Thursday, April 18, 2024

Questions The Candidate Should Ask In An Interview

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Demonstrate Your Level Of Intelligence

Top 10 Questions YOU Want To Ask In a Job Interview | Indeed Career Tips

If you came to the interview with well-researched questions that help you get more insightful information you cant find elsewhere, you appear as an intelligent person. The quality of your questions can show the interviewer you are capable of original thought and can take initiative, which are vital personality traits employers desire in their people.

Do You Have Any Questions

Regardless of the stage in the hiring process, candidates should always have the opportunity to ask questions themselves so they can decide if the job is a good fit for them. The other reason that HR uses this question is to find out if candidates are truly interested in knowing more. They should ask smart questions about the company, and preferably, questions related to the role, too.

Sample answer:

Could you tell me what the next steps in the hiring process are? Also, I read an online interview where your CEO said that your company wants to work with voice recognition technology. Im fascinated by that. Will this role involve work on these types of projects?

We hope you liked these HR interview questions and answers. In addition to these typical HR interview questions, you can see many more common or advanced questions in our complete interview questions library. It includes hundreds of questions about the HR interview and the next phases of the hiring process, by role and type.

Questions About The Company

One important note here: Dont ask things that you can easily find with a quick Google search .

  • What are the current goals that the company is focused on, and how does this team work to support hitting those goals?
  • What gets you most excited about the companys future?
  • How would you describe the companys values?
  • How has the company changed over the last few years?
  • What are the companys plans for growth and development?
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    Why Do Hiring Managers Want You To Ask Questions

    Why is not asking questions at the end of the interview a missed opportunity? And why are hiring managers disappointed when interviewees dont ask questions?

    Mainly, its because asking questions not only gets you vital information about the job youre interviewing for, it also shows that youre willing to go the extra mile to get that information.

    Remember, the ultimate goal is always to be the PERFECT CANDIDATE, and that means doing a little extra work before you even get to the interview. By asking the right questions, you are turning the table on the interviewer and taking control of the room.

    When you ask tailored questions, youre proving to the hiring manager that youre a go-getter. Not asking questions can make it seem like youre more interested in running away than investing a little more time into finding out what the job is really all about, and that works against you.

    On top of that, most hiring managers expect candidates to have questions. Not having questions makes you appear lazy, unmotivated, and unpreparedexactly the opposite of someone they want to hire.

    However, the key isnt to just ask any kind of questions its to make sure youre asking the right questions.

    Interview Questions You’ll Be Asked

    Top 6 Interview Questions to Ask Accounting Candidates

    In addition to preparing a list of questions to ask the hiring manager, it’s also important to review the most common interview questions you’ll likely be asked so you can think about how you will answer.

    Count on answering questions about your experience and qualifications, speaking to your greatest strengths and weaknesses, detailing how you handle success and failure, and discussing what sets you apart and why you’re worthy of consideration.

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    Ask Questions About The Product Teams Relationship With Other Departments

    • Whats the relationship currently like between Product and UX, Engineering, Marketing, Sales, Customer Success, etc?
    • How has it been historically? What types of challenges have come up?
    • How does information generally flow between these teams? Are there regular meetings between team leaders?

    Questions like these demonstrate that you understand the product team is an information hub for every other team in the organization. In order to effectively do your job, you need the information to flow seamlessly in and out of your team. If theres a historical dynamic of siloing teams or unnecessarily guarding information, youll want to know about that ahead of time.

    Asking questions about the product teams relationship to other teams also gives you an opportunity to brainstorm and pitch some ideas and possible solutions on the spot. If there isnt regular communication between say, Product and Sales, that could be a great suggestion. This also gives you an opportunity to describe how you might handle internal feature requests from sales reps, solicit meaningful feedback from other teams, and more.

    Bonus tip: You might request another meeting with counterparts from other departments, i.e. setting up a coffee chat with the engineering lead or the UX manager. These conversations can offer additional insights and a chance to get to know potential colleagues.

    Kinds Of Questions Every Product Manager Candidate Should Ask During An Interview

    Congratulations! Youve just scheduled your product manager interview. Whether youre just starting your product career or interviewing for a senior position, interviewers tend to end the conversation with some version of the same question: So, do you have any questions for me?

    You already know the worst possible answer to this question is Nope. Obviously not a great finale to what well assume was an otherwise successful product manager interview. So, how should you answer this question, and why ask questions at all?

