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What Are Good Questions To Ask At A Job Interview

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What Are Good Questions To Ask

12 Best Interview Questions to Ask in a Job Interview

Break the ice and get to know people better by selecting several of these get-to-know-you questions.

  • Who is your hero?
  • If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
  • What is your biggest fear?
  • What is your favorite family vacation?
  • What would you change about yourself if you could?
  • What really makes you angry?

Employer Interview Questions To Ask Candidates

  • May 15, 2019

We always advise graduates to prepare for a job interview and the same goes for employers.

In an interview, the aim is to gain as much information about a candidate to determine whether or not they are right for a role.

Given that you will already have read their graduate CV, and possibly their profile or online portfolio as well, it should be relatively straightforward to ascertain whether or not they are a good fit.

Yet interviewers of all levels of experience find that this can be a real challenge in such a short space of time.

Plus, selecting the right questions can be make or break when it comes to finding out the necessary information to make a decision.

Who Would I Be Reporting To Are Those Three People On The Same Team Or On Different Teams

It’s important to ask about the pecking order of a company in case you have several bosses, Vicky Oliver writes in her book “301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions.”

If you’re going to be working for several people, you need to know “the lay of the internal land,” she says or if you’re going to be over several people, you probably would want to get to know them before accepting the position.

Also Check: How To Be Good In A Job Interview

Can You Share More About How The Company Supports Its Employees With Professional Development Opportunities

While many candidates may want to know the potential for growth before taking a job, asking about promotions suggests to recruiters you think the current position is beneath you. A question structured like this circumvents the taboo of asking about promotions.

“You don’t want to imply that you’re looking for that next role before you were trained or provided any value in the role at hand,” .

Instead, ask more open-ended questions, or ask anecdotes of past employee success stories for a more roundabout way to find out how the position can help you grow.

Specific Questions To Ask An Interviewee

The questions to ask in an informational interview

For different roles that you are recruiting for, there are also different sets of interview questions to ask candidates based upon the skills, personality traits and experiences you want them to demonstrate or discuss.

Find out the best interview questions to ask graduate sales candidates, finance candidates, graduate developers, and creative candidates below.

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Why Are You The Right Fit To Succeed In This Role

You should use the interview as an opportunity to say something interesting about your skills and experiences that relate back to the role at hand. Remember that interviewers will be looking for you to demonstrate key skills that match the job and behaviour that align with the organisation’s culture, so prepare examples in advance that you can call on when required.

Examples of the key attributes employers look for include:

  • Project management skills

A Snail Is At The Bottom Of A 30

Questions like these have become a lot more popular in recent years. The interviewer isn’t necessarily looking for the right answer but instead a little insight into your reasoning abilities.

All you can do is talk through your logic as you try to solve the problem. Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself if you get it wrong — sometimes the interviewer is merely trying to assess how you deal with failure.

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‘if Hired What Are The Three Most Important Things You’d Like Me To Accomplish In The First Six To 12 Months At The Company’

“Think of every open position as a problem or pain point the company is hoping to solve with the right hire,” Augustine said. “The more you know about the hiring manager’s expectations and metrics for success, the easier it will be for you to tailor the conversation to demonstrate your fit for the role.”

Where Do You See Yourself In Five Years

17 GREAT QUESTIONS to ask in a JOB INTERVIEW!

Becca Brown, the cofounder of the women’s shoe-care company Solemates, interviewed 20 to 30 job candidates a year in her various roles at Goldman Sachs. She told Business Insider she wished candidates would have asked her this question.

“I like this question, and yet no one ever asked it because it’s difficult to answer,” she says. “It’s an important question for anyone to be asking him or herself, and so if ever a candidate were to ask this question, it would have stood out.”

She continues: “I think this is a good question for interviewees to ask because as a candidate if you see where the person interviewing you is headed, you can decide if that trajectory is in line with your career objectives. While they don’t have to be completely correlated, it’s helpful for the candidate to have some indication of the interviewer’s direction.”

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The Best Interview Questions To Avoid

Some questions are best left to the next phase of the recruitment process or avoided altogether.

Asking the employer about details available in the job description might leave the employer wondering if youve read the advertisement properly. Clarifying the details is acceptable, but try not to revisit information already given. Interviews are short and theres a lot to cover!

Similarly, asking about basic details regarding the organisation is not preferred. Ideally, you should already have this information from the job description and research youve done on the organisations social media and website. Again, clarifying and diving deeper is completely acceptable and encouraged!

