Smart Questions To Make You Stand Out During The Interview
- Post authorBy Hannah Morgan
Interviews can be stressful, but if youve done your research, prepared your answers, the next thing is to create a list of questions you will ask during the interview. Remember, the interview really should be a mutual exchange of information, not an interrogation.
When you ask questions is demonstrates your interest in the company and the position. It also shows you have given careful thought to what the job will entail and whether the company will be a good match. Sending these impressions to the employer can work in your favor. Remember, most employers arent hiring butts in seats. They want the people they hire to perform, and hopefully better than expected.
There are four different categories of questions listed depending on where you are in the interview process and what information you want to gather during your discussion.
Questions To Ask About The Company Culture:
How Is Your Job Search Going So Far
Employers ask this in a phone interview to get a sense of how things are going for you overall, how much other companies are interested, and even how soon you might have job offers .
The one thing you dont want to do with your answer is sound like youre completely struggling to find a job.
If you arent getting many interviews or if you just started taking phone interviews, you can always say: Im just beginning to take interviews, but its going well so far.
If you have had a few interviews but they didnt go well, you can say that you havent found the right fit yet. So for example, you might say, Ive had a couple of phone interviews so far but havent found a great fit yet.
Sample answer:
Things are going well so far. Im just beginning to take phone interviews, and Im still very early in my job search. I expect to have some face-to-face interviews soon.
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Phone Interview Questions About The New Job And The Company
- What interests you about this job?
- Why do you want this job?
- What applicable attributes / experience do you have?
- Are you overqualified for this job?
- What can you do for this company?
- What do you know about this company?
- Why do you want to work here?
- What challenges are you looking for in a position?
- What can you contribute to this company?
- Are you willing to travel?
- Is there anything I havent told you about the job or company that you would like to know?
What About This Position Is Most Important How Does It Support Management And Serve Direct Reports
This is an important and good question to ask in an interview because it can help you get insight into the position and how it fits into the network of the company. Who will you support? Who will you supervise and guide? What is their management style or working style? What skills are critical for success?
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Unique Questions To Ask In Your Next Interview
This article has been approved by an Indeed Career Coach
Candidates attending job interviews can expect to answer questions about their education, experience and qualifications. Something that is just as important as answering questions posed by the hiring manager is asking your own questions about the position and company. Applicants should prepare a short, unique list of questions before the interview to express their interest in the job.
In this article, we explain why asking questions during an interview is important, provide 50 interview questions to ask an employer and offer tips for a successful interview.
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Prepare For The Interview
Be ready with a list of questions to ask the interviewers. You’ll also want to be ready to answer some of the common questions asked during second interviews.
When you get the call or email to schedule your second interview, inquire about who will be interviewing you. Then look up interviewers on LinkedIn or the company website: knowing a bit about their backgrounds can help you brainstorm specific questions to ask them.
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Tell Me A Bit About Yourself
Some people might think this question is too simple, but its actually a crucial part of the interview. First, it helps put the candidate at ease by giving them an easy question to answer.
Second, they may mention something related to what they want most from their next job. This can help you steer the direction of the conversation and make getting answers easier.
The best candidates have an answer prepared for this question. They should mention the skills theyve learned from their previous work experience, and how they relate to the job description.
For example, if a candidate has spent time working at a pizza place. Then he/she can say that theyre used to working with high volumes of people in a fast-paced environment.
The best answers include phrases from the job description, demonstrating that you are both aware of what is required and enthusiastic about it!
What Is The Purpose Of A Screening Interview
Typically, an employer will hold phone screening interviews in the first round of hiring. They are designed to determine if an applicant is qualified for the position and would be a good fit for their company.
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Test Or Scenario Question
During a phone interview, you might be asked to perform a simple test or respond to a scenario of some sort. They might be looking for something in your answer like your thought process, ability to be creative or think under pressure. While it might feel awkward to be silent on the phone, it is acceptable to ask for a moment to think about your answer.
During this time, calmly consider the steps you would take to respond to their test. Try and avoid taking more than 30 seconds to respond. You can also try asking clarifying questions to better understand what theyre looking for. Write down the question to make sure you address each part.
Example answer: The employer explains that theyd like you to provide ideas for marketing a local event on a tight budget, and which companies they could partner with. For this scenario, you might explain that grassroots marketing is both affordable and effective with local events. You would invest in strategized word of mouth efforts and a bold, teaser-style social media campaign. You provide examples of several local companies with the same mission or similar industry to partner with to help get the word out.
What Attracted You To Apply For This Position
You want to figure out how much research shes done, and whether her perspective of the role is accurate . This question is also an easy way to see how genuinely interested a candidate is in your company. Look for a candidate who expresses her interest in the tasks required for the specific role, rather than more secondary benefits that come from working at your company — like the awesome snack room, or team outings
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Questions About The Candidate
After an interviewer inquires about a candidates background and verifies that they meet all of the qualifications for the position, phone screens typically transition to specific questions about the candidates themselves–their expectations, career plans, ideal work environment, and so forth.
Questions in this category include:
- What are your salary expectations at your next position?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- What is your greatest strength?
- What is your greatest weakness?
- What is your ideal work environment?
What Type Of Management Style Do You Prefer
Employers may ask about your ideal management style to see whether or not you would fit well with the supervisor that will be managing you. For example, if you prefer to work with a trusting, collaborative manager that creates a calm, creative working environment, you might not work well with more fast-paced, aggressive leadership styles.
