Are interviews really a "two-way street"? Because most of the time it does not feel that way. You are the one being evaluated at every step, while they get a pass because you are the one under scrutiny regardless of whether you or the recruiter initiated the contact.
If you do treat it as a two-way street, what do you pay attention to that others might miss?

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Usually they're a dead end street

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Somewhat true

It’s up to you to make it a two way street, by defining the standards you want the organisation, or the recruiter, to achieve.

Punctuality and preparation certainly work both ways.

Simple things - did they show up on time, have they read your CV, have they tried to see where you fit well, and have they thought about where they have doubts?

If they don’t care about you now, then that’s not likely to change.

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That’s fair

Sure - you can remove yourself from candidacy if you don’t feel the role is a fit for you. I’ve requested more time with people to get more information about a role and the actual day-to-day working environment before accepting a role. But if a company doesn’t leave time for questions or doesn’t let you talk to people who you’d actually be working with regularly, that’s also a red flag.

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I see okay

It's not a two-way street because you need them more than they need you. It's more like a one way street and a bike lane.

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Not necessarily

For you average hire, definitely more of a one way street. For a senior executive hire or rockstar, then yeah maybe the street gets a lane in the opposite direction.

They should be a 2-way street. The focus is normally on you (the candidate) but true Hiring managers give you a chance to ask questions about the role, team, and company. You should pay attention on the questions they ask for clues of why they are asking them. You should have questions that would give you clues of their management style and the team’s strengths. What key areas are they looking to improve.

A "two way street" is not a reference to the power dynamic: clearly the company/prospective employer has more power and control. It's a reference to the fact that you are both evaluating each other, and as a candidate, you can be attentive to signals that may cause you to take yourself out of consideration, decline an offer, etc. But given the economy and job market, it's gotten harder for individuals to be very strict on things, we are going to end up yielding on more vs. when the job market is leaning in the favor of the individual.

Definitely. I look for the vibe of the interviewer, do they seem like someone I’d want to be around and do they genuinely seem happy with their job.

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