Questions to Ask on a Job Interview
From LoveToKnow Jobs
The best questions to ask on a job interview are those that show your understanding of the company and your ability to successfully perform the tasks of the job. This is your chance to send a positive message to a potential new employer.
Questions Show Your Interest
An interview is the best time for you to ask questions about a new job. By asking questions you can:
- Clarify the responsibilities and details of the job
- Show that you are interested in the job
- Show that you are qualified for a job, even if your prior employment was not in an identical job
- Demonstrate that you will ask questions for clarification once you are hired
- Get an insider's perspective on the job and the company
Tips on Asking Questions
- Ask clear, simple questions. Demonstrate your ability to focus by asking a specific question.
- Don't ask too many questions. Watch the body language, facial expressions and comments of the interviewer to determine how many more questions the interviewer would feel comfortable answering.
- Only ask questions for which you are interested in knowing the answer. It would be obvious if you are not interested in the answer.
- Use questions to demonstrate your knowledge. Listen to the information provided and ask more detailed questions which are based on the information provided.
- Don't ask questions about salary and benefits. Let the interviewer start the conversations about money.
- Don't ask questions that are answered on the company's website or brochures. This would only send a message to the interviewer that you did not do your homework on the company before the interview.
Selecting the Best Questions
You should come into the interview with a list of four to five potential questions. The actual questions you ask will be based on the conversations during the interview. Be sure to pay attention to information received from the interviewer since it could be used as the basis to either ask a question or to decide how much time you will have to ask questions.
The questions you ask will depend on the job for which you are applying. The following sample questions can be used for most jobs with little or minimal changes:
- About the job
- What are the job's responsibilities?
- How will my performance measured and by whom?
- What improvements would you like to see in the way the job is performed in the future?
- What are the key challenges in this position?
- What percentage of the work is routine and what percentage changes day to day or week to week?
- What qualities will it take to get this job done well?
- What are the top three priorities that you would like to see accomplished in this position in the first 90 days?
- To follow-up on interview discussions
- You mentioned that you have your share of stress here. Could you tell me more about the stress?
- Now that we've talked about my qualifications, do you have any concerns about me being able to do a good job in this position?
- I'm very interested in this job. What is the next step in the hiring process?
- About the interviewer
- How would you describe your management style?
- May I ask about your background with the company? (Be friendly and listen for information about the interviewer's satisfaction with the company and the environment.)
- About the company
- Could you explain the organizational structure?
- What is the policy on training?
- A lot of companies are laying off employees. How has [name of company] been able to continue to hire new employees?
- How would you describe the environment or spirit in this company?
- Do top performers ever leave the company? If so, why do they leave and where do they go?
- What are the company's strengths compared to its competition?
For More Tips on Interviewing
This page has been accessed 358 times. This page was last modified 19:41, 16 December 2007.
© 2006-2008 LoveToKnow Corp.