Example answer:While Im flexible in working with many different personality types, Ive found that the management style I thrive most under is both trusting and involved. While I dont like to feel micromanaged, I do very much enjoy quality one-on-one time on a regular basis to brainstorm ideas for the projects Im working on and how I can do better in my role.
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What Are The Expectations About Managing Workflow
Virtually every company has enough work to keep everyone busy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In practice, everyone gets to go home at the end of the day. How do you know when you are done for the day? What are the expectations around working on weekends and responding to emails outside the normal working hours?
What About This Position Attracted You To Apply
The more a candidate tells you the better. Do the like the industry or perhaps technologies or equipment your company uses.
If they say well its close to my house and thats the main reason then you may want to keep talking to other candidates. You are going to be investing in this person and you want them to be excited about the opportunity.
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What Type Of Work Environment Do You Prefer
Employers want to make sure that your personality is a fit for their work environment. This is different than determining if your skills are a fit for their job.
So after some of the competency-based questions in the interview, theyll likely ask about how you prefer to work, types of companies/environments youve enjoyed in the past, etc.
To answer, you can either describe an environment that you feel is similar to theirs, or demonstrate that you can work well in a variety of environments.
For more help with this, read our guide to answering what type of work environment do you prefer?
What Would Success Look Like In The First 90 Days
This follows the pattern of a couple of the questions above it shows them that youre focused on success in the role and already thinking ahead about how to be a big success for them!
Thats going to get them excited about you as a candidate because it shows them that you care about helping their company, not just getting paid.
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Questions To Ask A Recruiter During A Phone Interview
The interview process can feel overwhelming at times. Submitting applications, formatting resumes, researching companies, and preparing for interviews can cause you stress, but it doesnt have to be that way as long as you set aside the proper amount of time to prepare.
Preparing for interviews is a really important step in making sure you come off as a great candidate. Phone interviews in particular may seem straightforward, but its important to give some prep time to these, as this is your chance to make a great first impression. You want to come off as knowledgeable and qualified, but also want to show your personality a bit so that the recruiter can get to know you a bit better.
Weve put together this guide to help you prepare for your next phone interview, including common phone interview questions, so you can be prepared. This phone interview cheat sheet will help you understand interview best practices, including tips and tricks to keep in mind during the interview, follow up questions to ask, and specific questions to ask hr manager during interview.
Use this blog as a resource during your next phone interview with recruiter to help you ace the interview.
‘what Are Some Of The Problems Your Company Faces Right Now And What Is Your Department Doing To Solve Them’
Asking about problems within a company gets the “conversation ball” rolling, and your interviewer will surely have an opinion, Vicky Oliver wrote in her book, “301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions.” Further, she says their answers will give you insights into their personality and ambitions and will likely lead to other questions.
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Finally Learn Next Steps Before You Leave
- What are the next steps in the interview process?
- Is there anything else I can give you that would be helpful in making a decision?
- Can I answer any final questions for you?
Want to practice your interview skills? Contact your schools career center and ask if you can schedule a mock interview.
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Questions About Job Training And Personal Development
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Smart Questions To Ask In A Job Interview
In an interview it is ideal if the dialogue becomes an active conversation, so that you do more than simply nod in agreement and engage with your interviewer. This includes asking questions. You should prepare enough questions in advance. Asking questions shows the interviewer that you are interested in the position and have done your homework. It is also highly strategic: you want to know what the company plans to do so you can see how you might fit into those plans. Here are seven questions to improve your interview skills and help you stand out from the crowd.
What Kind Of Performance Benchmarks Do You Look For
Ask about performance benchmarks for the first 30, 60 and 90 days of your employment. Your potential employer will tell you what they will expect from you during the first three months, including training and onboarding. This will give you an idea of what you can do from the start if you get the job.
Read More: How to Succeed in Your New Job: The First Week, Month and 90 Days
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The Biggest Question Of All In An Interview
When the interview is over and all the other questions have been asked , its time to ask yourself the biggest question of all, Do I want to work for this company?
Only you can answer that question, but if you know the best questions to ask an employer in an interview then youll be able to get all the information you need to make the right decision.
Questions To Ask In An Interview: Final Thoughts
When youre thinking about questions to ask an interviewer, remember that your goal is to appear like someone who has done their research on the company, is enthusiastic about the position, and eager to get started.
You dont want to raise any red flags or sow seeds of doubt or negativity about your qualifications or professionalism.
To help avoid this, when it comes to questions to ask in an interview, you should not ask about salary and benefits just yet.
Wait until you are in the final steps of the interview process to negotiate your compensation package with the hiring manager or HR representative.
Now that you are prepared with strong questions to ask in an interview, dont forget to practice aloud to help build confidence when the big day rolls around.
Pamela Skillings
Chief Interview Coach
Pamela Skillings is co-founder of Big Interview. As one of the country’s top interview coaches, she has helped her clients land dream jobs at companies including Google, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan Chase
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How Fast Is The Company Growing
This is another question that shows youre a big-picture thinker, and that you like to be aware of whats going on not just in your role and group, but also in the broader organization.
It also shows that youre looking for a long-term move for your career, not just a place to stay a few months and work.
If youre interviewing for a full-time, permanent position employers always want to see signs that youre planning on staying a long time in this new position. This is because employers have to put a lot of time, energy, and resources into hiring someone for a role.
So ask this question in every job interview to show youre looking for a long-term career move, not just a new position that you can pay some bills with.
