Do You Have Any Questions?
July 23, 2007 by Darlene McDaniel
Filed under Jobs
Hiring Managers will usually make room for you to ask questions at some point in the interview. The worst thing you can do is to decline this opportunity to participate in the interview process.
Do You Have Any Questions? Yes! There is no other option for you. What if you don’t know what questions to ask?
Preparation is critical for this question. You don’t want to shoot from the hip. You should know enough about the company and the position you are interviewing for, to ask questions that will assist you in determining whether you want to work for this organization.
Who’s Interviewing Who? It is VERY important that you participate in the interview.
Here are some suggestions for preparing your questions:
1. Don’t ask questions with obvious answers
2. Ask Open-ended questions
3. Don’t ask questions that are not relevant to the job or the position
4. Don’t ask about salary
Here are a few questions that you might consider asking:
1. What skills and abilities are you looking for in the candidate you select for the position?
2. What is the attrition rate for your organization?
3. Why do people leave your organization?
4. How do you measure performance?
Let me restate from a previous post, one question I do not recommend you ask when you have the opportunity to ask question.
I do not recommend that you ask for feedback at this time. Assume you have done well and end on a high note by asking strong questions that demonstrates your interest in the position and the company. I believe if you ask for feedback at this point in the hiring process, you assume that you need feedback at that time and that you did not perform well.
Do You have any questions? YES! No matter how well the interview is going, if you don’t ask questions I believe that you minimize your chance to compete for the position. Ask questions. Prepare the questions prior to the interview. Jump out there and go for it!
Another useful question that shows you’re thinking of the matches between you, the role and the company is:
“Have you a specific major project in mind for whoever is hired into this position?”
Avoid asking this one if just the HR folks are present – save your powder for when identified hiring managers or technical interviewers appear.
What they say (or are unable to) can tell you a lot about your potential new colleagues and the company ethos around projects… this can also open up further discussion points for you to add value with your skills/experience mix or just “strategically listen” as you demonstrate your active listening skills.
regards
Mark McClure
tokyo
Hi Mark! Thank you for visiting Interview Chatter today. I like your question. It is a great way to determine more information about success in the first 30, 60, 90 days of employment.
Part of the interview discussion must be getting as much information as you can get from the hiring manager. When asking questions like the one you suggest, you find out if the job description is consistent with the major projects, responsibilities they are looking for. You will be able to determine if you like what you hear, whether you are good at what they need in the candidate. Thank you for sharing your question.