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4 Smart Questions You Should Be Asking Any Job Interviewer In 2024
When you finally land a job interview, it's easy to think that the only thing you need to worry about is impressing your potential managers or peers. And if you've been out of work for an extended period of time, you might even feel super desperate. You just want the whole process to be over with.
When interviewing for a job, it's important that you make it a two-way conversation because, in essence, it's a two-way transaction: They need your talent, training, and experience. You need to get paid for those three things. And you're valuable. I mean, the only capital almost as important as human (when it comes to business) is time.
Knowing this, these are four smart questions you should be asking at any job interview this year:
1. "How does the company evaluate my performance and award great work?"
This question is huge. It's a great way to find out more about the company's values, how they see productivity and results, and whether you might be signing up for a toxic environment where there's hardly any fulfillment. Good work should be acknowledged, and depending on what motivates you at work, the way in which it's noticed should be in line with your values. If you're motivated by more pay, then it might not be great if the interviewer says, "We throw a pizza party quarterly," or "We offer product discounts with our corporate partners." If they really don't have an answer for this, try to deflect, or their answers are super-vague, go ahead and raise that mental red flag.
I once worked for a company where I had to sell six figures worth of a certain product. We had to meet monthly KPIs (key performance indicators), and we were paid a little more than minimum wage while the company made millions from us closing sales.
They'd reward those who met their KPIs with a pat on the back and a potluck lunch. Yeah. That didn't end well for me because the math wasn't math-ing. I made my KPIs 90% of the time, but never got any tangible (i.e., monetary) reward for it, drove a used car, couldn't afford rent at that time (so I was living with family), and was one of their top sellers in my quad.
If I ever go into a sales-focused job again, I want one that offers commissions and paid bonuses for meeting targets. So, ask those questions early in the interview process.
When interviewing for a job, it's important that you make it a two-way conversation.
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2. "What additional benefits (other than PTO and healthcare, which are mandated by law) are available to me?"
Today, as we all focus more on wellness and self-care, it's important to get to know how much more you can get than 10 days off a year. (For some jobs or industries, more than this just might not be a realistic ask, but for many, it is). You'd probably be surprised how much more you can negotiate when it comes to benefits. It could be taking Mondays off, going home an hour earlier, or a free gym membership. It could be payment for wellness classes or resources that you can use while at work. It's anything beyond the usual "package" offered to someone.
Some companies really offer scraps, and then you're responsible for actually asking for the true basics of benefits. Ask about these things before you take a job and find out when it's too late that you can't even get a paid sick day off because you've been at the company less than six months.
This question also reflects the values of the company as well. Are they more into squeezing blood out of a turnip and treating their workers like robots, or do they put humanity first and know that people work at their best when they not only feel valued but are shown through actions and dollars that they are. Here's a great checklist you can use, via Indeed, to consider what additional benefits you might want to ask about.
3. "Could you tell me more about the educational or additional training resources made available to me, supported by the company?"
Any innovative and thriving company wants to be able to keep its best employees, and a big part of doing this is offering educational and training opportunities that will help its professionals continue to grow with the company. It's great to be able to go back to school, take online courses, get mentorship opportunities, or be placed with other leaders at the company without having to leave or dip into your own pockets to do so. Many leading companies that are among the favorites of millennial women offer such resources, so ask.
4. "What's a day in the life look like in the role?"
This is another huge question that will give you all you need to know about the company's values, culture, and ways of treating its employees. When you're interviewing for a job, the manager should be able to very clearly let you know what's expected in terms of duties. This is a great way to also find out if you've been catfished by a job posting because they literally have the opportunity to reinforce what was already included there.
If they slip up and start adding duties, seem confused, don't really know, or describe something totally different from the job posting, quietly decide that you'd rather mop up the ocean for a living than take that job. You'd be in for a disaster.
I've already told the story of how I'd interviewed for a dream job, went through three rounds of interviews, got the job, and on the first day, was told I'd be managing an additional department full of very disgruntled professionals (mourning the loss of their manager who was laid off a short while before they hired me). Oh, by the way, the pay would remain the same. And when I pushed back about it, they gaslit me and downplayed why they'd totally flipped the script on me just after I'd signed my paperwork. Yep, that didn't last. I unapologetically walked away.
