You’re going to be answering a lot of questions during your job interview. But you also should ask lots of questions of your interviewer.
Read below for some ideas regarding questions to ask during your job interview.
- Why is this position open? This lets you know if the position is a new one or if the person who held it before has been promoted (or left). If it’s a new one, that means the company is growing; if it’s because the previous person in the position was promoted means the company promotes from within, a promising sign.
- What are the first three things you’ll need me to tackle once hired/what are the position’s first top priorities? This question lets you know what your hiring manager’s priorities are and allows you to discuss how your particular skills and background will help him or her meet them.
- What are the top qualities you’re looking for in a candidate? This allows you to state how you meet or exceed one or more of those qualities.
- What are the goals of your department and when do you want to reach them? This lets you talk about how you can help the hiring manager/department head reach his or her goals.
- What do you see as my strengths as well as well as my weaknesses regarding this position? This lets you talk up your strengths while showing how they outweigh your weaknesses. Or, if the hiring manager thinks you lack this or that skill, you can let him or know that you do, indeed, possess them.
- What do you like about working here/what do you like least? This gives you some insight into how your potential new supervisor ticks as well as to the pros and cons of the company/department.
- What types of advancement opportunities are available within this company/department? This lets you know what you can expect over time.
- What are you next steps in the interview process? This lets you know where the hiring manager is in his or her hunt. He may be just starting out, or he may be looking to make a decision tomorrow. This also will let you know if top candidates will be called back for second or even third interviews and with whom those top candidates will be interviewing
Important note: You’ll notice that none of the questions involve pay, benefits, vacation time, etc. Save those questions for second or third interviews, or when you’re offered the position. Your job in the first interview is to show how you can solve the hiring manager’s problems and help him reach his or her goals, not how the company can help you reach your goal of a certain income or three weeks of vacation each year.
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