Great Interview Questions Make a Great Interview! (Part II)
As discussed in my previous blog – “Great Interview Questions Make a Great Interview!” the best interview consists of a fairly equal split of questions between the employer and potential employee. The potential employee can leverage their questions to help sell themselves to the employer, demonstrate their enthusiasm and show their capabilities.
Prepare questions ahead of time, on paper, and review it a number of times before the interview – but leave the list at home or in the car. The questions that are relevant to the conversation will come to you at the right time – if you’re well prepared. Reading from a list of questions will make you seem robotic – but spontaneous questions that relate to the context of the general conversation or, when it seems appropriate, bridge the conversation into a new direction, will impress the employer. I have been told by numerous hiring authorities that the distinguishing factor of the candidate being offered the position is that they asked intelligent questions. In each case those individuals went through the preparation I’m recommending here.
If you’re not confident to rely on your memory for the questions and want to have a list – then just write a two to five word phrase to remind you of the questions and “glance at”, not “read from”, your notes.
Keep in mind that if you interview with multiple people in the company, the same, or similar, questions can be used. Getting the contrasting or common perspectives from their answers is actually quite revealing about the cohesiveness and common vision of the organization. Keep in mind that everyone has their own priorities and perspectives and together they combine to make the culture of the organization.
As promised in the previous blog, here are more Great Interview Questions!
6. “How would you describe the skills and personality of the ideal candidate for this position”? This question allows you to understand the employer’s priorities and gives you an opportunity to compare and contrast your skills and personality with that of the “ideal” candidate.
7. “If there were one skill or trait that was most important, what would that be”? This will let you know what to emphasize the most.
8. “What do you like best about working for (this company)?” It’s important to understand why the hiring authority likes working for the company and what its strong points are. If the employer lacks enthusiasm for working there, the odds of your liking it aren’t that great. Unhappy managers hire people into their unhappy environments all the time – don’t let it happen to you.
9. “If you could change one thing about the company, what would it be?” You can draw out the negative aspects of a position or company by asking questions – but phrase it positively in terms of “improve”, “change”, and “challenge”.
10. “Why is this position open?” The employer may not be able to say everything, especially if someone was fired, but getting an understanding if this opening is due to expansion, resignation, or termination, is important for you to know.
11. If someone resigned or was terminated, then ask: “Based on the departure of the person formerly in this position, are there any things you feel it would be important for someone coming in to know about the position, the department or the company to ensure it’s a successful match?” If there’s a downside or some condition of the position that caused someone else to resign or get fired – wouldn’t you like to know what that is before you take the job.
12. “Do you anticipate growth for the company in coming years?”
13. “How do you think that growth will be achieved?”
14. “Are there any major obstacles standing in the way?”
15. “How could I, in this position, best impact the potential of that success?”
Sometimes a series of questions is appropriate to draw out the “big picture” of what’s happening in an organization and how you might fit in. After a line of questioning like this – the employer will view you as someone coming to have an impact, not just take up space and breath in the air.
16. “When I prove to be successful in this position, what are the opportunities to earn additional responsibilities and challenges?” Notice that you are not asking for when you’ll be promoted – that’s a very hard thing for a hiring manager to give you a clear answer to and they may interpret that you’ll be unhappy if they don’t reward you with new titles quickly enough. Instead, this question demonstrates that you want to contribute more and prove yourself.
17. “How do you think that your team (or department) is perceived by the rest of the organization?” It’s good to know if your team is respected and trusted or perceived as unresponsive or bureaucratic.
18. “What could I do, in this position, to most positively impact the perception of the team by the rest of the company?” Show the employer you’re a team player and concerned about the image of group.
19. “What would be the components of the typical day for me in this position”? Get an idea of what your day would look likes, but don’t ask about number of work hours, when you start and those things that might be negatively interpreted. You can ask those types of details after the offer is made.
20. “Can you please detail for me all the responsibilities of this position?” If the listing you get back is short, “Is there anything else”? Make sure you get the “whole” job. This is a good time to take very brief notes on a nice portfolio notepad – but just jot a quick word or two on each point and struggle to make sure to maintain more eye contact with the hiring manager than looking at your paper.
21. “How would you characterize the management style of the company?”
22. “In terms of seeing me as a match for this position, is there anything about my capabilities or qualifications that you have any concern about meeting your expectations?” If the employer has concerns, why not get it out on the table and discuss it? It’s not going to go away when you walk out the door, but if it’s an open issue – you can express your confidence in being able to overcome the shortfall. Maybe ask:
23. “What could I do in my off-hours or before starting the position that might help to overcome any gaps in my experience or qualifications?” If you’re 80% of what they’re looking for – get out of them what the 20% short you are and let them know how you’re going to make it up.
24. “Please tell me about the other people on the team?” Understand whom you’d be working with.
25. “What do you think is the most important thing about being able to work well with the rest of the team?”
26. “If you were to improve one thing about your team (or department) this year, what would it be?” By knowing the biggest challenges facing the employer, you have the opportunity to share how you might be able to help them meet the challenge.
GREAT LUCK ON YOUR INTERVIEW! PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD YOUR FAVORITE INTERVIEW QUESTION AS A COMMENT TO THIS BLOG.
Tags: Career Advice, interview preparation, Interview Questions, Interviewing Questions Advice, Tough Interviews
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