Questions to ask at the end of an interview
A great way to impress the interviewer is to ask questions when they are finished. An interview is a two-way street. Ask questions. The employer should, and will typically, provide an opportunity for you to ask questions at or near the end of the interview.
Employers make judgments about you based on the questions you ask.
How many questions to ask: There’s no set number. It’s not a formula. It really depends on what you need to know.
Never ask about salary and benefits during the interview.
Have your questions written down and take notes!
Here are a few questions to ask at the end of an interview:
- Why is the position open?
- Who would I report to?
- How will my performance be measured?
- How often are performance reviews?
- Can you provide a written job description?
- What are the skills and competencies you would like to see
in an ideal candidate? - How would you describe the culture here?
- Can you describe the on-boarding process?
- Will I have an opportunity to view my working environment?
- Will I have an opportunity to meet my team members?
- Is there a training period?
- What is the company’s position on mentoring?
- What is the single largest problem facing your staff?
- What have you enjoyed most about working here?
- What constitutes success in this position?
- Can you describe a typical day in this job?
- Do you have any hesitations about my qualifications?
- Do you offer continuing education/training?
- Can you tell me about the team(s) I’ll be working with?
- What can you tell me about any new products or services?
- Do you plan on any mergers or acquisitions?
- Are you planning on conducting 2nd interviews?
- When would you expect to have the new hire in place?
- What is the next step in the process?
When you have concluded asking your questions, always relate yourself to the position and express an interest by saying something like “I feel confident that my background, skills and competencies will have a meaningful impact on the team here at XYZ company and I’d like you to know that I’m very interested in the position. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me and I look forward to the next step in the process.
Do you have other examples of questions to ask the interviewer? I’d love to hear from you!.
If you would like interview coaching, please contact Thomas Wharton, President of LIFOCUS, Inc, a human resources consulting firm in Rhode Island, providing Career Coaching, Outplacement, Executive Coaching, Assessments, Leadership Development and Resume Service. Tom can be reached at 401.884.7959 • lifocus@oiglobalpartners.com. • www.lifocus.com• @careercoachTW
