What Can I Ask During An Interview

Describe Your Dream Job

5 Good Questions To Ask An Employer During A Job Interview

Three words describe how you should answer this question: relevance, relevance, relevance.

But that doesn’t mean you have to make up an answer. You can learn something from every job. You can develop skills in every job. Work backward: Identify things about the job you’re interviewing for that will help you if you do land your dream job someday, and then describe how those things apply to what you hope to someday do.

And don’t be afraid to admit that you might someday move on, whether to join another company or — better — to start your own business. Employers no longer expect “forever” employees.

What Do You Plan To Do If

Every business faces a major challenge: technological changes, competitors entering the market, shifting economic trends. There’s rarely one of Warren Buffett’s moats protecting a small business.

So while some candidates may see your company as a stepping-stone, they still hope for growth and advancement. If they do eventually leave, they want it to be on their terms, not because you were forced out of business.

Say I’m interviewing for a position at your ski shop. Another store is opening less than a mile away: How do you plan to deal with the competition? Or you run a poultry farm : What will you do to deal with rising feed costs?

Great candidates don’t just want to know what you think they want to know what you plan to do — and how they will fit into those plans.

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How Might Your Expectations For This Role Change Over Time

The purpose of this question is to assess what the company’s expectations are for the role throughout the length of the position. The job description can give you a good idea of the day-to-day responsibilities, but it’s helpful to be able to hone in on specific time frames for different stages of the position. For example, you may ask how long the training will take in addition to how long it’ll take for the position to start to call for potential cross-training.

One of the best ways to coax the necessary information from the interviewer is by framing this question in specific periods of time. For example, you can ask what the expectations will be after 30 days, 60 days, and a year.

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What Questions Should You Be Asking

As we said earlier, there are specific categories you want to stick to when thinking about questions to ask an interviewer.

THE JOB

What are you getting hired to do? Sure, you know what the job posting said, but is there anything about the position youre trying to get that wasnt in the posting? What are you going to be doing exactly? How long will you be doing that job and will the job evolve as you continue to work there?

THE REQUIREMENTS

Speaking of doing a job, are you fully prepared to start if you are hired? Is there anything you need to know in order to do the job? Is there any special training or any classes youre going to be required to take if youre hired?

THE EXPECTATIONS

How you do your job is also equally importantand what they expect from you as you do it! The best way to meet the goals of your employer is to know up front what they are. What do they expect from someone who is hired for this position? How do they evaluate that performance? Are there reviews?

THE COMPANY

By the way, who are you actually working for? Not just your supervisor, but the company overall. Yes, you should already have a good base of knowledgeyou got that information during your fact finding and research phase of the job huntbut there are things you cant get from research that can only come from someone on the insideand the hiring manager is a great resource!

THE PEOPLE

THE ATMOSPHERE

THE WAITING GAME

Make Their Questions Your Questions

A good rule of thumb to remember in a job interview is that anything they ask you, you can ask them. Now you have to reword the question so as to not sound like a parrot, but later in the conversation you can use their question to you as a question to them. Here are some examples.

If theyve asked, Tell me about yourself, later on in the conversation you can ask, Ive read about your company, talked with people, and know you have a great reputationbut youre on the inside, tell me about the company from your experience?

If theyve asked, What are your strengths and weaknesses, later on you can ask, What are you proudest of in the organization now.and what are the biggest areas you want to see change in?

If theyve asked, What do you see yourself doing two-three years from now, later on you can ask, Where do you see the company in two to three years?

The thing to remember is that whatever they asked you about, they are interested in. You should be interested in the same about them to better understand what situation you are getting into.

Questions To Ask About The Culture

This is a great opportunity for you to learn if the company culture is in alignment with the type of culture youre seeking. You might consider researching the type of company culture youre most interested in beforehand.

Question 22: How would you describe the company culture?

This is a great, straightforward question to hear about how the interviewer would describe the companys culture. Interviewers will often speak to what they like most about the culture, so its great to ask this question to multiple people throughout the interview process to get a holistic view of the culture.

Question 23: I came across an interview with your CEO where she touched on several aspects of the company culture. What elements of the culture here do you like best?

Asking about company culture this way shows how youve researched the company and its executives. Its a great way to display a genuine interest in the company and position. This question also shows that you care to understand whether the culture will be a good fit for you and whether you’ll be a good fit for the company.

Question 24: What are the most important values of your company?

Companies often have missions or values that drive the decisions, attitudes and goals of the company. Knowing and understanding these values can give you great insight into the type of culture thats set.

Question 25: What are examples of company events?

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Questions To Ask About The Job

Question 1: Can you elaborate on the day-to-day responsibilities this job entails?

This is a good question to ask the hiring manager. The answer will be important for you to take into consideration as you determine whether or not this job is the right fit for you.

Question 2: What are the characteristics of someone who would succeed in this role?

Ask this question to the hiring manager or others on the interview panel who you might work with if you accept the job. Their answers will quickly give you an idea of the qualities they hope to see in the person they hire.

Question 3: Whats the most important thing I could do to help within the first 90 days of employment?

With this question, youre showcasing your desire and ability to contribute from day one. Its a good one to ask of the hiring manager.

Question 4: What are some of the challenges youve seen people in this role or on this team encounter?

During your interviews, you want to get a clear-eyed view of what this job is like why its hard and rewarding at the same time. Getting your interviewers perspectives on potential hurdles will give you a holistic picture.

Question 5: If I were in this job, how would my performance be measured?

Question 6: What does the career path for someone in this role look like?

Another one for the hiring manager. This question can signal your interest in growing at this company.

