Interview Questions for the Candidate to Use During an Interview

Imagine this – you’re in a job interview for a position that you think would be great for your career.  You know flat out that you can do the job and that you would be an asset to the company.  The interviewer has asked you many questions that you have answered flawlessly.  Then the interviewer turns to you and asks if you have any questions and you answer “no.”  Big mistake.

One of the biggest mistakes people can make in an interview is not asking any questions.  It is not acceptable to go into a job interview and not have any questions prepared for the interviewer.  A good idea is to have a list of questions, or a framework of questions, prepared for the interview and then make them specific to the job based on the information you learn during the job interview process.

There are many different areas where you can ask questions.  Here are some suggestions.

Here is where some good research on the company will come into play.  If it is a large company you can go to sources like Hoovers and Yahoo! Finance to find out information about the company.  The company’s own website is also a great source of information.  If it is a publically traded company the chances are pretty good that the annual report will be available online.  If it is a small company you can try and search the archives for a local newspaper to see any articles that have been published recently.

Some generic questions you can bring to the interview include the following:

• How would you describe the culture of the company?
• What challenges are facing the company today, in five years, and in the future?
• Does the company encourage training and education programs for employees?  Are these programs provided in house, or can an employee go off site to obtain training that will help him/her perform the job?
• Are there any expansion plans for the future (that you know of)?
• What kind of major projects are scheduled for the company, and will this position play a role in them?

Your listening skills will play a key role in formulating questions about the specific position.  Now is the time to clarify information and details that were provided to you during the interview.  If you aren’t sure about something you heard during the job interview, ask for further clarification. 

Some generic questions that you can use as a starting point might be:

• Why is this position open, and how long has it been open?
• How and when do you evaluate employee performance?
• If I were to be hired, what would be my primary responsibilities during the first 30, 60 and / or 90 days on the job?
• What would you describe as the three most important or critical responsibilities of this job?
• What happened to the person who previously held this position?
• Will there be any opportunity for growth in the position?
• Would you say this position is part of a team, or is it more of an individual or stand alone position?
• What would you say are the biggest challenges facing the person who gets this position?

It would not be inappropriate or off limits to ask questions about the background of the interviewer.  It would not be wise to delve deeply into their personal life but it is perfectly acceptable to ask questions about their professional background and role in the company.

Some examples of questions you might ask an interviewer include:

• How long have you been employed by this company?
• Is this the position you took when you started with the company?  If the answer is no, what was your career path to get to the position where you are today?
• Why do you stay here? Or in other words, Why do you like working for this company?

Since each company is different, it is not unreasonable for you to ask questions about the interview process.  A few suggestions to consider are:

• What is your time frame for making a hire?
• If you have interest in me as a candidate what is the next step in the process?
• When can I expect to hear back from you if you want to move forward with me for this job?

One area that you want to try and stay away from during the job interview is salary and benefits. It would also be a mistake to answer yes when asked if you have any questions and then dive right in to ask about how much you’ll be paid or how many vacation days you will have each year. To do this will convey the idea (whether true or not) that you are motivated only by money.

It’s important to have a long list of questions prepared in your head because some of the questions will possibly be answered during the course of the interview. A good rule of thumb is to have about 15 to 20 questions prepared so you’ll be ready to ask something during the interview.

Preparing for an interview carefully will increase your chances of having a successful interview and eventually getting a job offer. Putting some time together to prepare a list of questions for your interview will make you look like you truly cared and put effort into getting ready for the job interview. It will help you stand above the rest of the candidates who were also interviewed for this position.