What Questions To Ask During A Job Interview
Are you the kind of person who panics at a job interview when the interviewer asks ‘Do you have any questions you’d like to ask me?’ You might be thinking ‘Oh no, what if I ask a stupid question’, or ‘If I have questions, they might think I didn’t do my research’, and you keep quiet and ask no questions at all.
When you’re given the opportunity to ask questions at a job interview, seize it. It’s the perfect time for you to show that you’re interested in the job, to find out if the company vibe is the right fit for you, and to make sure that they don’t have doubts about you and your abilities. Keep these objectives in mind when you ask your questions.
But what should you ask? Let us help you out by giving you six questions to ask during a job interview:
1. If hired, what would you expect from me this month, in three months, and in a year?
Jerome Ternynck, writing for Inc., recommends that you ask this question to find out what career trajectory your employer wants for your position. This way, you know what kind of development and deliverables they’ll be expecting from you, and you can gauge for yourself whether it’s a pace you’re comfortable with, or if you’d be better served with employment elsewhere.
2. Who succeeds in this position?
“This question gives you ‘insider information’ about the position and the interviewer’s perspective on the organization,” says Katharine S. Brooks, the executive director of the Office of Personal and Career Development at Wake Forest University, in an interview with Business Insider. If you ask this, the interviewer will tell you about the skills that help someone succeed in the position (including “soft skills” like communication and diplomacy that don’t usually show up on job listings), priority areas for the job, as well as other information you wouldn’t get from other sources. Basically, they’ll be telling you how to sell yourself to meet their needs.
3. Can you tell me about the team I’ll be working with?
Joe Konop, writing for Forbes, says “Notice how the question is phrased; it assumes you will get the job.” This confidence might play well with the employer; if you don’t think it will, rephrase it to something like “can you tell me about the team I’d be working with?” Asking your interviewer this question will tell you about your potential new coworkers, so pay attention see whether you can work within their dynamic, and whether you’ll get be able to work together productively.
4. What do you enjoy most about working here?
This is an easy question to ask, and lets the interviewer share their feelings about the work, and you can connect on a more personal level with them. If they’re enthusiastic about the workplace and have ready answers, it’s a good sign. If they have a hard time coming up with an answer, it could be a red flag.
5. Do you have any concerns about my qualifications and their fit for this job?
This is a ballsy question to ask, but it’s an important one. By asking this, you show that you’re confident in your abilities. It also allows you to learn what their doubts about you are, so you can address them immediately. You can explain any gaps in your résumé they might be concerned about, or prove your interest in the position, or assuage any of their hesitations about you. You’ll leave the interview knowing that they’ll have fewer doubts about you than if you hadn’t asked it, so make sure to do so.
6. What’s the next step in the process?
Always end with this question. This way you’ll know exactly what to expect, instead of waiting around for a phone call that never arrives. You should also use this question to reiterate your interest in the position, having considered their answers to your questions. If the employer is enthusiastic about you, they’ll be detailed about the next steps, and might even tell you how many more interviews they have to do and you’ll get an idea of how many you’re still up against.
Some of these questions may be answered during the course of the interview. But listen intently to their responses; new questions may come up that you’d like to ask. And whatever you do, finish the interview strong. Show the employer that you’re more than capable of delivering results, that you’re excited about the opportunity, and that you’d be an asset to their team.
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