By AgCareers.com

We are currently in the midst of a seller’s market—where more companies are looking for employees than there are employable workers.

Job seekers want to know what they are getting into at the very beginning and how a potential employer will match their expectations.

Here are some helpful questions your company’s representative should be prepared to answer during the interview process.

1. How would you describe the company’s culture?
   Candidates who ask this question care about finding the right cultural fit in their next position. It also gives them a broad overview of your company’s philosophy on how you prioritize employee satisfaction.
2. What is your favourite thing about working for X company?
   Brownie points! Asking about your personal experience with the company will provide the candidate with additional insight into the company’s culture and allow them to create a sense of rapport with you.
3. What is the best part about working here?
   With a tight economy nowadays, employees want to feel like their efforts are appreciated. It should not just be upper management gaining the gains; there should be some love passed down the chain because company success is a team effort. As an agri-business company, make sure your response lines up. Not only will this attract new employees, it will keep them in the fold, too.
4. Is this a new position? If not, why did the person before me leave the role?
   As forward as it sounds, this is a smart question to ask. It’s natural to want to know if and why someone may have been unhappy in this role. Try to be as honest as possible. If the last person left for a negative reason, let the candidate know, but be sure to turn that negative into a positive (i.e. the company did X, Y, and Z to make sure this doesn’t happen again).
5. What are the biggest challenges the company is facing right now, and how is the company addressing them?
   Asking about challenges tells the candidate about the current industry trends and concerns within the industry. This will help them to identify where their skills can be put to good use. Knowing how your company tackles challenges shows them what your ambitions are and could organically lead to other important questions.
6. How do you see the company evolving over the next five years?
   If the candidate asks this question, know that they are interested in a future with the company, but want to make sure their professional growth will align with the company’s projected growth.
7. What is your timeline and what are the next steps?
   This wrap-up question is probably the most commonly asked at the end of an interview. Candidates will use this as an opportunity to address any time-sensitive items they should know about, such as if they are considering other offers, make arrangements for relocating, or adjusting to a new schedule.