Thursday, April 25, 2024

What Should I Ask During An Interview

Don't Miss

Can You Tell Me More About The Team Id Be Working With

5 Good Questions To Ask An Employer During A Job Interview

Use this question to learn more about who your coworkers would be and the general company structure. This may help you understand what your workload may be and how this position ranks within the organization. You may also learn about the talents of your team members, allowing you to share your relevant experience or other ways you specifically may be able to contribute to the team.

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.

Questions About Expectations After The Job Interview

  • Whats the next step in the process and when will I hear back from you?
  • Is there anything on my resume that youd like more information about?
  • Is there any other information that I can provide you with?
  • Would you like to see more examples of my work?
  • Do you need more references than I have provided?
  • Is there anything that concerns you about my past experience that is not a good fit for this role?
  • Do you have an ideal start date in mind?
  • Is there anything else I can help you with that would be helpful?
  • Can I answer any final questions for you?
  • What are the next steps in the interview process?
  • Read Also: System Design Interview Preparation

    What Church Do You Attend

    Unless you’re hiring for a faith-based organization, this question is a no-go. Again, it often comes up in small talk and seems harmless, but you cannot discriminate on the basis of religion unless it’s pertinent to the job.

    The only time religion is relevant in a secular interview is if the person needs an accommodation, in which case it is their responsibility to bring it up after you’ve made an offer. Then, you can decide together if an accommodation is possible.

    When you’re conducting job interviews, keep your focus on the actual job, and the skills you need the new employee to possess and you won’t go wrong or off-track with your interview questions. These are ten examples of questions you don’t want to ask and why you don’t want to ask them.

    Suzanne Lucas is a freelance journalist specializing in Human Resources. Suzanne’s work has been featured on notes publications including Forbes, CBS, Business Insider and Yahoo.

    Can I Expect This Role To Evolve Over Time

    7 Questions You Should Definitely Ask Your Interviewer in 2020

    If you are looking for a job with room for growth, this is an excellent question to ask. It can help you figure out if you can progress in your profession while working for the company. If you are someone who isn’t looking for a change, it can also help you determine if this is job will stay the same.

    Read Also: Prepare For System Design Interview

    Questions To Ask About The Company

    In addition to those questions about the specific job, you can leverage the research youve done beforehand to ask questions that showcase your interest in the company and industry. Here are some examples:

    Question 13: What do you like best about working here?

    This question can be a casual way to engage your interviewer on a personal level while gaining valuable insights into their experience with the company. If appropriate, be sure to respond to their answer with examples of why you believe this type of environment is a great fit for your personality and working style.

    Question 14: Who do you see as your biggest competitor and why?

    This question can show that you have an interest in the bigger picture of the company and industry. It can also be an opportunity for you to share that you did research on the company by following up the interviewer’s response with what you found when you looked into this before the interview.

    Question 15: What challenges has this company faced in the last few years? What challenges do you anticipate in the coming years?

    This is a great question if youre interviewing with managers or senior leadership. It shows your interest in the performance of the company and can give you insight into the pain points they experience. If applicable, you can follow up their response by any experience you bring to the table that can help with these pain points/challenges.

    Question 16: What changes or innovations in the industry are you most excited about?

    Ask Questions To Show Interest And Learn About The Organization

    Keep in mind that an interview is a two-way street. Not only is the employer assessing you, you are also deciding whether you would want to work for the organization. Welcome the interviewers invitation to ask questions as an opportunity to show your interest and find out information that will help you make a good decision.

    Read Also: What To Ask A Cfo In An Interview

    Can You Share A Good Memory Of An Interaction With Your Manager

    Ask this question to learn more about the leadership within the organization and how they treat employees. This may help you learn more about the company’s culture and values. For example, stories about feedback or opportunities for growth may support the company’s commitment to personal employee success, or stories about management getting to know each employee may demonstrate how the company values each employee.

    Related:10 Common Leadership Styles

    What Should Candidates Ask In Interviews

    10 Questions to Ask The Hiring Manager During Your Job Interview

    We were especially focused on unearthing the best questions that are not often raised, whether they were queries these leaders themselves have previously posed before joining a company, or ones they wish more candidates would put to them when theyve got their hiring hats on. A few contributors will be familiar from previous Review articles, but most are new faces, eager to share their insights.

    We were already big admirers of this group, but what we got in return blew us away: A wealth of favorite interview questions to keep in your back pocket, all that dig much deeper than the ones like Whats the culture like? that just barely scratch the surface.

