Questions About Next Steps
10. Whats your timeline for next steps?
This is a basic logistics question, but its useful to ask because it gives you a benchmark for when you can expect to hear something back. Otherwise, in a few days youre likely to start agonizing about whether you should have heard back about the job by now and what it means that you havent, and obsessively checking your phone to see if the employer has tried to make contact. Its much better for your quality of life if you know that youre not likely to hear anything for two weeks or four weeks or that the hiring manager is leaving the country for a month and nothing will happen until shes back, or whatever the case might be.
Plus, asking this question makes it easy for you to check in with the employer if the timeline they give you comes and goes with no word. If they tell you that they plan to make a decision in two weeks and its been three weeks, you can reasonably email them and say something like, I know you were hoping to make a decision around this time, so I wanted to check in and see if you have an updated timeline you can share. Im really interested in the position and would love to talk more with you.
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Order Alison Greens book Ask a Manager: Clueless Colleagues, Lunch-Stealing Bosses, and the Rest of Your Life at Work here. Got a question for her? Email . Her advice column appears here every Tuesday.
Name A Work Accomplishment That Makes You Proud
With this line of interview questioning, you will learn about the job seeker in more depth and get a better idea of the types of work they have achieved from their previous and current company.
This also gives the interviewee an opportunity to showcase some of their strongest qualities and any leadership skills they may have.
How Often Do You Promote People Internally
The first recruiting agency I joined ONLY promoted from within the company. That meant that if you wanted to be a Manager, you HAD to start as an entry-level Recruiter. Everyone began this way.
This gave me fantastic opportunities as an entry-level job seeker myself .
So this is something I like to see in an organization and something you should ask questions to find out about.
Most companies wont only promote from within, but you should look for some balance at least.
You can also follow this up by asking the interviewer, How would you describe the companys internal promotion process? What does an employee do if theyd like to apply for a higher role in the company, and how are employees able to hear about these internal opportunities?
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Can You Explain This Aspect Of The Job Again
Sure, you walked into the interview armed with a list of questions, but if you were feeling nervous, you might have forgotten to ask some. It could have been, too, that you felt hesitant following up on a certain aspect of the job. Your follow-up thank-you email is the perfect chance to gain clarity.
For example, say the interviewer asked if you’re OK traveling a bit for the job. You might have said yes, but now that you’re thinking back, you’re wondering what that entails. How frequently would you be traveling? How far?
Be sure the emphasize that you’re not concerned you’re just looking for some more details and clarification.
Best Questions To Ask After An Interview
1. How did this position become available?
Asking how the role became available helps you understand how the company has developed recently, without being intrusive. Someone may have changed roles, been promoted, or the team may be expanding. Itll give your interviewer the opportunity to elaborate on the structure of the team and any recent changes in the department.
2. How has the company, and this position, evolved over time?
Following on from the last question, this one will give the interviewer the chance to expand on the evolution of the company and team structure, since they started working there. This should give you a good idea of how the company has grown and the direction its going in.
3. What are some of the day-to-day responsibilities of the role?
This question shows that youre a practical person whos eager to get stuck in. Plus, it will help you decide whether the jobs the right fit for you. A job may sound suitable on paper but may not be what youre looking for.
4. Can you tell me more about the team members I will be working with daily?
Asking this question will help you understand how large your team is and the types of people youll be working with every day. It shows that you want to understand your role within the company and that youre keen to work as part of a team.
5. Can you tell me more about the company culture?
6. Does your company offer any support for personal and professional development for employees?
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Questions To Ask At The End Of A Job Interview
Nearly every interviewer provides you with the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the interview. It’s important that you’ve prepared at least two or three questions that express your interest, as well as show them that you’ve done your homework by researching the company in advance. Here are the top questions to ask at the end of your interview:
‘is There Anyone Else I Need To Meet With/is There Anyone Else You Would Like Me To Meet With’
Hoover said knowing if they want you to meet with potential coworkers or not will give you insight into how much the company values building team synergy. In addition, if the interviewer says you have four more interviews to go, then you’ve gained a better sense of the hiring timeline as well, she said.
