It might sound like a cliche but it’s true nonetheless: the secret to a positive and enduring employer-employee relationship is ensuring there is a good match between the two in the first place. That is why, if we were to single out the most important question we ask each and every of our candidates,, it will have to be:
“Do you have any questions for me?”
This is where we shift seats and give YOU the opportunity to try and learn whether the particular position, company, or, indeed, career path you’ve chosen to pursue is actually a good fit for you.
Yet, the vast majority of candidates we talk to on a daily basis don’t make the most out of this question. They either skip it altogether out of fear of asking something “wrong” or they ask a few generic questions just to get it over with.
We can’t stress enough the importance your questions play in facilitating the decision making process in matching you against available roles and companies. This is by far the most genuine glimpse we can get not just into your motivation, aspirations and career priorities, but the company culture and values you’re looking for and you will thrive in.
Not to mention that this is by far the best way of testing out your recruiter’s competency and genuine dedication to tell your story and properly represent you to potential employers.
That is why today we flip the script and give you the most important questions you should be asking your medtech recruiter during a conversation:
1. Is this a newly created position?
This is a great question to ask your recruiter as there is no right or wrong answer here. It will help you understand whether the position you are applying for has been previously held by someone else, or it is a completely new role within the company. In the dynamic world of medical devices, this kind of knowledge can be very important. If the role is a backfill, you can try and understand what happened to that person. Were they promoted to a new position? Did they leave? Or moved departments? Try and use these questions to get the big picture about the company, its internal dynamics and growth trajectory.
2. How long has it been open?
Even if you progress quickly through to interview stages, a position that has just been opened typically implies that the hiring process is in its very beginning. Hiring managers and decision makers usually want to see a few good candidates before they make a final choice. This takes its own time so you should be prepared to wait.
If, on the other hand, the position has been open for longer than 6 months, this could be a red flag. It could be due to various factors but it could mean that the job is not well defined against applying candidates, or the hiring managers are too picky, or candidates are dropping out for some reason along the way. It might indicate that someone somewhere doesn’t know what they’re looking for. In any case, this sort of knowledge will give you a sense of the way the search process has been going and what the company’s pipeline for that position looks like.
3. What are the top skills for this job?
Regardless of whether you ask this question before or after you’ve actually submitted an application, it is a good way to get an understanding of whether the job is a good match to your current skills and expertise.
If you ask this question before applying, you can use the information gained to tailor your CV and impress the hiring manager. If you ask it after applying, you can prepare better for the interview itself by planning some questions and points to cover.
4. What is your relationship with the hiring manager?
This is a very important question to ask as it will give you insight not just into what your recruiter knows about the hiring manager, whether they’re on good terms at all and how often they communicate with each other, but also into what your potential relationship with that person might look like. Is the hiring manager just the person who will be interviewing you or would they also be your direct manager/person you report to? What is their background and history within the company? Knowing all this will help you prepare for and perform better at the interview.
5. Why other candidates haven’t been selected?
Try and understand some of the reasons behind other candidates’ dropping out. This will help you prepare better for the more advanced stages in the hiring process, both in terms of designing your resume and having actual interviews with hiring managers.
Knowing what mistakes other candidates have made before you can help you avoid making these same mistakes and there is no better person to give you that information than your recruitment consultant.
Since its inception in 2000 Guided Solutions has placed more than 8500 candidates in over 37 countries.
We identify and recruit medical device specialists at all seniority levels, enabling our clients to connect with associate through to board-level talent.
Visit our website to find out more about our comprehensive range of search & selection services.