Career Mission's Chief Executive Officer, A. Harrison Barnes, in a webinar discussed the importance of understanding your employer’s needs. To be able to get to the heart of what your employer and the job require of you is one of the greatest secrets of succeeding in your career.

Most people are concerned about what their gains will be when they join a company. They never really care to question the needs or consider what they will contribute to help the company grow. This is where they lag behind those who succeed. According to Harrison, successful people are those who right from the time of the interview are concerned about the needs of the company. They question facts like what is expected of them, why the opening exists, what should they do to distinguish themselves in the job, what are the additional responsibilities and so on. When you are interviewing for a job, you are there to get hired, and you are only going to get hired if you fit.  The only possible way to fit is to know exactly what the employer is seeking, and to find this out by asking lots of questions.

There are thousands of needs that any given employer might have, and the better you probe to understand these needs, the more likely you are to secure and maintain the job. Also, the more you understand your employer’s needs in the interview (and at all times), the better opportunity you have to make sure that you succeed within the organization. Employers will not always be direct with you about what they want.  It is up to you to discern this in the interview.