What Candidates Actually Ask Before They Say Yes

We sit in hundreds of candidate conversations a year. The questions that come up first are remarkably consistent, and compensation is usually third or fourth.

First: who will I report to, and how do they lead? People accept managers, not companies. A candidate who trusts the manager will tolerate a difficult quarter.

Second: what does growth look like here, specifically? Not a promise of promotion, but evidence — who was in this seat two years ago, and where are they now?

Third: what does the work actually involve day to day? Ambiguity reads as risk. Specificity reads as respect.

For employers, this is useful news: much of what decides an offer is information you already have and simply have not said out loud. For candidates, it is permission to ask. The questions are not rude; they are the job of choosing well.