Genius Professionals Reveal The Questions You Should Ask In A Job Interview
Trying to land the perfect career, or at the very least a decent job can be a very trying task. What is the perfect attire? What do I say? How do I respond? Lord someone tell me how to get this damn job! Say no more!!
Redditor __fcukgrammer asked *At the end of a job interview they always ask "Would you like to ask any questions?" What question should the candidate ask? _Pads and pencils out people. *_
TELL ME ABOUT YOU?
Ask them for a brief summary of their time with the company. Favorite aspects, challenges, overall experience of working there.
You'll be surprised how well received it is. Shows that you are interested, but also that you still have a decision to make. Plus people like talking about themselves.
ASK AROUND FOR THE DIRT.
Reminds me of an interview I had in which the boss told me that she didn't think i was qualified or right for the job but if I wanted it, she'd hire me anyway. I decided I didn't want to work for someone who didn't believe in me from the start, but decided to speak with the other employees anyway, as suggested by her. When I asked a group of them what it was like working for her, they all just looked around at each other and giggled nervously without giving any further response. I thanked them and left, knowing I dodged a bullet.
STUDY THE LAY OF THE LAND....
I've got a 90% success rate in interviews for programming.
If it has gone well, I ask to see the offices where I'd work if I do get the position.
Several reasons:
1: Confidence.
2: A willingness to meet my colleagues before I have to.
3: Get to see if it's an open-plan hellhole.
4: See how hot it is.
5: See if it's casual dress.
6: See what the equipment quality is like.
7: Get a feel for the atmosphere.
8: See where I would be sitting.
If you've got a choice of jobs it's IMPORTANT to know if you're picking a place that has a shitty environment...
We do spend most of our waking moments in work...
LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED.
These are my favorite questions to ask. I feel they show a genuine interest in the position and it usually catches the interviewer off guard, and at the very least, it's payback for the bullshit "Where do you see yourself in 5 yrs" type questions.
-How would you describe the culture here at (job company)?
-How did this position come to be open?
-What does success look like for this position?
-What is the biggest achievement this department has made?
-What is the biggest challenge facing this department right now?
-Besides a paycheck, what keeps you coming back to work here every day?
Most of the questions let you see how full of s*** they are. You get the upper hand in the most friendly was possible and it definitely gives you a little more insight into the position and company. Most of the time they get caught off guard and give a generic answer, all the places that hired me/I decided to work at had a solid response right off the bat. Lastly, this is bit of a wild card question, but I like to drop this at the very end and have never gotten a "No"...
-Would you mind giving me a tour of where this job would take place so I can get a feel of where I'd be working and who I would be working with?
Chances are NO ONE has ever asked this question, and sometimes it can really help break the ice and give you a slight edge when it's time to select a candidate.
THERE IS NO "I" IN TEAM.
What common characteristics do you see in people who do well in this position?
What are the biggest challenges people face when they start out in this position?
What is your vision for the team/company?
How is the office culture?
LET'S DISCUSS THE DAILY GRIND.
I've always been impressed with "So if I were to have this position, can you give me a snapshot of what a typical day would look like?"
KEEP IT CHILL.
I usually hijack the interview and ask the interviewer questions throughout the process.
Turns the interview into a regular conversation for me. And so less pressure. Works for me at least.
ENOUGH ABOUT YOU.... LET'S DO ME.
I would also say something like "How would you measure my level success, if I were chosen for this role?" This makes them think...hard...and gives you a key piece of info if you do indeed get hired. Even helpful if you were to have a second interview, and you can reference this in some way.
FOCUS ON SINCERITY.
Ask questions that you legitimately want to know the answer to. In the past I've had really terrible work experiences where I was given no feedback or performance evaluation, so I never knew where I stood with management.
Now, when I'm being interviewed one of the questions I always ask is what their protocol or policy is for employee feedback or performance evaluation.
I like to know who is evaluating me, and on what criteria am I being evaluated. Knowing that has been one of the biggest helps in my career.
DON'T IGNORE THE PAST.
What is the most impressive accomplishment a previous employee has done in this position?
DO YOU LIKE ME? I LIKE YOU.
After asking job specific questions, the final question should be "Do you have any reservations about me or my background for this position?"
That way you can squash any of their hesitations if they have any.
SOMETHINGS ARE BETTER LEFT UNASKED.
When do I start and is your wife single?
THERE IS MUCH UNKNOWN. GOT A PENCIL?
In my work I have to conduct a lot of interviews, and I know everyone sees these things slightly differently, but here's a set of my dos and donts and maybes.
