The Best Questions to Ask During An Interview -TheJobNetwork

The Best Questions to Ask During An Interview -TheJobNetworkThe bewerberinterview has gone really well so far you were exactly five minutes early, you hit all of your talking points in a confident and conversational way, and it turns out that both you and the interviewer went to Camp Mohegan (and you both remembered the secret handshake). Now things are winding down, and you can practically smell the new-folder scent of your employee orientation packet. Before you can collect your bag and use your superb (non-secret) interview handshake to close things out, though, theres one more question Do you have any questions for me? Heres why questions to ask during an interview are really important. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) If youre not prepared, this is a gunst der stunde for that unappealing deer-in-headlights moment. It may not be a total dealbreaker, but it can definitely undermine all the highlights of your interview up to this point. 1. Why Do You Need to Ask Questions?2. How to Prep Your Questions for the Interview3. What to Ask During the Interview4. What Not to Ask During the InterviewWhy Do You Need to Ask Questions?Basically, interviewers are asking you if you have any questions for them for a few reasonsIts polite.Theyre out of questions themselves.They want to see how you interact.They want to gauge your interest in the job.Okay, so 1 isnt necessarily the most important reason. The ghost of Emily Post doesnt haunt job interviews to make sure everyones behaving with impeccable manners. 2 and 3, however, make a difference to you. If, as in 2, the interviewer has just run out of topics for whatever reason, its a chance for you to step in and keep the dialogue open. You can re-emphasize points that you want to make sure the interviewer comes away remembering, and you can use this as an avenue to introduce skills or experience that you hadnt previously discussed.If youve had a pretty exhaustive interview where you covered your resume comprehensively, its likely that 3 is the reason. These days, just about everyone is busy at work due to understaffing and increased workloads. When companies hire someone new to join the team, they want to know that this partie will be able to hit the ground running. So the any questions for me? question is really a gambit to see if you can follow up quickly, and request information that you want or need. If you just sit there with a leer expression, thats a potential red flag. If you have the social skills to interact with the interviewer rather than just answer questions with a set of talking points, that shows you could be a proactive employee with good listening and communication skills.Responding with smart, insightful questions can tell the interviewer a lot about you (or reinforce the overall perception of you as a great, detail-oriented candidate). When you have good questions (throughout the interview or at the end when theres an official call for questions), it shows the following qualities to the interviewerEngagement You are actively interested in the opportunity.Intelligence You get what the job entails, and how you could fit into it.Confidence You know you can do the job well and be an asset to the company.Social intelligence You understand the give-and-take interactions, and present yourself well.And in addition to using questions to present your best self to the interviewer, its also a chance to do some final information-gathering on the job itself. Sure, youve read every line of the job description, have combed the internet and your social networks for intel on the company, and have checked to see what similar jobs at other companies entail. (If you havent done those things, definitely do them before interview day.) The interview is a chance for the company to evaluate you, but its also your chance to evaluate the job. After the interview, the next big step is either an offer (or a non-offer)the grace period for follo w-up questions closes around the same time you send your thank-you emaille to the interviewer. So it makes total sense to use the interview to get as much information as you can on the day-to-day life of the job, or the colleagues with whom youd be working. Seize the opportunityHow to Prep Your Questions for the InterviewInterview prep is usually about how to frame yourself for maximum interview success the resume points you want to emphasize, the specific anecdotes that show your leadership skills or your problem solving skills, and body language (posture, handshake, a hire-me smile that doesnt scare anyone). But while youre planning and practicing those things, also think about what you can ask the interviewer.According to The Interview Guys, the questions arent so much asking any old question as they are about asking the right ones, intelligently. This means focusing on the job itself, not generic things like how many people are in the company? or whats the current stock price?To help you prep, you can break down questions into unterstellung different areasThe Job What do you want to know about the nitty-gritty of life in this role?The Requirements Are you equipped to take over this role? Or is there anything you can do to prepare?The Expectations How does the company see this role, and what do they expect from the person who steps into it?The Company What is this company really like?The People What qualities do your possible future coworkers have? What do they value?The Follow-up When is the company planning to fill this position? (This can help