Job Interviews are a Two Way Street – Here are Must Ask Questions
Going on that all-important interview? Is this the place that you really, really want to work? If it is, you cannot afford to leave the interview unfinished; that is, you must ask some questions before departing. How could you go on an interview and have absolutely no questions? You want to learn about the company, hear first hand from the people that work there what it’s really like.
People love to talk about themselves; the interview is a perfect forum for this and can give you wonderful insight on the company – the downlow as it were. Here are some questions that you should definitely ask:
What are some things I could do immediately upon joining to make an impact? This is a great question because it will allow you to uncover the pain points of the department. This is an opportunity for you to share relevant details of your own experience to add value. It will also give you tremendous insight into how things are structured, including the level of sophistication of the group.
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What do you like best about the company? This goes back to my statement above; people like to talk about themselves. This is a perfect way to get the interviewer to discuss his background and feelings about the organization. You can then glean details about the overall culture.
Is there a path for advancement? Naturally you don’t want to stay in the same role forever. Who would want that? You would become insanely bored. It is good to find out if the company has a program to facilitate advancement of its staff. Commitment on behalf of the organization to its employees is something that should be on your radar.
Is there anything about my background that would preclude me from being considered for the role? This is a fairly aggressive question, but one that will possibly allow you to uncover things that might prevent a call back. If you can have the interviewer share with you something that was not previously addressed during the interview, this will be your opportunity to shed light on a skill or experience that would have otherwise not been raised.
Take a proactive approach during the interview process. Asking questions demonstrates a level of interest in the position and company. The questions you ask can help you help yourself generate a call back, and quite possibly the offer.
This blog's author, Debra Wheatman of Careers Done Write, provides executive career services including resume and cover letter preparation, job search / interviewing strategies and professional branding including how to effectively use LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media in your career.
Visit CareersDoneWrite.com to learn more about how we can put your career in gear with interview catching resumes and professionally written career documents.