Good questions / bad questions
I’ve personally conducted thousands of interviews and have coordinated & taken feedback on many more so the topic of questions comes up a lot!
I’m talking specifically about the questions that an interviewee asks (or in some cases, doesn’t ask) so wanted to provide you with some guidance to help in Your New Job Journey
If you’ve worked hard to put together a great CV and have secured an interview, the last thing you want is to make it into the REJECT pile because you asked poor questions
This article is not about general interview preparation which I will cover elsewhere but wanted to specifically focus on the questions you can & should ask as well as those which are likely to be detrimental
First mistake people make: Attending an interview without having prepared any questions at all
Second mistake people make: Asking bland, generic questions that neither demonstrate an ability for complex thought or any genuine interest
So, let’s get right to it
What’s the point in asking questions? Well, of course it’s an opportunity for you to gather information (about the job, the company, the team etc) but more than that, it’s a chance to show the interviewer how you think & what’s important to you
Your questions should be relevant, specific and ideally related to the interview you have just had (assuming that you are given the opportunity to ask your questions at the end of the interview)
You should also ask questions that help you to understand if the job you’re interviewing for solves Your Problem – remember, interviewing is a 2 way street, they are trying to decide if they want you and you’re trying to decide if you want them
GREAT QUESTIONS:
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Refer back to something you’ve been told in that interview (e.g. “You mentioned that you’ve recently promoted someone in your team, could you tell me how you measure the success of your people?”)
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Ask for further clarification on a point (showing that you are able to process information & delve deeper)
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Show your interest / enthusiasm / personality (e.g. “I’m really pleased to hear that you encourage an open feedback environment, in my job at Company X I felt we could have benefited from this kind of policy, could you tell me how it works in practice?”)
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Ask the interviewer to give their opinion on something (firstly because people LOVE to be thought of as an authority and secondly because you may get to learn something about them e.g. what do you most enjoy about working here? Could you tell me about the team?
BAD QUESTIONS:
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Ask something which has already been spoken about (shows that you weren’t listening)
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Are bland, generic & ultimately boring
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Don’t show any imagination
Stay away from questions about working hours, pay (unless you’re directly involved in an offer / negotiation), time off / sick policy – all important information for sure but you need to get the job 1st, then you can decide if you want it based on ALL the information available to you
And WHATEVER YOU DO – Don’t have no questions at all. It’s utterly disheartening as an interviewer, and shows a complete lack of interest. Even if you’ve been through multiple interview rounds and have asked lots of questions, think of something to interact with the person interviewing you
