Innovation at Work - Seven Questions to Ask Before You're Hired


by Dee McCrorey  Thursday, January 07, 2010

Dolores "Dee" McCrorey, Chief Risk Guru, Innovation Catalyst and Business Coach of Risktaking for Success LLC, brings her passion for partnering with enterprise thought leaders looking to level the innovation playing field by renovating their workplace cultures and reinventing mid-level talent into entrepreneurial thinkers, do-ers, and leaders. She is currently co-authoring a book on business innovation with an expected release date in 2011.


In an ever-changing marketplace, innovating your way to career success means keeping your "innovation potential" at peak performance. You risk a career setback by accepting a position that doesn't excite you or working with a company incapable of keeping your innovation threshold humming at a higher level.

As a talented professional, much of your success depends upon the partners you select and how you collaborate and innovate with them, so why not approach a job interview from the perspective of selecting a new business partner?

Think before you act. Below are seven questions to ask the recruiter, staffing professional or hiring manager before you consider joining an organization.

Question 1: What innovative talent incentives has the company introduced in the past year?

Listen for...

* Breadth and depth of the company's offerings.
* Programs for real people versus corporate in nature, e.g., positioning for a "Top Employer" list.
* How does the selection process work? How frequent are the incentives awarded? Who determines final recipients?

Question 2: Can you provide me with two or three recent examples of how your company has managed employee setbacks, mistakes, and failed attempts?

Listen for...

* How the company defines and communicates the "innovation playing field" for its workforce.
* Two or three top reasons why employees fail at the company.
* Types of consequences associated with failed attempts.

Question 3: Is continuous learning a core value for the company?

Listen for...

* Do policies exist for employee training and ongoing career development?
* What types of training and formal education programs exist for employees?
* How much money does the company spend annually in workforce training and education?

Question 4: Does the company offer flexible benefits for their employees?

Listen for...

* Is there a company-wide policy that governs flexible options for employees?
* How creative and competitive are the company's flexible benefits?
* Are flexible benefits available to all employees or only a subset?

Question 5: How does the company leverage innovative technology?

Listen for...

* Does the company use a full range of social media tools?
* If, so, are employees encouraged to use social media and networking sites as part of their job?
* Is "social capital" recognized, valued and rewarded by the company?
* What technology tools are available to employees across-the-board?

Question 6: Does the company have an entrepreneurial culture beyond "innovation-speak"?

Listen for...

* How does personal and professional risktaking translate into everyday business (not just high-profile initiatives and projects).
* How do company executives and leaders model a culture of risktaking?
* What type of entrepreneurial training is available for employees?

Question 7: What does collaboration look like for the company?

Listen for...

* How do teams form within the company--formal, informal or both?
* Does the company provide technology tools to increase collaboration, i.e., video cams for remote work?
* How are teams and team members recognized for their successes?
* How does accountability factor in for project team setbacks?

© 2010 Dolores McCrorey, Risktaking for Success LLC. All Rights Reserved.
 
Dolores "Dee" McCrorey, Chief Risk Guru, Innovation Catalyst and Business Coach of Risktaking for Success LLC, brings her passion for partnering with enterprise thought leaders looking to level the innovation playing field by renovating their workplace cultures and reinventing mid-level talent into entrepreneurial thinkers, do-ers, and leaders.

Dee brings a practical approach to the challenges faced by today’s enterprise leaders and knowledge workers having spent over twenty-five years in the private sector serving in a variety of front line, management, and leadership roles for Fortune 500 companies.

Dee launched The Ultimate Corporate Entrepreneur blog in 2005 www.TheCorporateEntrepreneur.com and video blog RoadtoInnovation.TV the following year. The host of two popular Internet radio shows—Coach for Innovation and Big Dreamers! The Reinvent Success Show on BlogTalkRadio, Dee added an online learning site School of Innovation www.SchoolofInnovation.com in 2009.

She is currently co-authoring a book on business innovation with an expected release date in 2011.