    Interviewing for product management is really about demonstrating two things. First, youre showing your interviewer that you know what product management is, how to do it, how to think about it in terms of responsibilities, process, problem-solving, etc. Second, youre demonstrating that you know something about their company and its product.

    There will be opportunities to answer a number of questions during an interview that help you exhibit your knowledge of these two points. However, the portion of the interview where you get to ask questions is your opportunity to explicitly direct the conversation, to further demonstrate your ability to think on your feet and construct meaningful questionstwo skills youll most certainly need in any product role. More importantly, youre showing the interviewer how you think about and approach product management.

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    Assess The Challenges Of The Role

    When interviewing internal candidates, I tend to ask questions about what they already know about the role they are interviewing for. For example, have they done the research and talked with others about the highs and lows of that new position? One question that helps me gauge their research is, what are the biggest challenges you see of the role and for yourself? The answer and the candidates thought process is one way to see how deeply they thought about actually being in the role or merely wanting their next new position.

    Jenn Christie,

    Best Questions To Ask About The Company

    Top 5 Questions to Ask in an Interview

    Why not learn a little bit about where you might work? A job isnt just about your day-to-day to-do list. Youll likely be happier with an employer that shares similar values to yours and is headed in a direction youre on board with.

    • Ive read about the companys founding, but can you tell me more about ?
    • What direction do you see this company heading in over the next few years?
    • What can you tell me about your new products or plans for growth?
    • What are the current goals that the company is focused on, and how does this team work to support hitting those goals?
    • What gets you most excited about the companys future?
    • What are the companys most important values?
    • How does the company ensure its upholding its values?

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    Best Questions To Ask During A Job Interview

    These best interview questions help you assess the prospective employees work experience and their approach to problem-solving. They help you understand how the candidate interacts with people and the work environment.

    These questions have a track record of helping you select people who become successful employees. Each question includes an explanation of the information you’re trying to learn by asking the question, along with a sample response.

    Watch Now: 4 Essential Interview Questions to Ask Applicants

    How Does This Role Contribute To Larger Company Goals

    It’s not terribly difficult to find a candidate who can execute in a role. It is, however, terribly difficult to find a candidate who can also understand how it fits into larger goals.

    This includes being able to self-manage, prioritize high-value activities, and grow their role in a direction that aligns with the company’s growth.

    How It Helps You

    This information can be hard to come by if your company isn’t very communicative or transparent, so this is a good chance to get that information to use it to guide your decisions if you land the role.

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    Overview Of Questions To Ask During An Interview

    While it is important to prepare answers for interview questions, it is also essential to have your own questions to ask during an interview. Asking questions during an interview can help you get more information about the role that will inform your decision to work for the company. It can also position you as a candidate with a genuine interest in the role and the employer. Here we discuss questions to ask during an interview and why you should ask them.

    Interview Questions To Ask About Employer Expectations

    8 Questions to Ask Finance Candidates in an Interview

    Here are questions you can ask the interviewer about the companys expectations on employee performance:

  • What are the performance goals for this role for the first, second, and third months on the job?
  • What are the key metrics that used to measure employee performance?
  • What does the company expect me to achieve performance wise in the first 12 months on the job?
  • What type of performance review process does the company use?
  • How many times would my performance be reviewed every year?
  • Are employees also allowed to evaluate the performance of their managers?
  • Are there penalties for a poor performance review?
  • What steps does the company take to help employees improve on their performance?
  • Does the company reward employees with excellent performance reviews? How does it reward them?
  • Have you ever had to sack an employee because of poor performance?
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    Do You Have Any Questions For Me

    This question typically wraps up the interview. Most candidates who are interested in the job will be prepared with a few relevant questions for a hiring manager. However, if the discussion was long and detailed, the candidate may have already asked their questions. In a case like this, its OK if a candidate doesnt have a list of questions at the end of the interview.

    Common Interview Questions Dos And Donts

  • Prepare, prepare, prepare. Preparation is key to landing the job. My tip is to do an analysis of yourself before the interview, says Renu Gundala, recruitment team lead at Oxfam UK. Sit down and identify your strengths and weaknesses specified in the job description. A good job advert will give you a starting point.
  • This will tell you a lot about your capability and how strong a candidate you are for the role.
  • Be honest. Any lies are likely to be caught out when the employer contacts your references.
  • Wherever possible, match your skills with those the employer is looking for.
  • Whenever you say you have a skill, describe a situation in your work history that demonstrates you possess it or how you developed it.
  • Make a good first impression with positive and confident body language.
  • Do your homework on the people you will meet, the company, culture and the role, to confirm your interest to the potential employer and better tailor your answers.
  • Have a list of five key points youd like to convey during the interview. If you dont get an opportunity to raise them during the main part of the interview, cover them at the end.
  • Have a selection of pre-prepared strengths and weaknesses. Make sure your strengths are relevant to the role, and the weaknesses include competencies that you are working to improve. Avoid clichés.
  • Be prepared to be tested with difficult interview questions and pushed on areas you would rather avoid on your CV. Have answers memorised in advance.
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    Why Do You Want To Work With Us

