5 Questions that Job Seekers Should Always Ask in an Interview- But Can't.

When you're interviewing for a job, it's crucial to interview the employer right back, to make sure that this is a job you want and a company you want to be a part of. But here are some questions most job seekers don't feel comfortable asking—even though they'd love to know the answers:

1. Why do most people really leave jobs here? In some offices, it's a poorly kept secret that turnover is high because the company won't give raises or offer opportunities for promotion, or simply because the management makes employees' lives miserable. But as a job seeker, it can be impossible to tell this from the outside.

2. How secure is this job? No one wants to leave a secure job for one that's in danger of disappearing. If the new company is having financial troubles, new hires could be on the top of the list if layoffs happen—but all too often employers don't warn prospective hires that this might be coming. You can always find out from

former colleagues, or by researching online about the company’s reputation for staff retention.

3. Can I really use that leave? Some companies offer generous leave time on paper, but not in practice. If you can never get your time off approved and your manager frowns on taking leave, it won't matter how much paid time off you're supposedly earning.

4. How do people get along here? Few people want to work for a company where co-workers pass the day in icy silence (or worse, open hostility). And on the other side of the spectrum, most people don't want to work for a company where they'll be expected to attend nightly happy hours and participate in forced bonding either, or unhealthy office gossip is the norm of the day. In the interview process, look out if people seem cheerful and focused, or miserable and counting the hours until the day ends.

5. How often do you give raises? A proposed starting salary might seem generously high—but if it will be years before that number is revisited, it might suddenly be a lot less appealing. A good starting salary could turn into a below-market salary in a few years.

How to find out: As with most things money-related, wait until you have a job offer to inquire about this one. Once you have an offer and you're negotiating the salary, ask how often salaries are revisited typically. Is it an automatic annual process tied to performance evaluations or is it more a matter of knowing someone to get that raise?

Posted in: Career Advice