If the interview is with a predominately an Engineering Company "Is Survey a Support or Profit Center in this organization"? If it is support or the Department Head reports to an Engineer RUN.
lmbrls, post: 416435, member: 6823 wrote: If it is support or the Department Head reports to an Engineer RUN.
I agree, but one would be reducing the job opportunities available. Jp
Jp7191, post: 416445, member: 1617 wrote: I agree, but one would be reducing the job opportunities available. Jp
I once had a headhunter ask me if there were any firms in my market that I wouldn't work for. When I mentioned one she asked if I minded telling her why. I replied "not to be intentionally crude, but I refuse to work anyplace where it's corporate policy that the surveyors are the engineer's bitches."
OK - here's some things to think about - it could be much longer - I think surveyors (especially me) have a lot of room for improvement in interviewing and negotiating (not just for jobs in survey firms but AS survey firms getting survey projects).
You need to know yourself - are there looking for a j.o.b. to pay your bills or are you looking for a place to build your skills as well as earn money. If you are planning to build skills then itÛªs important to tactfully work that line of questioning in ÛÒ does this firm have a culture of learning and do they promote from within?
There are probably two reasons to ask questions:
1. To learn about the company
2. To make you appear to be a more palatable candidate
In both cases, you want to leave the impression that you are interested in the company and you want the interviewer to feel good about the experience.
When asking questions to learn more about the company ÛÒ you really need to tailor them to the interviewer. Ask them what their job at X Industries is? - how long have they been doing that? - did they start out in that position? - what job did they have when they were first employed there? Nearly everybody likes to talk about their favorite topic - themselves!
Is this a survey/geomatics manager who understands operations? Asking questions about equipment, and processes is good. What technologies do they use ÛÒ Scanners? Photogrammetry? What GPS equipment are they using (this will tell you if they are staying current)? What software do they use for data reduction? How far does the survey/geomatics section take deliverables? (Are you just handing notes over to an engineering tech ÛÒ if so seek employment elsewhere). Asking about workload and staffing and training is good. Ask about ownership ÛÒ how many of the owners are professional surveyors? Are their GIS services part of the survey/geomatics section - yes - good - no - why the he11 not?
Is the interviewer an engineer who will be requesting surveys? If so, ask about deliverables ÛÒ what form is the survey in when itÛªs transmitted to your staff? What does the companyÛªs current client base look like (Fed Gov, State Gov, Local Gov, Design Firms, Private, or other)? What services does the firm offer?
Is the interview an HR person without any real knowledge of the job - you probably don't want to work there - but if you do, keep it simple and remember that they are primarily looking to avoid HR headaches so don't talk about your workers comp claims or how you sued your previous employer.
Regardless - ItÛªs important to ask about compensation. Not just initial compensation but also the potential for advancement. You need to ask about potential for advancement after demonstrating that you have solid skills and after you demonstrate that you are capable of, and willing to, take on more responsibility. What are the base wage ranges for crew chiefs ÛÒ office technicians? If this is a salaried position ÛÒ you need to diplomatically find out how many hours a week people are expected to work. You donÛªt want to hire on with a firm that tries to make itÛªs money by overworking salaried staff (as so many engineering firms do). Questions like ÛÒ what time do folks typically knock off? are often open ended enough where theyÛªll start talking about the situation. You may need to get this info from employees who are not involved in the interview process ÛÒ this may mean youÛªll need to find contacts from your local professional society (survey or engineering) ÛÒ check linked-in for staff or former staff that you can reach out too. Roughly, how many hours did the busiest crew work last year? (this question could be from someone looking for more hours or from someone looking for a life/work balance).
Asking questions about leave policy and benefits is not good if not done tactfully ÛÒ don't ask if you can get that info from the employee manual when you are negotiating and before you accept any offer. You donÛªt want to sound demanding or whiny. Nobody wants to hire a headache.
When asking questions to make you appear to be a more palatable candidate ÛÒ First: You donÛªt want to ask questions that the person canÛªt answer and you donÛªt want to ask questions that make the company look bad. DonÛªt ask about laying off or firing staff (even if theyÛªve fired a bunch of people there may be valid reasons and if there arenÛªt, itÛªs unlikely that youÛªll get an honest answer). Ask about mentoring ÛÒ this tells them you want to learn (if they donÛªt want to mentor then your skills (and income) will not grow so you really donÛªt want to work there.) Let them know that you renew your first aid and cpr renewal classes every two years - ask them if they have group classes for the company.
In the end ÛÒ just like any communication ÛÒ you need to know your audience and know what message you want to deliver ÛÒ then you can figure out what questions are appropriate to ask and the tone to use when asking them. Naturally, your core message is: I'm competent with x, y, z and I enjoy learning and overcoming the challenges that every project brings.
Make the interviewer feel good about themselves and theyÛªll feel good about you. Even if they SUCK. You can always turn down the job if you find it's a toxic work environment ÛÒ low pay, bad equipment, no training, overwork staff, etc. Your job is to get them interested in hiring you and to make you an offer. AND. If you do get an offer AND... if you manage to get the details worked out so that the offer sounds acceptable - you need to get all of the things that are important in writing. Even if they donÛªt put it all down - this can be in your acceptance responseÛ? Thank you for the offer of Û?Û?.. as we discussed. I am happy to accept these terms of employment. DonÛªt add anything that wasnÛªt discussed and agreed upon ÛÒ if they have a problem with it in writing then youÛªll have a problem getting them to live up to the deal.
ThereÛªs a ton more that could be said about the negotiation of wages and benefits but those all happen after the initial offer ÛÒ youÛªve got to get the hook in the fishÛªs mouth before you can think about reeling it in.
Or not!
JK,
Excellent analysis!
I have been on far more interview panels than as an applicant. What separates a superbly viable candidate is the interest level in the position and its relationship to the other disciplines which, hopefully, are represented by fellow panelists.
James Fleming, post: 416449, member: 136 wrote: I once had a headhunter ask me if there were any firms in my market that I wouldn't work for. When I mentioned one she asked if I minded telling her why. I replied "not to be intentionally crude, but I refuse to work anyplace where it's corporate policy that the surveyors are the engineer's bitches."
Difference between 'bitches' and 'Hoes', is just a matter of compensation.