So, save yourself the disappointment, heartache, and stress and ask the important questions about job duties up front. I'd ignored the signs during the interview because, again, it was my dream job. There were red flags like a very bewildered interviewer who answered the question but wasn't head of the department I'd be working under, nor was she experienced in the type of work I was interviewing to do.
Let's kill the practice of getting a job to do one thing but being manipulated into doing three different jobs without the pay increase or the courtesy of giving us the opportunity to decline.
When you're interviewing for a job, the manager should be able to very clearly let you know what's expected in terms of duties.
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BONUS (If applicable): "Are there opportunities to work remote? If so, what does this look like?"
Remote work is not some "privilege" that companies are bestowing on their workers. It's becoming a norm. Don't let any manager fool you. If you're a parent and need to be there for your kids, ask about this option. If you don't thrive working in an office and do better work while away from a cubicle, ask this question. If you have a health issue where commuting makes things unnecessarily difficult for you, ask about this. If you simply want to have one or two days to be out of the office for hybrid work, you know what to do.
Again, for some industries or jobs, this is not possible, and for very good reasons (i.e., cybersecurity being a great one), but if you are working in an industry or are interviewing for the type of job that lends to this, speak up about it at the onset of the interview. For many of us, remote work saved our lives. It provided more wellness benefits than HR could ever offer.
Advocate for yourself so that you can be the best professional and you can grow in order to be a leader in your industry.
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- Don’t Leave Your Next Job Interview Without Doing This. ›
- How To Answer Tough (But Common) Job Interview Questions ›
- 21 Questions You Should Ask During Your Next Job Interview ›
This article is sponsored by Hulu.
UnPrisonedhas returned for its highly anticipated second season, delving deeper into the complex dynamics of the Alexander family.
The series premiere comes a year after its debut season garnered rave reviews from fans and critics and earned record-breaking ratings for Hulu's Onyx Collective brand. UnPrisoned's success can be attributed to its raw, relatable themes and comedic appeal.
Inspired by creator Tracy McMillan's life, the show follows Paige (Kerry Washington), a therapist and single mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo) --who was released from prison-- moves in with her and her teenage son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
Throughout UnPrisoned's first season, viewers witnessed how Edwin's incarceration deeply affected Paige's life and relationships. In the series, Paige unpacks her trauma through interactions with her inner child and her online followers. Meanwhile, Edwin is overcoming specific struggles with his own past that led to his life of crime, including a dysfunctional upbringing and his mother's arrest. As the Alexanders attempt to reconcile, new challenges arise.
This new season promises to further explore their unconventional family dynamic. Here are several compelling reasons why season two of UnPrisoned should be on everyone's watchlist.
The Alexander Family Life Is Still In Shambles
UnPrisoned's second season resumes where the series left off, with Paige grappling with the fallout from her troubled therapy practice and Edwin navigating life independently after moving out. Meanwhile, Finn faces his own challenges. The teenager is battling anxiety and seeking information about his father—a topic Paige avoids discussing.
The Alexander Family Are Attending Therapy To Resolve Their Underlying Issues
Amid the chaos in their lives, the Alexander family decides to mend their bond by confronting their past traumas. They seek professional help and attend therapy sessions with a “family radical healing coach,” played by John Stamos, a new cast member. This collective effort aims to unravel the complexities of their shared history and strengthen their relationships.
The process of unraveling each character's internal conflicts and their potential impact on future relationships may clash with Paige's textbook therapy approach. While Paige is used to being in the therapist's seat in both career and family, this forces her into the unfamiliar role of a patient during therapy sessions. This shift would compel her to look in the mirror and try a radically different approach.
The Alexander Family Learned A Big Lesson During A Therapy Session
In therapy, the Alexanders are tasked with addressing their individual traumas to salvage their remaining relationships. One of the family therapist’s eccentric suggestions was an exercise involving a family wrestling match. During this session, Paige faces tough questions about her refusal to share information about Finn's father.
While it's unclear whether this scene is reality or fantasy, the image of the family duking it out in the ring certainly makes for hilarious yet compelling television.