    This question is an ideal follow-up to, What do you know about our business? because it goes directly to the candidates motivation for applying for the job.

    Asking this question and the answer the individual provides gives you insight into the benefits they perceive theyll gain by working for your company.

    If they reply with something about your stellar customer service or your business strategy, thats a good sign. If they indicate that their interest is because your business pays the highest wage of all your competitors, thats a bad sign.

    If the candidates answer is vague, ask a follow-up question or two to get to the heart of the matter.

    Creative Questions To Ask About The Culture

    How to Prepare for An Interview – The Best Pre-Interview Strategy | Indeed Career Tips

    You dont want to end up at a workplace where all socialization happens at happy hour if you dont drink or you need to get home to your kids, or where everyone is focused solely on their own work if you thrive in a collaborative environment, for example. So make sure you ask about whats important to you when it comes to company culture.

    • How would you describe the work environment hereis the work typically more collaborative or more independent?
    • How does the team form and maintain strong bonds?
    • Can you tell me about the last company event you did together?
    • Whats your favorite office tradition?
    • What do you and the team usually do for lunch?
    • Does anyone at the company or on this team hang out outside the office?
    • Do you ever do joint events with other companies or departments?
    • Whats different about working here than anywhere else youve worked?
    • How has the company changed since you joined?
    • How has the organization overcome challenges with remote work?
    • How does the company make sure that remote and hybrid employees are given the same opportunities and standards as in-office employees?

    Regina Borsellino also contributed writing, reporting, and/or advice to this article.

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    What Other Jobs Are You Considering

    For the most part, candidates should be looking for jobs in similar fields. It doesnt matter if theyre looking at other companies or even other niches within a specific skill set.

    What might raise a warning flag would be if theyve applied for non-managerial jobs as well as the manager position in your business.

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    Bonus: Questions You Should Never Ask During An Interview

    • Information that can be found through a simple Google search. Interview questions such as, What does your company do? or Who is your competition? make you look like you did not do your research and are not serious about your candidacy.
    • Gossip. If you have heard something through the grapevine that makes you doubt the company’s financial strength, ask your question in a non-confrontational way. Instead of, Why are you about to lay off 1,000 employees next month?, ask the potential employer or hiring manager for his or her opinion about how well positioned the company is for the future.
    • Pay, raises, and promotions. All of that will be discussed as part of the offer and salary negotiations during the interview process. It’s best to avoid questions that make you look too cocky, or paint the picture of someone who makes the decision based primarily on money.
    • Background checks. Assume that the company will run a background check as part of the pre-offer due diligence. Asking this question makes you look like you have something to hide.
    • Email or social media monitoring. Assume that the company monitors network usage in some way. The internet has a long memory and written comments have a way of getting around. Play it safe and don’t use the company’s network in ways that can make you look unprofessional.
    • Deeply personal or invasive questions. You don’t want to make the interviewer feel uncomfortable or defensive.

    What Strategies Do You Use To Diffuse Tense Situations

    Five best HR interview questions to ask candidates

    Certain work environments can lead to intense situations, which is why it’s useful for candidates to have conflict-resolution skills. Hiring managers can ask this question to learn if candidates have the ability to cooperate and compromise with colleagues. Candidates can answer this question by providing an example of a time they successfully found a resolution to a tense scenario and what they learned from it.

    Example:”One time when I was working as a lifeguard at a country club, I noticed that one of my coworkers was not keeping her eyes on her station. When I mentioned this to her, she quickly became defensive. Instead of feeding into this behavior, I gave her a few tips on how to keep focus during a long shift. By the end of the conversation, she was thankful for the help and admitted she was tired.

    This instance taught me that whenever things become tense, it’s better to find a solution than to add to the problem. You can resolve most situations by taking a moment to see the other person’s point of view and have a level-headed conversation with them. Most times after hearing their perspective, you learn that many challenging situations stem from an honest mistake or misunderstanding.”

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