job is open. I want to know what happened to the last person. You can tell a lot about a job about why the person left.
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That just seems like prying to me. I think better questions are
What are some of the biggest challenges for someone in this position?
What were the goals for this department last year and were they achieved? |
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04-26-2009, 11:55 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Nov 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TVandSportsGuy
That just seems like prying to me. I think better questions are
What are some of the biggest challenges for someone in this position?
What were the goals for this department last year and were they achieved?
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And what if it's a newly created position and department? Like the job I just got. |
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04-26-2009, 11:56 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Feb 2009
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I agree! ;-)))
lol!
Why? Because you want it to be learning process..about the person interviewing you. The direct approach is usually not the best. It gets you a predictable answer.
cheers! 
Quote:
Originally Posted by TVandSportsGuy
That just seems like prying to me. I think better questions are
What are some of the biggest challenges for someone in this position?
What were the goals for this department last year and were they achieved?
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04-26-2009, 12:11 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Feb 2009
175 posts, read 56,437 times
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It is a very important question to ask, depending on the level of job that you are applying for.
It is one clue to turnover in the company. I view high turnover as bad, in that it means nobody wants to stay, and the company has a bad work environment.
It is a clue as to what the hiring manager values, which allows you to tailor your responses for the rest of the interview, and for you to know if you can live up to his/her expectations.
It is a clue to the financial viability of the company.
It is a hint to the hiring manager that you care about more than just the paycheck.l
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04-26-2009, 12:19 PM
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Senior Member
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Location: Philadelphia, PA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fishbrains
It is a very important question to ask, depending on the level of job that you are applying for.
It is one clue to turnover in the company. I view high turnover as bad, in that it means nobody wants to stay, and the company has a bad work environment.
It is a clue as to what the hiring manager values, which allows you to tailor your responses for the rest of the interview, and for you to know if you can live up to his/her expectations.
It is a clue to the financial viability of the company.
It is a hint to the hiring manager that you care about more than just the paycheck.l
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Well I still ask tons of other questions about the position to let them know i just don't care about a paycheck but I just never felt comfortable asking that particular question. |
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04-26-2009, 01:07 PM
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Senior Member
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Location: City, State
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It's not a dumb question at all. You should ask that question on every single interview.
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04-26-2009, 01:09 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Philadelphia, PA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by djkkt6
It's not a dumb question at all. You should ask that question on every single interview.
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I'm not going to ask a question I already know the answer to which is FIRED, RESIGNED, or PROMOTED. |
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