Asking Good Questions at a Job Interview
One of the hardest parts of a job interview can be when the panel turns to the applicant and asks if they have any questions. Not asking anything constitutes a missed chance to push yourself to the front of the pack but asking the wrong things can see you marked down. It is important to know the right kind of things to ask in order to impress the recruiters, rather than dent your chances of winning the job.
If you are completely unsure what to ask then not asking anything can be a valid tactic. In truth though, you should really be approaching the interview having done some research on the company and the role that you are applying for. It has never been easier to do this and there are many resources online that can provide you with valuable and actionable information that you can use at this juncture.
Questions to Avoid in Interviews
Although asking questions is generally a good thing, asking the wrong questions can see you penalised so we have taken a look at a few of the questions that you should try to steer away from, if you can.
Avoid asking Questions about Salary and Benefits
When applying for a job and interviewing for a position, it is about you making a good impression and selling how you can help the company to achieve their goals. Asking questions about salary and benefits or time off can make it feel more like they have to sell the company to you, which is not what the interview should be about. You are always free to accept or reject an offer based on the pay and conditions but it is usually better not to ask these questions at the interview.
Avoid asking Questions about Controversies
A company may have been in the news recently for negative reasons such as a scandal involving one of the senior people there. It is never a good idea to start asking questions about negative things during the interview process. The interview panel will feel defensive toward the company already and you may get outright hostile responses to any questions along those lines. We are sure you will agree that this is hardly ideal for a job interview.
If you do ask negative questions about a controversy the company has been involved in, you may also face the added suspicion that you are a freelance journalist looking for information for an article.
Avoid asking Generic Questions
Asking the same question that you could pose in any job interview is self-defeating. It is throwing away the chance to demonstrate your level of knowledge of, and interest in, the company that you have applied to work for. Try to avoid overly generic questions and tighten your focus so your questions directly relate to the company that you are trying to win a position at.
General questions leave the interviewer with the feeling that you may not be all that interested in their company and you are just looking for any suitable job in your field, rather than specifically the one you have applied for with them. This may well be the case, but there is no reason not to put in the legwork in order to give yourself a better chance of success.
Good Questions to Ask in Interviews
Now that we have covered the questions that you shouldn’t be asking, we can turn to those that will make a good impression and help you to stand out from the crowd when it comes to your interview.
Ask about the Job Role and their Expectations
Interviewers always want to know that the applicants are interested in the role they have advertised and if you can ask intelligent questions about the job role and their expectations, this can help to demonstrate your interest. Asking what the job role entails and how they define success will give the interviewers the chance to tell you a bit more about the inner workings of their company. This is something that will stand you in good stead, so make mental notes of the most relevant points that they come back with in their answer, as you can make use of these later.
Ask Follow Up Questions
When in a job interview situation, it can be easy just to nod along agreeably with what the interview panel is telling you. Try to subvert that a little by formulating some follow up questions on the subjects that they are talking about. Doing this shows that you have been paying attention to what they were saying and framing some follow up questions based on what has already been said can demonstrate your interest and intellect amply to them.
Try to keep follow up questions focused on the points that they have already made. If they have already mentioned something like gender balance in the workplace, the chances are that they are proud of it, so it doesn’t hurt at all if you bring it up again and ask some questions around it.
Ask about Company Culture
Being able to ask about company culture is an excellent way to convey to the interview panel hat you are genuinely considering joining their company. The fact that you want to know what it is like actually working at the company shows that you would value the chance to work there and are actively researching information on what it is like to do so. This level of enthusiasm is something that recruiters will be pleased with and you may increase your chances of landing the job by asking questions relating to this area.
If they are a company with a terrible reputation culture-wise, they probably wont welcome these questions but if that were the case, you wouldn’t be applying to them in the first place, having done your research in advance. This is a point that can’t be emphasised enough, do your research in advance and find out as much about the company as possible prior to the interview.
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