The opportunity for you to ask a question usually comes only near the end of the interview. In fact, you are often directly offered the chance when the interview itself is over: "Are there any questions that I can answer for you?" However, there is a question you should ask of every interviewer as early as possible during the course of the interview: "Can you tell me about the position and the type of person you are seeking to hire?" Properly positioned, this
question can provide you with your single greatest opportunity for understanding more about the job and your ability to fill the role. The key to the question is the second part, which can show you the specific areas of need you should then address during the course of the interview. So it is important to inject this question into the interview as early as possible. You can do this with an out-take question. As you finish an answer, use this as a lead to your question. Be careful not to use this
technique as an attempt to take control the interview. You merely need to use this technique to inject this critical question early in the interview. For example, in answering a "What do you know about our company?" question, you can answer directly with what you know about the company (since you have done your research in advance, right?), then state that you do not know as much about the specific position. Turn your answer into the out-take question: "Can you tell me more about the
position and the type of person you are seeking to hire?" Find the strategic opportunity to inject this question as early as possible in the process. Then, as appropriate, frame your answers around what they are seeking in the person to fill the position. Stay within practical bounds in directing your answers, yet keep in mind the perspective of the interviewer and seek to meet their needs for the position. You will be further ahead in the interview than if you merely take shots in the
dark, hoping for your answers to magically hit the mark. Following are additional questions you may want to consider asking at an appropriate point in the interview: "What are the key deliverables for the first year in this role?" "What are the most important attributes for success in this position?" "What are the opportunities for future growth/advancement with this position?" "How is
your company responding to competition in the _____ area?" "What is the anticipated company growth rate over the next three years?"More Questions to Ask the Interviewer
"Why did you personally decide to work for this company?"
Limit yourself to no more than one or two questions during an on-campus interview and no more than two or three questions during each company-site interview. Even if you are not able to get answers to all of your open questions before the offer is made, you will have one final opportunity at that point.
Following are lists of the Top Five Questions to ask in each type of interview:
Human Resources (HR):
- Can you tell me more about the position and the type of person you are seeking?
- Tell me about an employee in your organization who is considered to be an outstanding employee. What makes that person special?
- What would you consider to be exceptional performance from someone performing in this position in the first 90 days?
- How does my background compare with others you have interviewed?
- I feel my background and experience are a good fit for this position and I am very interested. What is the next step?
Peer Interview:
- Why did you decide to join this company?
- What were your initial expectations? Were they met?
- How have your expectations changed over time?
- What do you consider your company's strengths and weaknesses?
- What can you tell me about working for your manager?
Hiring Manager Interview:
- Can you tell me more about the position and the type of person you are seeking?
- What are the measurements for success within your organization?
- How are you measured as a manager?
- What can I do to make you successful?
- What will be the measurements of my success in this position?
- I feel my background and experience are a good fit for this position and I am very interested. I am ready to consider your best offer!
OK, that last one isn't a question. But if you haven't said it yet, you had better say it at the end of the interview!
Are there any questions you would like to suggest for adding to this list? If so, please send them to our attention.
Read more:
How to Answer the Salary Interview Question
Whether it’s a tour of the office, a peer-to-peer interview, or an informal meeting; don’t be surprised if your hiring manager introduces you to your potential colleagues during your upcoming interview. From experience, this usually happens when the hiring manager is close to making the candidate a job offer, but they want to be completely certain that they are a good cultural fit for the team.
This is a positive sign for you. It’s your chance to make a good impression on more than one influential person within the business. Being introduced to your potential colleagues is also a great opportunity to get a feel for the company, who you might be working with, and whether this place is the right cultural fit for you.
A word of warning however; many candidates will make the error of dropping their guard at this stage of the interview because they think the job is theirs and this is just the last tick in the box. As a result, they don’t give as much thought or tact to the questions that they ask, leaving a negative impression on their potential colleagues, and harming their chances of interview success.
So what are the worst questions to ask your potential colleagues during an interview, and what should you ask instead?
How often do people leave?
It is reasonable to want to know about employee turnover, and, understandably if people tend to only stay with the business a few months, you would rather know sooner than later. But asking ‘How often do people leave?’ comes across as pessimistic and will likely get fed back to the hiring manager by your potential colleagues. Asking the below, on the other hand, will make you appear inquisitive and professional, whilst still providing you with the information you are looking for:
- How long have you worked here?
- How long was my predecessor in this role for?
- How long has the team worked together for?
Have you been promoted since joining the company?
Like most candidates, you’ll also be keen find out whether deserving employees are offered the opportunity to grow professionally and drive their careers forward at this company. During an interview, however, you need to demonstrate that, yes you have ambition, but if offered the job; your first priority would be succeeding in the role you are interviewing for.
Moreover, it’s important to understand that career progression doesn’t always come in the form of a promotion. Progression may also involve a lateral move into a different role, an increment in responsibility, or the chance to upskill through additional training. Therefore you should ask more open, less direct questions which will give you a better idea of the career progression opportunities available, such as:
- Have you always worked within this role since being here?
- Would you say you have had the chance to grow your skills set here?
- How has your role changed since joining the company?
What do you dislike about working here?
You may feel inclined to ask this question in order to make a fully informed decision about whether you want to work for this company. But remember, most employees are professional enough to know not to speak negatively about their employer to an interview candidate, thus this question will only cause them to question your own professional standards. Instead, opt for diplomatically phrased questions, for example:
- What kind of obstacles do you and your team come up against regularly, and how do you overcome them?
- What would you say is the most challenging part of your role?
Do you like everyone here?
Meeting your potential colleagues is a prime opportunity for you to find out more about the team dynamic and whether this company could be a good cultural fit for you.However, in a similar vein to my previous point, asking questions such as “Do you like/do you get along with everyone here?” may be misinterpreted as being antagonistic or “gossipy”. The below alternatives, on the other hand, are much more neutral:
- How would you describe the team dynamic?
- Do you socialise with each other outside of work?
- What would you say is the most important trait for somebody joining this team?
What company perks do you get?
Like many candidates, you may be itching to know about the rewards on offer, but I would strongly advise against asking your potential colleagues any questions about financial perks, holiday allowance and any other benefits. Not only does this look presumptuous, but could also be seen as unprofessional.
Specifics such as these should be discussed in private with your hiring manager via your professional recruiter once you have been made an offer, not with your potential colleagues during this early stage in the interview process.
The below questions, however, are much more open, and can invite an answer which reveals information, possibly about the rewards on offer, but more importantly, about the culture, progression opportunities and company values:
- What is your favourite aspect of working for this company?
- How would you describe the company culture?
- How do you celebrate successes here?
A final note - be your authentic self
Don’t be mistaken, whilst it is important to filter your questions, don’t filter your personality. The entire point of being introduced to your potential colleagues is for both sides to assess whether you are a good personality fit within the team, and to get an accurate picture of this, you must be your authentic self.
As I said at the beginning of this blog, meeting your potential colleagues is a positive indication that you are close to getting a job offer, plus your chance to get the insight you need in order to make an informed decision. Just don’t fall at the final hurdle by getting too complacent and asking the wrong questions.