    Their responses span across all sorts of different categories, from the companys future and the teams biggest challenges, to professional development opportunities and what your day-to-day responsibilities will really look like. While some of the questions are geared towards sussing out valuable information whether thats red flags or indicators that its your dream job others are oriented towards reinforcing your thoughtfulness to the interview panel. Not every question will be relevant to you or your role, but we promise youll find at least a few that you havent thought of before.

    When jotting down the questions for your interview panel, focus on your deal breakers: What would make you walk away?

    Culture and values: How does the company want to conduct its work?

    Also Check: How To Prepare System Design Interview

    What Are Your Strengths/weaknesses

    This question is often seen as challenging by many candidates, even those with significant experience. However, if approached correctly it is easily possible to avoid ‘bragging’ when discussing your strengths or seeming excessively negative when talking about your perceived weaknesses.

    Strengths – Based on the job description, choose three examples of traits the employer is looking for and give examples of how you have used these strengths in a work situation. Ideally, include a mixture of tangible skills, such as technical or linguistic abilities, and intangible skills, such as management experience.

    Weaknesses – The best approach here is to pick a trait that you have already made positive steps to address.

    Consider how you have approached your perceived weaknesses in the past and what you have done to address them

    If your tech skills are not at the level they could be, state this as a weakness before telling the interviewer about training courses or time spent outside work hours you have used to improve your skills.

    How Long Did Decision

    Anna Binder leans on this question to gauge speed and organizational effectiveness but with a caveat here. Speed is of course really important to being a nimble organization. Four weeks is probably too long for launching an A/B testing experiment. That being said, you also want to look out for chaos and lack of a fine-tuned strategy if they launched a new product in two weeks, that could be a red flag, too.

    Jiaona Zhang of Webflow also wants to understand scenarios where the leadership team has disagreed and committed. Its really telling when you hear about a decision and what happened after the fact I often learn that teams think theyve disagreed and committed, when in reality, they never fully committed, she says. It leads to side-conversations amongst the team that can fester into churn-inducing behavior.

    Also Check: Women’s Outfit For Job Interview

    Questions To Ask About The Company And Company Culture

    This category allows you to ask about the culture the employer wants to project. You can find out whether the company’s values align with your own.

    26. How would you describe the company and team culture? What kind of person tends to be happiest here?

    27. How did the company handle the COVID-19 pandemic? What safety measures are currently in place?

    28. What recent challenges have the company faced, and how has it handled them?

    29. How has the company changed during your time with it?

    30. What’s your favorite office tradition?

    31. What do you see as the company’s trajectory in the next few years?

    32. How often do people typically have to work or be available outside their regular job hours? Is overtime expected?

    33. What does the company do or offer to help employees achieve a work-life balance?

    34. What kind of social outlets does the company offer for recent hires?

    35. How would you say this company’s culture differs from those of other companies you’ve worked for?

    Ensure The Job Description Suits You

    Oakland University Career Services: Questions You Should NEVER Ask ...

    Sometimes the title of the role can draw in the prospective worker, but when they read the role, they may find that it doesnt appeal to them.

    Sometimes, people on working holiday visas may end up applying for and accepting a job offer even if they dont like the sound of it. This is often due to desperation with failed job searches.

    You should stick to ensuring that the role suits you though, as it can be a bad start to your working holiday if you dont like the work being done.

    Recommended Reading: Preparing For System Design Interview

    Can You Tell Me More About The Team I’d Be Working With

    Use this question to learn more about who your coworkers would be and the general company structure. This may help you understand what your workload may be and how this position ranks within the organization. You may also learn about the talents of your team members, allowing you to share your relevant experience or other ways you specifically may be able to contribute to the team.

    Where Do People Usually Eat Lunch

    Do they take the time to go out? Do people bring lunch but eat in groups? Do folks normally eat at their desks because they’re too busy to socialize? Asking this question serves as a great way to find out a little bit about the company culture. Plus, this is a more lighthearted question that might relax a stiffened atmosphere or lead to a conversation about shared interests.

    How It Helps You

    Along with learning about company culture, it doesn’t hurt to get a few good lunch suggestions for the future.