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What Are You Passionate About
What They Want to Know: What’s most important to you? What do you love doing? The answers to this question don’t have to be all about work. The company is looking to determine if you’re a well-rounded person, and what you enjoy doing outside of work can give them insight into the type of employee you’d be if you were hired.
I am passionate about folk music, and love to attend festivals during the summer. I also play fiddle with a local band on the weekends.
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How Do You Handle It When An Employee Makes A Mistake
Everybody makes mistakes now and then. Its important that a company values its employees, also when they make a mistake. Knowing how they usually handle this will let you know if you think youll thrive there or not. It doesnt matter if you rarely make any mistakes. Its good to know how its handled.
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What Obstacles Have Been Previously Encountered Within This Role And How Can I Help You Overcome Them
There are two ways to look at this question. If this is a newly created role, it can be great to learn how the company had previously tackled any issues. For example, if you are going for a content management role, how did the company previously handle their content schedule? Were freelancers involved? If so, why the change? Alternatively, if someone has left the role and progressed, it can be great to see how this position has adapted and evolved so that you can continue the existing momentum.
Did I Answer All Of Your Questions
Starting with this question can help transition from the interviewer’s questions to your questions better than anything else. Plus, it allows the interviewer to point out any aspects of your answers that they’d like you to elaborate on further. Not only does this help you demonstrate your qualifications for the position, but it can also be used as a useful gauge to see how the interview is going overall.
Additionally, make sure you mention that you do have other questions. For example, the interviewer may ask if you have any questions after they’ve asked everything they need to. A proper response would be, “Yes, I do have some questions, but is there anything more you wanted me to elaborate on first?” This establishes that you have your own line of inquiry rather than merely appearing as though you want to extend the interview without any effort on your part.
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Questions To Ask Interviewers At The Start Of The Interview
At the start of the interview, understanding the people who are interviewing you will help you provide answers appropriate to the persons role in your work life. You will also become a bit more comfortable talking with the interviewer, hopefully turning the interview into a discussion rather than a series of questions and answers.
What Is The Biggest Challenge The Team Has Faced In The Past Year
While the interviewer might be trying to paint a pretty perfect picture of what working on the team might look like, asking this question will help you uncover some of the realities the team has been facing recently. If you end up joining, you’ll inevitably hear about these challenges — and you may have to help solve them, too. This is a question our principal recruiter Katie Donohue says she likes to hear during interviews.
How It Helps You
It really helps to know what challenges you could find yourself or your team up against ahead of time. In some cases, it could affect whether you accept the role. Not only that, but learning about these challenges could give you some great insights into the steps the team has taken to overcome these challenges already.
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Choosing The Best Questions To Ask
Now that we have the categories outlined, we can start really drilling down with these questions to ask the interviewer. Yes, we sort of roughed out quite a few when we described the categories, but those are general questions. The questions you want to ask are going to be specificresearchedand tailored!
But you just gave me seven categories! If I ask a question out of each category its going to take forever! Im sure the hiring manager is going to get sick of me long before I get a chance to go through all my questions Or worse, what if my questions are dumb and the hiring manager thinks Im an idiot? Nobody wants to hire an idiot!
First off, take a deep breath and relax. We promise, the hiring manager isnt going to get tired of youand we already established the fact that youre more likely to look like an idiot for not asking questionsbut yes, that is a lot of categories to coverwhich is why making sure youre asking the right questions is so important.
How do I know which questions are the right questions to be asking?
Ahh, so glad you asked! The easiest way to figure out which questions to ask at an interview is to start out by asking them before you get to the interview.
As youre preparing for your interview and doing your research on the job and the company, make sure youre also taking notes about things youd like to ask about. Remember too that the best questions are the ones that lead to discussion and back and forth between you and the interviewer.