One of my favourite books on job interviewing is What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles with Katharine Brooks

Summary

Its important a candidate gets to know an employer at a job interview to determine if theyre a good fit for the vacancy. Knowing the best interview questions to ask is key to achieving this.

Asking thoughtful interview questions can impress and challenge an employer, which can really set one candidate apart from another.

The more information a candidate can gather and share, the better the employment outcome for both parties.

Questions To Learn About The Job

Ask questions that will help you determine if you would actually like the job, and be able to do it well.

  • Why is this position open? Is it a new position? Or is it a replacement for someone?
  • How long does someone typically stay in this job?
  • How many hours a week does someone in this job typically work? Is overtime accepted or expected?
  • Do most employees check email over the weekends and stay in touch while on vacation? Is that required for this job?
  • Do employees sometimes work from home or telecommute in this job? How many people telecommute? How many hours a week?
  • Who does the person in this job report to? What is the bosss job title, and where are they located?
  • What is the salary grade for this job? Where does this job salary grade rank in your salary grades?
  • What can you tell me about this job that isnt in the description?
  • What are your future plans for this job?
  • What are the prospects for growth for the person in this job?
  • How long do people stay in this job?
  • How often is this job open?
  • Who does the person in this job report to?
  • How often are performance reviews provided? Do employees receive feedback from their managers?
  • Is travel to meet with clients or suppliers or to represent this organization required for this job? If so, where, how long, how far, and how often?
  • Where is this job located?

Ask about anything else in your preparation that raised questions for you. Read for leveraging Google before the interview.

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What Are Your Weaknesses

“What are your weaknesses” is one of the most popular questions interviewers ask. It is also the most dreaded question of all. Handle it by minimizing your weakness and emphasizing your strengths. Stay away from personal qualities and concentrate on professional traits: “I am always working on improving my communication skills to be a more effective presenter. I recently joined Toastmasters, which I find very helpful.”

What Questions Should You Ask In A Graduate Job Interview

Pin on Career Development

Find out the questions to ask in an interview and when to ask them, and get to grips with those you should avoid.

Donât ask questions you should already know the answers to, for example, information clearly stated on the employerâs website.

You donât have to wait for your interviewer to say, âDo you have any questions for us?â to ask some of your own. This kind of discussion can develop spontaneously out of a face-to-face or video interview. However, this is with reference to a âliveâ video interview in which youâre talking to an interviewer a pre-recorded video interview wonât offer this kind of flexibility.

Itâs a good idea to think about questions to ask in advance. You could have in mind three questions to ask about the employer and three questions to ask about the job itself. If you wish, you could note these questions down and take them in with you to help jog your memory, but you should avoid reading them out in a way that suggests youâre determined to ask the questions youâve prepared word for word, regardless of how the rest of the interview has gone, as you could come across as inflexible and it might seem as if you havenât really been listening.

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What Type Of Employee Tends To Succeed Here And What Qualities Are The Most Important For Succeeding Here

This question sheds light on whether the organisation has a clear idea of who they want to employ in the role. Hopefully, the ideal candidate looks a lot like you and if you feel like youve missed something they mention in response, you can always email the interviewer later to reiterate how well you think youll fit in.

How Does The Company Work Together To Meet Deadlines 4 How Is A Typical Week Structured

Knowing how a team works to meet important goals together is a key learning point for any prospective member of staff. Using the information from your interviewers answer will provide a glimpse of how pressure is handled, what the consensus is for workload and that all-important work/life balance. If you do not feel satisfied with the answers, this can help you reach a decision following on from the interview.

Also Check: What Questions To Ask A Project Manager Interview

Instead Of What Is Your Greatest Weakness

Ask What do you struggle with/feel you are least competent at in your current/previous job?

Why?

What is your greatest weakness? will commonly be greeted with clichés like, Im such a perfectionist- I like things to be just-so, or the classic, I find it really difficult to switch off from work.

Asking people for a specific flaw cuts through the waffle and coerces candidates into giving a concrete example of something theyre not great at, meaning youll get a more honest and relevant answer.

Killer Interview Questions To Ask Employers

5 SMART QUESTIONS to ASK in a JOB INTERVIEW!

Okay, if youre feeling confident and want to put your interviewer/s to the test, here are some killer interview questions to ask employers!