Don't:
- Don't ask a question that you could easily have got the answer to by going on the company website. For me the very worst thing you can do is show that you haven't looked into the company at all.
- Don't ask for any details that are on the job listing. If you are wondering about hours, salary, place of work, etc then that info will be on the job advert. If it isn't, you can ask for clarification, though making it clear that you did read the job description properly. In any case, don't make this your first question. Interviewers know that these details will be important to you but we don't want it to be the first thing your mind goes to.
- don't be a smartarse. Any combination of "how do I get your job?"/"what time should I be in on Monday?"/"tell me why I should accept your offer?" etc If you try to be "assertive" or make it the opportunity to "interview the interviewer", we won't find it daring and clever and ambitious. We will just think it's a bit arrogant. My first thought when this has happened before has always been, "I wouldn't want them meeting clients".
- Don't ask how it went. This is such a bad idea. If it went badly I'm not going to tell you there and then as I don't want a confrontation. If it went well I'm still going to want to review and confer with colleagues, but you've just made it awkward. It's not a deal breaker but there is nothing positive than can come from it. Whether you get the offer or not you can always ask for feedback later.
Do:
- ask a question that shows that you have found out about the company. Even small companies will usually have a website, and often with a 'news' section. Two of the best questions I have been asked: "I see you have opened up offices in India recently. What do you see as the long term strategy for that market?" She had read up on the company, was up to date on what we were up to, and was curious and engaged and displaying thought processes we wanted to see in the job itself. The other was, "what has the department's experience been of working with government agency 'X'? Have you had to come into contact with govt agencies 'Y' and 'Z'?" Obv I'm withholding details there, but this woman was showing immediately that she knew some of the challenges that you face in the particular line of work she was applying for. She was showing experience, knowledge of the job, and getting a feel for the nature of the company and its way of doing things in a way that was well beyond the basics in a job description.
- Do ask what the long term prospects are for the person who takes up the job. Will there be the opportunity for professional development? Are there associated training opportunities such as...(have one or two specific things in mind here)? Is it a stable team or are there a lot of short term staff? You don't want to sound like you're already gunning for promotion before you've even had a job offer, but interviewers like to get a feel that you're not just jumping into the job for 6 months while you work out what you want to do next.
- Do show enthusiasm. If there is a particular aspect of the job that you would be really excited about, ask about it- how much of my time could I dedicate to this aspect of the job? Would there be a chance for me to implement some new ideas into that part of the company?
Maybe:
- ask the interviewer their personal opinion/story on something: what has been your favourite aspect of working here? What do you see as the company's greatest strength? How did you get into the business? But be careful. You don't want to put the interviewer on the back foot.
- Ask something informal. Sometimes something in your cv will have prompted a bit of chat about something not quite business related. Let's say you have listed a job you did in say Denmark, and an interviewer mentions they also lived in Denmark. Right at the end, strictly when all proper questions are done, you might ask, "what took you to Denmark, whereabouts did you live/work?" Again, this is a maybe because there isn't always something suitable raised during the interview worth asking about, and if there is you don't want to ask anything too personal. But it can be good to show you can be professional first but also show you can talk like a human being in a little bit if everyday conversation.
So there you go, that's only my thoughts based on what I have liked and disliked as an interviewer. I hope it is some help.
HOW CAN WE GROW TOGETHER?
Things about that job. I am a manager at an MSP. As such, when interviewing I want people to ask questions about big picture items. Such questions could be "Are you currently growing?" "Where do you envision the company in 5 years?" or "Does the company experience a high turn over rate?". Things that show you are in it for the long haul. Then again, I am interviewing for a career path and not just a job. If it's like, McDonalds or Pizza Hut or something, you could just ask about turn over rate and current on going issues within the company?
YOU'VE GOT AN ISSUES... LET'S DISCUSS....
"What do you wish your company did better?"
Gives you an opportunity to demonstrate how your skills/experience would help them do that thing better. Also lets the interviewer be honest about his employer.
MAKE IT RAIN!!
Can I get a pay advance now?
BE OBSCURE. SURPRISE THEM!
What is your policy on the Bee movie?
STICK WITH WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT!!
"if this company is Hogwarts, which house does my department represent?"
BE HONEST.
Is it cool if I call out on Monday? I have a thing.
FEEL OUT THE ROUGH TERRAIN.
I always like to ask "What would someone in this department/position say is the most challenging part? Followup what is the most rewarding part?" I've been complimented by interviewers for asking this