Mr James Fisher, VP of Newport Corp., pointed out how important it is to ask the right questions to the right people, starting with yourself: what do you want? What are your best skills and what do you need to improve?
Mr Fisher highlights the figure of the mentor and advises us to ask questions in a job interview. For example: What metrics do you use to measure the performance of employees?; What good qualities did the previous employee in the prospective position have and which did they lack? What qualities\skills does one need in order to succeed at this position?; What would I exactly be doing in the organization?; How do you reward excellent behaviour/results?; Are there any teamwork activities?, etc.
He also recommends the following books:
“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey
“The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz.
The books are filled with tricks and advice for becoming an effective professional.
Optica and SPIE Student Chapter at the University of California, Irvine