Interview Questions To Ask

17 Jul 2018

Tags:

Career Advice,

Interview Advice

Preparing questions for an interview is absolutely essential not only will this stop you forgetting in the heat of an interview important questions you wanted to ask but also it portrays a good image to the employer that you have took time out to prepare questions and more importantly are taking the opportunity seriously.

Be sure to document any questions to aim at the interviewers, it is best to bullet point your questions on a notepad to take with you to the interview, this will act as a reminder but also allow you to make notes as you get answers.

If you are struggling to think of questions a good brainstorming activity is to imagine you have been offered the job and are happy with the salary; what questions / other factors come to mind that you would need answers for before you would have confidence in handing in your resignation with your current employer.

Whilst important questions vary on the individual below are some key questions recommended for you to ask to help you in the interview process along with a list of further questions which you may wish to use.

2 Key Interview Questions

You should see these as the last two questions to close the interview:

Do you have any reservations on my ability to do the job?

This is probably the most important question, whilst some people shy away from asking this as they feel it is to direct it really is an important question.

Keep in mind the employer has already seen your CV and selected you for interview so there is no reason why you should not be right for the job, so why do so many people get rejected at interview stage?

The reason being that often information in the interview will be misunderstood or miscommunication or even experience simply overlooked.

So to ensure this does not happen to you the best way to account for this is to ask the reservations question at the end of an interview allowing you a 2^nd opportunity to address any concerns.

In addition most interviewers usually play their cards close to their chest so to speak during an interview, however by asking this question it will also give you a bit of instant feedback.

What’s the next step moving forwards?

Following the reservations question, it’s important to let the interviewer know you are interested in the job and ask what the next step would be taking it from here.

(This will close the interview and give you guidance on when to expect feedback, whilst portraying to the employer your enthusiastic and want the job).

Other Common Questions You May Wish To Ask

Questions about the company:

What is it about the Company that makes people want to stay? / made you join & stay?
How does the company encourage a coming together of staff through activities?
What position does the company hold in the market place?
What are the company’s plans for the future?
What is the company’s current annual growth rate?

Questions about the department:

What exactly does the department do in terms of the overall company?
What are the department’s plans for expansion?
What is/are the personality/ies of the people I would be working for/with?
How closely does this department work with other areas of the company?
How does this department compare in size to others within the organisation?
To what extent do you encourage staff to interact between departments?

Questions about the job:

How would you describe a typical day for the person doing this job?
What would I have to do for you to feel I had done a really good job?
Who is doing the job at the moment?
What sort of handover will there be with the person who is currently doing this job?
What type of person are you looking for to fill this role?
What competencies are you looking for the new person to have?
Who would I be reporting to?
How long has the person I will be working for been here?
How long have you been here?
How long would you expect a person to stay in this role?
Will there be the opportunity to become involved and work on my own initiative?
If I am keen to develop the role what would you like done?

Questions about training and appraisals:

What sort of training is offered to staff within the department?
Is training provided in-house or are courses held externally?
What training facilities are available within the department / company?
What encouragement is given to further study?
What are the details of study leave that is offered?
How often do you hold meetings to assess the skills/abilities/progress of staff?
Who will I talk to about my progress and how often will this take place?

Questions about your prospects in the company:

What structures are in place for career development?
What are the promotional prospects? / What prospects are there for career progression?
where could I hope to be within the company in 5/10 years’ time?
How do you encourage staff to progress within the company?
How do you see this role developing?