    Also Check: Questions To Ask A Cfo In An Interview

    Interview Questions That Are Illegal

    Federal and state laws prohibit prospective employers from asking certain questions that are not related to the job they are hiring for. Employers should not ask about any of the following unless it specifically relates to the job requirements because to not hire a candidate because of any one of them is discriminatory:

    • Race
    • Salary

    Job requirements based on an employees gender, national origin, religion, or age can be used in very limited circumstances. They are lawful only when an employer can demonstrate that they are bona fide occupational qualifications that are reasonably necessary to the normal operation of a business. For example, it’s acceptable to require the candidate to be a Roman Catholic for a job as director of the faith formation for a Catholic parish.

    Top Questions To Ask An Interviewee

    Questions to ask at the End of an Interview | Career Interview Tips

    When conducting interviews to fill critical job vacancies its important to ask the right questions of the interviewee and reveal the best answers ensuring a more informed hiring decision.

    These 25 interview questions for interviewees will help the interviewer get to know a candidate better before making a decision to bring them aboard their company.

    Don’t Miss: What To Ask A Cfo In An Interview

    Questions About The Hiring Manager

    Asking questions about the hiring manager shows that you’re willing to make a distinct connection with them. The type of questions you ask can determine your candidacy for this role, so be careful and concise when asking them.

    • How long have you worked with this organization?

    • How long have you been a part of this industry?

    • What is the most rewarding experience since you’ve started with the company?

    • How has your role evolved in your tenure with the organization?

    • Why did you decide to work with this company?

    • What position did you work in before this one?

    • What is the best part of working for this organization?

    • How would you define your career path leading up to this point?

    • What is the most challenging aspect of working with this company?

    • What would you have done differently with your career path?

    How To Ace Your Canadian Job Interview

    Interviews can often be the least-enjoyable part of the job-seeking experience for employees.

    However, if you are well-prepped for your interview, and know what kind of job you want, you should have no trouble finding something that suits you!

    Having some experience with interviews is good, but not vital everyone has to start somewhere!

    With that in mind, here are some Canadian job interview tips for you!

    You May Like: Best Interview Attire For A Woman

    Preparing Good Questions To Ask The Interviewer

    You can learn a lot about an open position through the basic application process, but to really get the down and dirty about what will be expected of you, you need to make sure you prepare good questions to ask the interviewer as well.

    Isnt that awkward? I mean, are hiring managers okay with me asking for more details?

    Are you kidding?!?

    Asking the hiring manager questions is like bringing flowers and chocolates with you. Not only are you getting more information about the job, youre showing the interviewer that you genuinely care about the position, the company, and your role should you get hired.

    Imagine thisyoure a hiring manager and youve just had a potential candidate interview with you. Their answers to your questions are pretty solid and youre wrapping up the interview.

    So, you say, giving the eager young candidate a smile. Any questions for me?

    The candidate clears their throat, nervous. You can tell by the look in their eye all they want to do is get out of there. No, they stammer. Im good. Thank you!

    You shake hands and they leave. You sigh in disappointment. Such a missed opportunity. Maybe the next one will have some questions for you.

    In fact, according to a Glassdoor Survey of 750 hiring managers, nine in ten hiring decision makers agree that an informed candidate is a quality candidate. and that an informed candidate is prepared for interview and asks pertinent questions.

    Questions To Ask The Interviewer About The Employer

    Top 10 Questions College Students Should Ask Employers During Job ...

    Here are questions to ask the interviewer about the company:

  • What inspired the companys mission and vision?
  • What is the organizational structure of the company?
  • What are the companys plans for the future?
  • How is the company dealing with competition considering the huge disruptions in the industry?
  • Do you have any plans to expand into new markets?
  • Where do you see this organization in the next five years?
  • How do you ensure that the companys goals align with the efforts of the different departments and teams?
  • What goals is the company focused on at the moment?
  • How does the company give back to the community?
  • What challenges is the company facing at the moment?
  • Don’t Miss: Interview Attire Women

    What Can I Do To Excel In This Position

    Asking your interviewer what you can do to excel in the position you applied for shows that you have the desire to succeed at their company. Besides meeting the minimum requirements for the position, your desire to excel further can help you stand out among the other applicants.

    Related:9 Best Questions to Ask Your Interviewer

    How Does The Company Respond To Employees’ Concerns

    Asking this question is a good way to learn about how well the company takes care of its employees. This question shows your interviewer that you value open communication. It can help you determine if you are going to get the support you need to feel comfortable suggesting changes or sharing feedback.

    Related:Giving and Receiving Feedback: Definitions and Examples

    You May Like: Best Interview Clothes For A Woman

    More articles

    Popular Articles