Most interviewers will ask, often towards the end of
the interview, "Michael do you have any questions for me?" The only correct
response for Michael (or you) is "Yes. There are some things I would like to
ask. Do you mind if I refer to my list of questions?" Inviting you to ask
questions is of course a professional courtesy, but more importantly, your
questions provide a good means for evaluating your fitness for the job. What
can a prospective employer learn about you from your questions?
Here are some examples:
· How seriously you are thinking about the pragmatics of the job and how
well you understand what the job is about. · What is important to you? What
your expectations are. · Your ability to connect general situations to that
company's specific reality. · How much research you did about that company.
· Your degree of common sense; intellectual curiosity. · Your energy level
and communication skills when you initiate part of a conversation. · How
well prepared you are (or would be in the future) for a business meeting. ·
Your level of maturity (especially if you are a recent college graduate).
What are some of the
topics you could ask about? Broadly speaking, there are four main topics:
the job itself, the company, the industry or profession, external influences
that might have a bearing on the other three topics.
Here are some examples:
The job itself: You
could ask about the qualities that tend to make a person successful in that
job; how you would be adding value to the company in that position; are
goals achieved in formal teams, informal teams or individually.
The company: You
may want to know why customers/clients choose to do business with that
company; seek clarification about recent news involving the company; future
plans to expand business. · The Industry or Profession: The main players in
the market place, new competitive strategies, potential industry partners
may provide interesting questions. · External influences: Questions about
the impact of technology, government regulation or trade treaties may be in
order. Before you ask your interview questions, ask yourself if you have
followed these rules:
1.
You care about the topic: If you don't care, don't ask.
2.
Refer to your research and demonstrate that your questions build on
something that you have researched for the interview.
3.
Make sure that the answer is not readily found in some obvious and
available place, like the company's annual report.
4.
Don't raise barriers to getting hired. For example, if you ask,
"Would I have to work after 5PM?" you are strongly implying that you are not
available after that time.
5.
Are you asking the appropriate person? Asking a recent hire why s/he
joined the company makes sense. That same question addressed to a
thirty-year veteran does not.
6.
Questions that would put you in a negative light are no-nos. For
example, do not initiate a question about compensation; it would make you
seem like a person who is interested only in yourself. (If the interviewer
raises the question, that's another matter). A similarly poor question would
be "How long do I have to wait before I get promoted?"
Make sure that you have
prepared three to five good questions even though you may not have time to
ask all of them. Make sure that you ask at least something about the job and
about the company and try not to focus all your questions on one narrow
issue. Preparing to ask questions does add to your interview preparation
time. However, your questions may be as important as your answers, so it is
time well spent.
Don’t ask too much about perks, although it is ok to
ask once about "fringe benefits" but not as the first question! Some of the
right things to ask, if these issues haven’t surfaced, are: Is there a
written job description listing the responsibilities? (if not, ask for a
verbal run down) What are the most important things you’d want me to
accomplish in the first six months? Whom would I report to? How long has the
position been open? May I ask who held it before? Is he or she still with
the company? If not, what happened? When do you expect to conclude the
search?
The Close: This is the best part of the
interview, where you determine whether or not you have a chance of getting
the job. This is where you go for the sale - a job offer! Be confident and
excited. Say something like: "I want to thank you for giving me the
opportunity to meet with you. This job sounds exciting and I feel I could
make a contribution. I am looking forward to talking with you again. When
can I expect to hear back from you?"
When interviewers find the right person, they show
enthusiasm and give you a specific timeframe on when they will follow up. It
is not a positive sign when interviewers are inconclusive and vague. Try to
pin them down to a specific timeframe by asking: "What is the next step in
the decision-making process?" Remain positive, self-assured and
enthusiastic.
For the best ever
questions to ask at your interview/s,
work with Dianna!