What Would You Like Me To Accomplish In The First Three Months How Is The Success Of This Job Measured And Evaluated
If youre already asking about job objectives, the interviewers may feel that thinking about success so early in the process could translate into success on the job. It also suggests youre confident, excited about the opportunity, and eager to start working. Asking this also means you know this job is special its not like any other and you need to know how to succeed right away.
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Have You Applied For Any Other Positions
If the interviewee has been applying for other positions, is a good idea to see what types of positions they have applied for. Are the positions similar to your opening or totally different?
If you speak to a candidate who is applying for many different types of positions in many different fields it may give you an indication that the candidate does not really know what kind of job they want and are just seeing whats out there.
How Has The Company Changed In The Past Year
This job interview question could uncover a treasure trove of information you can use to determine if you really want to work for this particular company. Not only will you get a better sense of where the company is going, but youll learn more about where it came from. Plus, the magnitude and type of changes will tell you a lot about the company culture and leadership.
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What Would A Typical Day Be Like
Ask your interviewer whether they can describe your area of responsibility, what your day-to-day duties would be, and what their expectations are. If you are offered the job, this question helps to remove the element of surprise when starting the role.
For many surveying roles, this can be a good way to gauge how much time youll be expected to spend in the office and how much on site. You can also ask about the companys general routine, such as start and finish times.
Can You Tell Me Exactly What I Would Be Expected To Do If I Were Hired For This Position
This question helps to make sure you know exactly what youre going to be doing and what is expected of you. This is a great way to make sure there are no nasty surprises waiting for you when you start. Having your job explicitly laid out for you not only allows you to know what youre signing up to do, but can also help you decide if you are not only willing to do the workbut also able!
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Best Questions To Ask An Interviewer
Hooray! Youve been called in to a job interview. This means that youve done an excellent job at creating your tailored resume so kudos on that. Your work isnt over though. Now you need to prepare for your interview and that includes coming up with some intelligent questions to ask your interviewer.
You see, an interview is a two way street. Its not only about them finding out if youre a perfect fit for the company. Its also about you finding out if theyre the perfect fit for you. They expect you to ask them questions. If you end up just sitting there without anything to add to the conversation you can be sure theyll find someone else. Because theyll think youre not interested. Lets not let that happen to you!
You should prepare at least two questions to ask your interviewer at the end of your job interview. These questions need to show your interest in the company and your drive to excel in the position. Choose wisely and make sure you have a couple backup questions in place in case your preferred questions get answered during the interview.
Are you ready? Here are the best questions you can ask an interviewer after the job interview.
What Is Something That The Company Changed At The Request Of Its Employees That Did Not Originate From An Executive
Another one from Outliers Sean Byrnes, who tackles the often broad conversation around employee experience by quickly narrowing the focus to simply employeeimpact. How much do employees have a voice? Is information flowing upward, or is the company stuck in a hierarchical standstill? While particularly valuable for folks interviewing as an individual contributor, even managers may find this question useful to look out for their future teams growth potential.
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Questions To See If This Is The Right Job For You
Once you know the players in the interview, ask the questions that will help you understand more about the job and whether or not it is a job you would like.
Regardless of who you are asking these questions, the answers to these questions will enable you to focus your answers to best position yourself as the cure for their pain:
- What is a typical in this job?
- What would be my priorites for the first month? First quarter? First year?
- What is the toughest time of for a person in the job? Why?
- How long did the last employee stay in this job? What are they doing now?
- What is the top priority for someone in this job?
- What is the biggest challenge for someone doing this job?
- What is the key to success in this job? Why?
- What are the most important skills of the person who does this job?
- What is the key thing someone does to be successful in this job?
- How is success in this job measured by you? By the organization?
- What is the biggest challenge someone in this job faces on a daily basis?
- If anyone has failed at this job, why did they fail? What mistakes did they make?
- What do you expect the person in this job to accomplish in the first 30, 60, or 90 days?
The answers to these questions will increase your understanding of their problems and whether or not you want to work there.