manage your expectations.)Prepping for this can be difficult, because you dont know what youll be asked in the interview. You might cover any combination of these areas during the course of the interview, so you dont want to ask questions that would directly repeat information that youve already been given. So the best way to account for this is to come up with a broad list of questions you can ask. Try to remember at least two in each of the categories above, so that youre covered. You Can Bring a Cheat SheetNotes are fine to bring into an interview. There will be no Teleprompter, and you dont get bonus points for memorizing and repeating canned responses. If you do decide to bring in notes with you, keep them limited to bullet points on an index card or small notebook. You dont want to spend your time looking down at your novelized questions instead of making eye contact and engaging with the interviewer. Basically, you should come up with your list of tentative questions ahead of time, and know them pretty well, bringing notes only as a cheat sheet if you need them. Nothing stops the momentum of a good interview like pausing to shuffle through your notes in a moment of awkward silence.What to Ask During the InterviewAs you think about what questions to ask the interviewer, here are some examples in the categories we outlined above. Again, make sure these are as specific as possible to the job for which youre applying, so that it sounds like youre engaged and enthusiastic to learn more.The JobCan you describe what a typical day is like as an insert job title?What do you see as the biggest challenge for someone in this position?RELATED7 Interview Questions That Will Make You Stand OutThe RequirementsWhat kind of training can I expect if Im hired for this job?Is there any training you would recommend in the meantime?The ExpectationsCan you tell me about the performance expectations for this role?Thinking about the long term, can you give a quick outline of the path for advancement in this department?What are the employee review processes for this role?The CompanyWhat would you say is the overall mission of this company?How would you say the company fits into the industry as a whole?Whats your favorite part of working here?Whats your least favorite part of working here?How does the company approach work-life balance?The PeopleHow big is the team Id be working with?Which other departments would I be working with as a insert job title?Can you give a brief description of the team members Id be working with?If you could describe the team here in one word, what would it be?How would you describe the working environment here?Can you tell me about my direct manager? (Note This one really only works if youre being interviewed by a recruiter or HR person.)Can you describe your management style? (This is the equivalent if youre being interviewed by the person to whom youd be reporting.)The Follow-UpCan I email you with any additional questions if I think of any later?Do you know what the approximate timeline is for filling this position?What are the next steps?Is there anything else I can provide?We talked a little bit about my experience with example based on job description. Is there any other info I can provide on that front?Tips for Framing QuestionsAsk open-ended questions. Basic yes-or-no questions can shut down the conversation, and then youll be on t he hook for another question even faster.Make sure youre framing it as a question, and not just trailing off. Is this position subject to an annual review, orDont ask leading or loaded questions, which make it look like youre fishing for a specific answer. You want to seem like you genuinely want information, and arent just looking to confirm something you already know. Isnt it true thatIf you can, weave your questions throughout the interview. It demonstrates that youre paying attention, and engaged in the process. If you find you cant really do that with the conversational flow, save them until the end or until youre asked if you have questions.Keep the tone light and professional. Dont try to trap the interviewer in a mistake or misstatement, or use the questions aggressively to pin down an answer. You want to seem involved and relatable, not intense and overbearing.What NOT to Ask During the InterviewThere are some areas where you just shouldnt go with your table-turning questio ns.Anything about salaryThis isnt the time or the placeand the person whos interviewing you may not have much insight into compensation. Also, if you jump the gun on salary discussions now, you could put yourself at a disadvantage later during the offer and negotiation phase.How soon you can take vacation timeThis is not only presumptuous, but also a part of later benefit discussions, like salary.Multi-part questionsIf you have a complicated question, ask it in pieces, in a conversational way.If the rumors are trueAny rumors. Whatever youve heard about the company, now is not the time to bring it up, even with your new Camp Mohegan buddy.Personal questions about the interviewerYoull have plenty of time to get to know your (hopefully) new colleague later.Once you have a feel for the general topics for these questions, you can start bending them to fit the job you want, and practicing the questions in a confident, conversational way. The more you come up with ahead of time, the less l ikely you are to be that deer in the headlights. You want to finish the interview strong, so get ready to have interview questions cut both ways.RELATED5 Unique Questions to Ask in a Job Interview