The coronavirus outbreak has affected all of us one way or another; both on a personal and professional level. With all the changes happening around us, shifting priorities and direction is common.
On a professional level, looking for a fulfilling job during this time can be difficult. Changes in personal and career priorities, remote working, unemployment, are some of the factors affecting job searches during this time.
Asking the right questions to your potential future employer is vitally important when making informed decisions. Therefore, asking some or all of these 5 questions in your next interview is a great way for you to find out how the business is adapting to this challenging climate.
What are your biggest challenges that stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic both as an organisation and as a leader? And how did you overcome these?
This is a great question as it will give you an insight into how the business reacted and adapted to organisational challenges during the pandemic, it will give you more of an understanding as to how the interviewer is leading their team and managing unprecedented scenarios. Showing their weaknesses and how they adapted is also an important lesson for the future, while also sharing the success that came out of these downfalls.
What support do you offer working remotely?
With a vast number of businesses having made staff work remotely since the beginning of the pandemic, it is crucial to find out how the business has managed to continue supporting its staff in this new way of working. It is still a relatively new approach for many companies so making sure you get the support you expect is key. If the company you are interviewing with has a remote working policy, make sure you get more information on the processes they follow, the equipment you are going to receive to support you, potential help with office set up and wellbeing support.
What are your businesses current strategic priorities and have these changed in the last year?
With almost all businesses having to re-evaluate their business models, making sure you understand what they’re planning to do over the coming months and years, will help you decide whether this lines up with the role you have in mind and career aspirations. Realising how the company’s priorities have changed will also give you an insight into what the business has learned and how they have adapted.
How does this role help to support and deliver the organisational priorities? Has this role evolved to better support the priorities and if so, how?
If you better recognise the kind of business you want to work for, then understanding an organisations priorities and how your potential new role supports these is key, it can help you make a more informed decision when accepting the job. Making sure your new role evolves with the business is also a great way of understanding how the business is adapting to a changing market.
How are management leading remote teams, are there any best practices your business supports?
With many working remotely, teams are often dotted all over the country, this coupled with the varying needs of each team member has made managing these teams more challenging than ever. Understanding how leaders manage their teams, as well as knowing what challenges this has thrown up and how it has been addressed, can also be a deciding factor when accepting a new role.
Although all these questions are important make sure to still get answers to questions you would usually ask as they are still equally as crucial when deciding to work in a new business.