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!
Why Do You Want This Job
What They Want to Know: Why did you apply for this position? What do you find most interesting about the job and the organization? With this question, the employer wants to know why you think this job is a match for your career objectives. Take the time to describe how your qualifications are a match for the job. The more you can show you’re qualified, the easier it will be to get hired.
From the time my appendix burst as a kid and I spent a week in the hospital, Ive wanted to be a nurse preferably here at James Memorial. Although I went away for nursing school, Im eager to move back home and care for our local community now that Ive become a licensed RN.
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Be Considerate Of The Hiring Manager
Time is valuable, especially when you are a hiring manager or employer juggling more than 20 job interviews each week. Don’t waste their time with frivolous conversation or questions. Research the company, job, competition, and market before arriving for the interview. Ask fresh questions, which means you shouldn’t ask for information easily found on the company’s About Us page. Hiring managers interpret these redundant questions as you not doing your homework. They want candidates to ask stimulating questions and prove they care about the company and the position instead.
On the other hand, keep in mind the time constraints. Your first interview question always should be about time I have a couple of questions for you. But I don’t want to keep you from your obligations. How much time do we have? This shows respect and consideration. If the interviewer informs you they are pressed for time, limit your questions to the information you really need to know .
Before you can impress the hiring manager in an interview, your resume needs to get you in the door. Does your resume have what it takes to land your dream job? Check with our free critique today!
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How Would You Describe Your Own Working Style
While you dont want to build a completely homogenous team, you do need to make sure that new additions are able to work in a way that doesnt throw a major wrench into the way things already operate.
For that reason, its important that you ask each candidate about her working style. Does she take a really collaborative approach or would she rather work independently? Does she perform well with a lot of direction or is she more of a self starter?
This insight into how each applicant prefers to handle his or her work will be invaluable in determining not only the right match for that jobbut for the entire team.
What Did You Like Or Dislike About Your Previous Job
What They Want to Know: What you liked and what you didn’t like about your last job or the company you worked for is an indicator of how you might feel about this position if you were to be hired.
Be careful what you say when you’re interviewing for a similar job. If the roles are alike, you may want to keep what you didn’t like to yourself. It’s important to be positive and enthusiastic about the job for which you’re being considered.
I liked the progressive, staged training program my employer used to teach new hires the ins and outs of financial services there was always something new to learn, and we knew we would be steadily promoted as we became more experienced. I didnt like the commute, though, which is why Im now applying for jobs closer to home.
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Prepare Your Questions To Ask During An Interview In Advance
Read through the list below to get ideas about questions that are typically asked and choose the ones that seem to be most important to you. Choose at least 10 good questions that are the most important to you and relevant to the opportunity. Write your questions on a list you take with you to the interview.
You will likely not ask even half of the questions listed below, but they are a good starting point for developing your own, depending on what is most important to you.
The best way to avoid taking a job you will hate is to learn as much as you can about the job, the organization, your boss, your coworkers, and the environment before you accept the job offer.
What One Skill Makes You The Most Qualified For This Position
While things like culture fit are important, your focus first and foremost is to find someone who possesses those necessary cut-and-dried qualifications to fill that open position.
Thats why a question like this one is so important. Not only do you get to hear more detail about what that candidate considers to be his core competencies, but its also a chance to confirm that he has the appropriate understanding of everything the role entails.
For example, if he touts a skill thats impressivebut totally irrelevantthats a red flag that youre not on the same page about the major duties of that job.
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What Are Some Of The Key Financial Metrics That The Company Optimizes For
I don’t think enough candidates ask about the business itself, regardless of the product, says David Nunez, Head of Documentation at Stripe. This question gives great insight into the health of the company, what they prioritize, and also reflects well on you as the candidate youre signaling that you really want to do your homework, he says.
What Is Your Management Style
Everyone knows how they like to be managed or, perhaps more importantly, how they dont like to be managed. If you need a more hands-on culture that is open to mentorship and help, you dont want to find a manager who likes to only communicate through formal one-on-ones. Be sure to be aware of differing management styles, and which styles you work well with.
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If You Can Provide Anything Else
Is there anything else I can provide to help the hiring manager with their decision-making process?
In a third, and usually final, interview, you should ask if there is anything else you can provide to help the hiring manager with their decision-making process. You could provide a portfolio of your work if you havent already or other examples of previous work to highlight your skills and experience. By asking if you can provide anything else, it shows you want to make sure all of your bases are covered and show that you are enthusiastic about the opportunity.
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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Questions About The Culture
Lees warns that you should take answers to questions about the company culture with a grain of salt. Its highly unlikely that the interviewer is going to come out and tell you that the culture is unwelcoming, or even toxic. Thats why questions like #22 below can be helpful. They get at company culture without explicitly asking about it and can help you uncover any unexpected elements about your potential new workplace, Markman says.
