Questions to Ask During a Media Job Interview

Questions to Ask During a Media Job InterviewQuestions to Ask During a Media Job InterviewThe joy you had when you landed a media job interview has probably been replaced by worrying about what you may be asked when youre in the hot seat. Think about what you want to find out about the job during the interview. The answers you get from a potential boss will give you insight into whether the job is right for you and help you avoid being the victim of a schwimmbad job interview. Prepare yourself with these 8 questions to ask during your media job interview. What is Your Management Background? A simple question gets the conversation going. You want to know whether you and your potential boss have a common past. If youve held the same types of jobs, lived in the same states or have some other connection, mention it. It sets you apart from the others who are interviewed and lets you find out whether you share links like that you used to live in Los Angeles, and thats where he went to college. In media, these answers also tell you whether his hintergrund is creative, financial or managerial. If youre a creative writer, you may want someone else with creative skills as a boss, rather than someone whose focus is on following the company policy guide. Whats Your Perfect Day Like as a Media Manager? This question gets you into the heart of the rolle who may lead you. Youve moved beyond the facts of his background to his hopes and dreams. An answer like, A perfect day would be on the golf course, with the office running itself, maybe just a light-hearted response, but it could signal that the boss is less hands-on. That might allow you to have more control over your day, without someone breathing down your neck. In contrast, a response like, Wed have a world exclusive on our magazine cover and sell out all our advertising space, shows the boss is competitive with specific goals. You can decide if you thrive best with a highly-driven leader in news management. What Are the Management Challenges You Face? Asking this will show you the frustrations in this workplace. If you hear, Theres never enough money to cover stories the way I want, shows this manager may have financial battles and might even be bitter about it. Every time I get new hires trained, they leave, might indicate there are personnel issues or that its leid a happy work environment. On the positive side, it could simply be a case of new hires being incredibly ambitious and getting better jobs elsewhere. Every media manager faces obstacles of some kind, includingratings pressureandkeeping employees happy. Dont let the responses immediately scare you from accepting the job. Where Do You See Yourself in Five or Ten Years? You need to know if your potential boss plans on sticking around. If he hits the road six months later, youre left proving yourself again to a new boss, without having time to create a track record of achievement. Theres nothing wrong with a manager who ha s personal ambition. You can end up following him up the corporate ladder or replacing him when he moves on. But its important to know if he has his eyes on the exit door as hes interviewing you. If he does, you may not get the training you need to get started correctly. What Do Your Competitors Do Better Than You? If the answer is, nothing, then the walls are still up youve not made your way into the managers head or heart. Even if the job is a top company, there has to be something admirable he sees in a competitor. You want to know where the manager wants to take his team. Because whatever he thinks a competitor does better is where hell put his focus. They break stories faster than we do, gives you an opening to tout how youve hustled to get an exclusive. They have more Facebook fans, presents a way to emphasize your social media skills. What Happened to the Previous Person to Hold the Job? Now your attention shifts from getting to know your possible new boss to finding out more about the job. Learn what was expected of the person who held the job and whether the outcome ended happily. It just didnt work out, could set a low bar that you can easily leap across. Maybe it shows that unreasonable expectations were made. In either case, you need to find out more, though personnel policies may prevent the manager from telling you everything. She won a Pulitzer Prize and now works for a national newspaper, presents the opposite issue. You will likely feel there are huge shoes to fill, but at least you know the company produces great work. How Much Does the Media Job Pay? Thats probably what you most want to ask. There are risks in asking this question too early or too directly. You dont want to appear as though money is all you care about. You also shouldnt show that you assume youre getting the job just by being in the office. Wait for the manager to bring up the subject. If hes talking about employee benefits, cost of living or whether theres an e mployment contract to sign, then its natural to ask. Prepare yourself in case the manager throws the question back at you, How much do you think it pays, or What would it take to get you to accept the job, are attempts at getting you to say a number. In a friendly way, avoid answering this question. Thats because if you say, $75,000 and the manager was prepared to offer you $100,000, youve likely cost yourself a lot of money. Youre hired might be the managers response, as he mentally congratulates himself for saving $25,000. Its better to say you dont know the cost of apartments in his city or the condition of the local advertising market, so it would be impossible for you to guess. You want the manager to give the dollar figure. Whats Next in Your Search? As youre leaving the interview, you deserve to know where the manager goes from here. He needs to tell you how and when hell make a decision. Dont be disappointed if you didnt get hired on the spot. Some managers have to check with their own bosses before inviting you to join the company. Ask if you can email or call to check with him in a couple of days or weeks. Make sure to send a follow-up thank you notenzeichen for the interview promptly. Most interviews will leave you with excitement, yet some concerns. Weigh all of the managers answers instead of just the ones that turned you off thats what hes doing as he considers you. That way, youll make the right decision when considering whether hes the one to lead you as you move up in your media career.