Paige Tries Dating Again Following Failed Relationships
Amid her life's chaos, Paige decides to step back into the dating field. However, her many attempts have left her with mixed results. The dating apps have turned out to be a fail, and an outing with her ex Mal (Marque Richardson), who is also her father's parole officer, doesn’t go quite as expected after he brings an unexpected guest – his new girlfriend.
The situation takes an awkward turn when Mal's new partner learns why the former couple split, partly due to Paige's self-sabotage.
UnPrisoned Is A Perfect Balance Of Comedy And Drama
As a dramedy, UnPrisoned takes a comedic approach to its heavy subjects. The show takes us on a ride with Paige's dating misadventures and navigating a friendship with her ex.
Other lighthearted moments include Edwin's attempts at CPR based on online videos and, of course, the antics of the Alexander family's unconventional new healing coach.
The second season of UnPrisoned is now available on Hulu.
UnPrisoned | Season 2 Trailer | Hulu
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Mariee Revere On Her History-Making Million-Dollar Sales And The Future Of MoonXCosmetics
If the name Mariee Revere sounds familiar, it's probably because you heard of her beauty and skincare brand, MoonXCosmetics, or you may have heard about her history-making achievement of making $1.8 million in less than eight minutes. But before starting her million-dollar brand, Mariee was just a teenager trying to cure her acne.
While she grew up in the skincare capital of the world, South Korea, Mariee didn't really experience breakouts until her senior year of high school. Like many people who get their first breakout, she didn't know what to do, and there weren't many products out there at that time. So she decided to experiment. What she didn't know was that what she came up with would ultimately be her ticket to success.
"When I graduated high school, I moved back to America, Georgia, and I ended up making, like, the oil, the Rose Galore oil, which is like the staple product of my brand. I don't know what made me make it, but I did, and it literally cleared my face up," she tells xoNecole in an exclusive interview.
"I end up selling it as a body oil first because, obviously, I'm 17, [and] don't have any background as an esthetician or anything like that. I just made a product that worked for me, but people bought it and was using it, and I reformulated it, and then it just stuck like with me."
While MoonXCosmetics is known for its facial products, it wants to expand to body care and home. It just released its new product, Moon-Gel body wash, and it's only up from there. As Mariee continues to grow the brand, it's more than likely that she will see more history-making moments. And so far she has.
Photo courtesy
When asked if she feels pressure to obtain more of those milestones, she says yes and no. "I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more," she says.
"I want to say more reach than more like fast-paced sales. I do want that. Obviously, every girl wants that, but I do want to have a better overall reach for my brand because I did take two years off so I was able to learn, [and] study a lot of different things. See how things have changed from 2020 to now."
"I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more."
Another part of expanding for any company is hiring people. Finding the right person to help you can be a hassle, especially for business owners who are used to doing all the work themselves. Mariee can relate to this, and she touched on this topic in her documentaryThe Million Dollar Story. She recommends having someone be your "right-hand man" who you trust to handle the ins and outs of the company.
"I could say, definitely get, like a right-hand man to help you within the process because that really was what helped me. I never had a job. I literally was 18 now, being like, you know, the boss of over 30+ employees at one point in time, and I didn't know anything. I didn't know anything about no W-2s, no taxes, no clock in, clock out because all I [have] ever known was my brand," she explains.
"So I definitely partner with people who are very skewed and versed in those areas, and they helped me get through it. Even to this day, I still have my same person helping me with hiring, firing, [and] doing everything that I can right now because I'm still learning. But obviously people get jobs young, so they have way more experience than me, but still learning."
And though she is still learning, one thing she makes sure to stay on top of is being consistent. Consistency is what trips many people up when it comes to achieving goals, but Mariee says it's all about scheduling. Whether it's when to post on social media or email marketing, scheduling it out can make a world of difference. That same practice also works when planning out her future goals for the company.
"Right now, future goals would be to drop at least five more products before the end of the year. We always do outreach, where we do drives and all that, but definitely do way more this year, she says. "Then really dive into body [care], and then hopefully open up MoonXBody underneath MoonXCosmetics to let that branch out and be open and definitely get back consistent."
For more information, visit moonxco.com.
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