More questions to ask your interviewer about the job:

9. What would my first week at work look like?

Questions About The Company

Top 5 Interview Questions To Ask In A Job Interview

7. How would you describe the culture here? What type of people tend to really thrive here, and what type dont do as well?

Sometimes hiring managers are pretty bad at accurately describing the culture on their teams in part because they have a vested interest in seeing it a certain way and in part because they have an inherently different vantage point than their staff members do. For example, Ive heard incorrigible micromanagers tell candidates that they like to give people a lot of independence and autonomy and they probably really believed that about themselves. So take managers descriptions of culture with a heavy grain of salt , but theres still value in hearing what they do and dont emphasize.

But asking about what types of people tend to thrive versus those who tend to struggle can get you more revealing information. Youll often learn what that manager really cares about in their employees, or which traits will set you up to clash with them, or whos likely to bristle at their management style.

8. What do you like about working here?

You can learn a lot by the way interviewers respond to this question. People who genuinely enjoy their jobs and the company will usually have several things they can tell you that they like about working there and will usually sound sincere. But if you get a blank stare or a long silence before your interviewer answers, or the answer is something like the paycheck, consider that a red flag.

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What Is The Company Culture Like

Company culture is an essential factor in any job. Not only does a company need to have a culture that works well for you personally, but you’ll also have to demonstrate that you’re a good fit for the company’s culture. Keep in mind that the culture can vary widely from company to company, so you’ll have to think about where you’re most comfortable.

Additionally, you’ll want to keep an eye out for red flags when the interviewer answers questions about company culture. Mentioning excessive overtime or a “work hard, play hard” culture could imply that they plan to work you for longer than the hours stated in the job description. Of course, something like this isn’t a problem for many workers, so it’s mostly a matter of what you can work well with.

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Whats One Fact Thats Not On Your Linkedin Profile

Heres another open-ended question to ask an interviewee that can help you uncover some interesting insights. Similar to asking, What do you think I need to know that we havent discussed? it could spark some conversation about a hobby outside of their 9-to-5 life or even a compelling story that reveals more of their strengths and motivations. This question can help you understand not just what a job candidate has done, but why.

How Could I Impress You In The First Three Months

10 of the most common interview questions

This is a good question to ask at the end of a job interview because it shows potential employers that you’re eager to make a positive contribution to the organisation.

Pay close attention to the recruiter’s response as it will tell you how they want you to perform and will highlight particular areas of the job you should be focusing on during the first few weeks of employment.

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What Three Things Do You Need To Succeed In This Position

While this is standard interview fare, it can also assess culture. If certain personalities are expected to fit in better for the position, you may find that theyre looking for those traits in the company as a whole. Conversely, if you think culture limits diversity, this question can assess if youre right for the role regardless of culture.

Instead Of What Motivates You To Succeed

Ask: Tell me about a time in which you succeeded, what motivated you?

Why?

In at number four is the age-old interview question What motivates you?.

The majority of candidates will retort with a short sentence like Im motivated by success, or, Im motivated by seeing the results of my hard work.

Asking interviewees for a specific example of how theyve been motivated in the past requires them to dig a little deeper, and will stop these one-sentence answers in their tracks.

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Are You/have You Been A Drug User

This illegal interview question targets recovering addicts. Same thing goes for questions about drinking and smoking. Additionally, people with health conditions, who are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act , may take prescription drugs. If the question doesnt specifically refer to illegal drugs it poses a discrimination risk.

How Is The Feedback Process Structured

Questions YOU Should Ask During an Interview – I.T. Career Questions Interview Series

Asking this question in an interview has been critical for me as a candidate. Performance feedback is how humans get better. Excellence and mastery have always been important to me, and I am aware that they are impossible without knowing how and when to ask for regular feedback. Does this company limit its feedback cycle to the annual reviews? Does the hiring manager make it a priority to deliver just-in-time acknowledgment and suggestions for improvement?

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What Behaviors Do The People Who Struggle Most On The Team Exhibit

Follow question #9 with this question, and you’ll show the hiring manager that you’re really trying to get a concrete idea of what to do and what not to do as an employee on the specific team you’re applying to join, says Fernandez. And while this question can make a manager uncomfortable, it’s impressive because it shows that the candidate is not afraid to ask tough questions.

How It Helps You

First, you’ll get an idea of what poor performance looks like, which will help you set expectations for the position. Second, you’ll learn how the hiring manager handles a tough question like this — which can teach you something about how office politics are handled in general.

Interview Questions About Your Future Manager Or Colleague:

What’s your favorite part about working here?
Why did you choose this career and industry?
What’s your leadership style? What’s my future manager’s leadership style?
What are some of your biggest worries or challenges these days? What keeps you up at night?
How did you get your start with your career? How long have you been with the company?
What has your career path looked like? Is there anything you’d do differently?
What have been some of your biggest challenges during your career? How did you, or do you, deal with them?
What do you feel has made you successful working here?
What is your preferred way of communication? Email, phone, in-person?

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What’s Your Favourite Part About Working Here

This question works in your favour in a couple of ways. The most important benefit is that you get to learn what the experience of working within the company culture is like straight from a primary source. The interviewer will be able to tell you what the experience is like more than just the general company mission statement regarding their culture. While the latter can certainly be helpful, a firsthand account is always useful. Additionally, asking a personal question of the interviewer like this will inherently make them more comfortable with you.

As a follow-up, you may want to ask if other people at the company would have a similar experience. The point is to hone in specifically on what makes people stay at the company and to discover whether those benefits are what you’re looking for from a position. For example, if you’re looking for a specific type of company culture and all anyone ever talks about is the paycheck, that may be a red flag.

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