Interview Questions You Should Ask

If you’ve been following our blogs over the last few weeks, you would have noticed that we’ve been offering a number of tips and advice on various topics: Writing a Winning CV, Dressing to Impress for your Interview and even giving you a heads up on strange but true questions that potential employers may ask you. Today, we thought it would only be right that we help round off your interview, by assisting you to ask some questions of your own.

What many people fail to realise is that attending a job interview is in fact a two way street and there is nothing worse than sitting in front of a potential employer for 45 minutes to an hour and then being asked ‘If you have any questions’ to then only respond ‘No’ or ‘I don’t know’ or even worst ‘My mind has gone blank’.

It can catch you off guard when this question is asked, because it is easy to believe and feel that you have received all the possible information you can get regarding the role. However, not taking the initiative or the opportunity to ask questions at the end of an interview (especially if you are still interested in the job at this point), can to some degree show a lack of confidence to the employer. It doesn’t make you look serious or even fully interested and excited about the role you are applying for. Apart from how the employer is likely to view you after this, asking questions is also beneficial for yourself.

While you need to use the interview to convince the employer that you are the best candidate for the job, you also need to be convinced that the job and the company is a great fit for you. You are interviewing the employer, just as much as the employer is interviewing you. Asking questions can give you a better sense of the company’s growth opportunities, culture and values, the manager’s leadership style and whether the organisation is the right fit for you overall.

We have put together a list of questions for you to impress your Interviewer, which should make you stand out for all the right reasons

• Why has the position become available?
• How often has it been filled in the past five years and what were the main reasons for prior employees leaving?
• What would you like done differently by the next person who fills this position?
• What skills and experiences would make an ideal candidate?
• What is the single largest problem facing your staff and would I be in a position to help you solve this problem?
• What have you enjoyed most about working here?
• What don’t you like about working here and what would you change?
• What can I expect from you in terms of development and support, education and professional training?
• What are your plans for growth?
• What aspirations do you have for me at the company?
• Is there a next step in the process?

It would be such a dream to hear that there aren’t any next steps for the interview and that you were so good, you’re immediately hired. But on a serious note, we recommend preparing three to five questions for your interview. It’s better to have more questions prepared than less.

Additionally, make sure you are listening carefully as some of your questions you’ve prepared to ask, may have already been answered in the course of the interview and repeating can come across as if your undivided attention wasn’t given to the employer.

We hope you use this guide and our next post on our career tips will be the Questions Not To Ask at an Interview.

Please share your comments with us. Maybe you have asked some of these questions, let us know how the employer responded, also please add questions that we haven’t included, we’re sure there’s many more.

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