Questions About Your Supervisors And Co
What They Want to Know: Did you get along with your manager? Have you worked with difficult colleagues? How you interact with supervisors and co-workers will provide the interviewer with insight into your interpersonal and communication skills.
I think I get along well with both my manager and my colleagues, because I approach everyone with respect. When issues arise, I try to ask for clarification and find points of agreement we can use to resolve differences of opinion.
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Who Will I Meet With
An essential part of an interview is the preparation you do before the interview. This means doing your homework and learning about the people youre going to meet with. Knowing who youre meeting with can help you figure out what questions the interviewer might ask you, and it can help you figure out which questions you want to ask which people.
For example, the HR director probably cant describe what a typical day is like. Likewise, team members may not be able to tell you much about the benefits package. Knowing who youre meeting with will help you prep the right questions for the right people.
It also gives you a bit of insight into the companys culture. For example, if you meet with the team, that tells you that teamwork is a significant part of this company culture. And, if you meet with other teams that you might work with, that tells you that interdepartmental communication is important, too.
Lastly, knowing who youre interviewing with gives you a chance to check them out. Research them on the company website, social media, and, of course, LinkedIn. You never knowyou may find that you have something in common with one of these people, which could be a great icebreaker in the interview!
Can You Elaborate On The Daily Duties Of This Role
If you feel like you still need more information about the job you’re applying to, this question can help your interviewer fill in the details. When they answer this question, listen carefully so that you can make note of what you’ll be doing in this role. This question can help you determine if you feel ready to take on these responsibilities and whether you can see yourself doing this kind of work every workday.
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Interview Questions About The Organization:
Be authentic when asking and answering interview questions, and you’ll be great.
Preparing job interview questions to ask the interviewer is just as important as preparing to answer the questions they’ll ask you. Take your time and be thoughtful with your answers and questions. Use good judgment as to how many interview questions to ask, as well. If time feels like it’s flying by and the interviewer is engaged in your discussion, then keep asking questions until you feel it’s time to stop. It’s best to go in with at least three to five questions to ask in an interview and take it from there.
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Nervous about your next interview? Prepare with an expert interview coach from TopInterview today!
Who Is On Your Speed Dial For When Things Arent Going Well With The Business Why That Person
A founders network of advisors whether official, like board members, or unofficial sounding boards can cushion some of the bumps along any startups path. Who the founders trust when they hit a fork in the road can reveal a lot about what theyre really looking for out of their advisors a cheerleader, or someone who will deliver harsh truths. This question, from Vivek Sodera, Co-founder of Superhuman, assesses how robust that support layer really is for leadership.
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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.
What One Skill Would You Like To Improve And Whats Your Plan For Doing So
If youve previously been relying on that cliché what’s your biggest weakness question, give this one a try instead.
Rather than asking an interviewee to point out her flaws and poke holes in her own candidacy, you can turn the tables by focusing on areas of improvement.
Additionally, the second half of this question gives that applicant a chance to redeem herself, so to speak, by explaining what action plan she has for continuing to grow and develop within her own field.
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What Are Your Greatest Strengths To A Company
The ability of a candidate to talk about their strengths and still maintain their humility is a strong indicator of a winning personality.
This also gives the interviewee a chance to explain and align their strengths with the position they are interviewing for demonstrating attributes that will contribute to the companys goals.
Questions To Ask During An Interview
If you think a companys culture will be important to your job satisfaction, its crucial that you determine if you are aligned on culture during an interview and before you accept an offer. According to the Jobvite survey, almost 30% of job seekers have left a job within the first 90 days of starting and 32% of those respondents said company culture was a reason for leaving within the first three months.
Employers care about culture fit, as well. In 2008, Harvard Business Review reported that Zappos offers new hires more than $1,000 to quit after their first week in hopes of keeping people who are energized about the company and aligned on values.
If youre interviewing and want to keep culture in the forefront of the conversation, these interview questions can help you determine if youre a good match.
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Where Do You See Yourself In The Next 5 Years
An ambitious professional with a clear set of goals for the short, medium, and long term, is an invaluable asset to the company. This is true especially if they parallel their career growth with the company they are interviewing at.
As they grow professionally and financially, the company grows and expands too.
During the interview, confident job seekers will discuss that they seek a company with upward mobility as they help the company prosper.
Can You Describe How You Handle Tight Deadlines
Does your team frequently face challenging time constraints? Do you need someone who can work quickly and accurately while under pressure? Ask this interview question of a potential employee and youll at least get their opinion as to how they handle stress and whether they can keep up with the pace of work at your organization. You could also follow up by asking if theyve ever missed a deadline and, if so, how they handled the situation.
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