Employer Mismatches

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2015/01/23/the-interview-question-new-employees-wish-they-had-asked/

When you're interviewed, you know you get to ask questions. In order to impress your employer, I've written some entries about things you can ask that show your own head is in the right place--like this entry: http://nuenglishgettingalife.blogspot.com/2014/12/interview-icebreakers.html. Questions like these:

• If you had to describe what it’s like to work here in 3 words, which would you choose?
• Which competitor causes this company the most heartburn? How do we stack up against them?
• Are there opportunities for training such as continuing education, company sponsored self-learning and MOOCs, understanding new technologies, etc.?
• If I started tomorrow, what are my top 3 priorities?

But what might you have asked to head off misunderstandings--to find out if the job really meets your needs? Can you assume that:

• There's flexibility in the work schedule--that with good reason, you can be allowed to come in 30 minutes later than the scheduled start time.
• Your weekends belong to you, unless there's a for-real crisis situation; that  you aren't expected to show up for meetings, or be plugged into your email account 24/7 (even Saturday nights).
• You can expect that if you use your own car, phone, computer extensively for work-related tasks, you will be given the appropriate resources, or at least compensated for the big bucks you're spending.

Thanks and a tip o' the Twitter hat to Liz Ryan and Forbes!