  • Can you tell me about your experience as an employee with < organisation> ?
  • How would you describe < organisations> culture in 3 words?
  • If you could change one thing about < organisation> , what would that be?
  • How many employees has < organisation> hired over the last 12 months? Are you happy with this turnover rate?
  • Why did you choose to work for < organisation> ?
  • What is < organisations> competitive edge? How does < organisation> do things differently?
  • Would you consider < organisation> to be innovative? Can you give me an example?
  • Where do you see < organisation> in 5-10 years time?

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Good Questions To Ask At The End Of The Interview

As the interview winds down, or when the interviewer has indicated that the interview is ending, you need to ask these end-of-the-interview questions.

Tell the interviewer that you are very interested in the job and enthusiastic about joining the organization. Then, finish by asking these questions.

Can I Have Some Time To Review Your Offer

Once youve made it to the final stage of the interview process and have received an offer, dont be too hasty in accepting it immediately, Woodruff-Santos says. If you dont really talk about salary in an interview and then they say youre their preferred candidate and extend an offer, thats not the end, but rather the beginning of the negotiation, she says.

From there, I think its really important to ask for time to review their offer and then ask for a phone call and then counter-offer or have a discussion about the compensation, Woodruff-Santos says. If youve gotten to that stage already, they clearly want to work with you, and it will take a lot of trouble for them to go back to the drawing board and find another candidate.

It can be easy to let imposter syndrome get the best of you and nudge you to say yes immediately, so remember that the company wants you and you deserve time to fully analyze the offer and make sure youre getting what you deserve.

Related:

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Why Do You Want This Job Best Answer

In my career, I am sure of one thing and that is I want to build a in my current domain. My present job has shown me the path to move and attain what has been my long-term career objective. I have acquired necessary skills to some extent as well as have got accustomed to the corporate way of working.

Tell Me About A Time You Disagreed With A Decision What Did You Do

The best job interview questions to ask employers for ...

No one agrees with every decision. Disagreements are fine it’s what you do when you disagree that matters.

Show that you were professional. Show that you raised your concerns in a productive way. If you have an example that proves you can effect change, great — and if you don’t, show that you can support a decision even though you think it’s wrong .

Every company wants employees willing to be honest and forthright, to share concerns and issues, but to also get behind a decision and support it as if they agreed, even if they didn’t.

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What Have You Enjoyed Most About Working Here

This question gives you an opportunity to connect with your manager on a personal level, to understand his or her personal drivers and motivations.

You may uncover something about his or her personal life that you can connect over, and you may also discover a little about the culture in the team and wider business.

What Questions Should You Avoid

In addition to questions that make a good impression in a job interview, there are also some red flags that you should avoid.

One of them is why the interviewer decided to invite you to an interview. Knowing the job description and having researched the company you should already have an answer to this question. Otherwise your interviewer gets the impression that you don’t know your own value or that you are fishing for compliments.

Questions about promotions, raises and vacations are important, but if you ask them too early in the interview process it will make you look lazy and more interested in the benefits than the actual position.

Use these tips as you prepare for the next interview to make a great impression.

For more ideas and support, visit our Advice Section.

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What Questions Should You Ask When Inquiring About A Job

Summary of questions to ask the hiring manager

  • What about this position is most important?
  • What would you want to see me accomplish in the first six months?
  • How would you measure my success, and what could I do to exceed your expectations?
  • Which part of the position has the steepest learning curve?

Software Engineer Job Interview Questions And Answers

Good Interview Questions to Ask

Posted by CV Nation on

The complete guide to job interviews for software engineers, with 20 of the most common software engineering job interview questions and example answers.

If youre planning on pursuing jobs as a software engineer, youll need to get yourself prepared for job interviews. To give yourself the best chance of succeeding in software engineering job interviews, you would be wise to prepare your answers in advance.

This guide includes 20 of the most common job interview questions for software developers and engineers, along with example answers and job interview tips to help you ace your interview. Use our tips and example answers to prepare your own answers and give yourself a better chance of succeeding in your interview.

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‘what Type Of Employee Tends To Succeed Here What Qualities Are The Most Important For Doing Well And Advancing’

This question shows the interviewer that you care about your future at the company, and it will also help you decide if you’re a good fit for the position, Oliver wrote. “Once the interviewer tells you what she’s looking for in a candidate, picture that person in your mind’s eye,” she said. “She or he should look a lot like you.”

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