I recently went on an interview and I wanted to tell you the questions I ask during the interview, why I ask them, and the outcomes I get when I do.
If you’re not asking questions at the end of your interview that may be the reason you’re not getting the job. Employers like eager employees that are interesting in their company. By not asking any questions it may come off as if you’re not as interested.
I was just like you, asking myself what if I don’t have questions to ask or what would I possibly ask them? Let me tell you, there are ALWAYS 3-4 questions you can ask any employer during your interview.
Here are the questions I ask:
What is your favorite part about being XYZ? I ask this question because I want my first question to be positive and (hopefully) light! I would hope that the interviewer(s) can come up with at least 1-2 things that they love about their job. This question really applies if the interviewer(s) are in the same position as you’re applying for.
An alternative question if they’re not is to ask “What is your favorite part about working for XYZ?” Again you’d hope they have an answer to give because if they don’t have something positive to say about their position or company, then that may be red flag #1.
Next, I ask…
What do you think maybe a challenge in this position? THIS question is the one that tells me everything I need to know. And if they’re honest and you know how to read in between the lines, then you’ll gather what you need to know as well. In my experience, I’ve had people give me REAL answers.
Also, pay attention to how they say it especially if they’re in the same position you’ll most likely be in. If they say it and you can hear the tiredness in their voice, then you may not want to deal with that particular thing. Remember that everyone is different; what someone dislikes you may love and vice versa. It all depends on the person.
Third I ask…
Can you tell me a little about the office I’ll be working in and the team? Now, this question is mainly for when you’re doing a virtual interview because you most likely will have no idea what the office or building looks like prior.
Also, sometimes we’re interviewed by someone (or people) that will not be on our direct team, so it's good to ask this question to get a feel for who you’ll be meeting when you get the job and possibly some insight on their personality.
My last question is…
What’s the next step in the hiring process? Sometimes they’ll tell you an exact day that you may hear back from them or they’ll let you know that they’re conducting more interviews.
This is a great question to ask because they may tell you that you’ll hear back on Friday and your interview was conducted on Monday, so you’re not sitting wondering why 3-4 days have passed by with radio silence (let’s be honest, some of us still think about how we did) but this gives us a nice ballpark of when he should hope to hear back from them.
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HUGE Tip: ALWAYS send a thank you email thanking everyone that interviewed you for taking the time out to interview you. It can be a handwritten note or a quick email (my preference), but make sure you send one. This step could be the deciding factor if you and another candidate are both great options and they’re trying to decide who to hire.
Another Tip: Don’t ask about salary unless it’s brought up to you. Let them give you a number first because the first to give a number “loses”.
I’ve also been complimented for asking a couple of these questions because some people don’t ask questions. Be the person that does!