It goes without saying that if you make it to interview you want to impress from the off. We’ve got most of these bases covered in the interview skills section, but one sure way to make a good impression in a job interview is to have some good questions up your sleeve.
Asking the right sort of questions:
- makes it clear to the interviewer that you have given it thought in advance
- can set you apart from others being interviewed
- gives you the knowledge you need (about the role and company) to decide whether to take the job if you’re offered it!
Some of your questions might get answered naturally during the course of the interview, or you might be given an opportunity at the end to ask them. You obviously wouldn’t ask all of the following but here are some suggestions.
Questions you might ask about the role:
- Who would I report to?
- Who would I be working with on a day to day basis?
- What are the different functions within the company?
- What was the biggest challenge facing the last person who did this job?
- What would success look like in this position and how does the company measure success?
- What’s missing in the team that you would like to add?
- What are the working hours?
- Does the company offer any social activities either informally or formally?
- What management style could I expect?
- How long would I expect to spend in this role?
- How will I know whether I’m doing a good job or not?
- What would you expect of me after 3 months, 6 months and a year?
Questions you might ask about the company:
- Why did you join this company and what keeps you here?
- What are your current challenges in the company?
- How is the company performing at the moment?
- What would success look like for the company in 12 months’ time?
- How is promotion achieved in your company?
- What might my career path look like in this company?
- What would you say the culture of your company is?
