Much interview advice is about how to answer questions you may be asked and that is certainly a critical component of the interview process.
But it’s not the only important aspect of your interview. Almost every time, you will be asked at the end if you have any questions and it’s important to prepare for this. It’s a golden opportunity to demonstrate that you did your homework, gave careful thought to the position, and as a result can ask intelligent, well thought out questions. Much of your competition doesn’t do this.
The one thing I always ask at the end of the interview, whether it’s the first one or the final one, is for the candidate to tell me what questions they would like to ask. I’m always disappointed when that person says they don’t have any questions, or when the questions they do ask are general and have nothing to do with that job specifically or my company.
Worst of all is when it’s the first interview and the questions asked are only about things such as the salary and the benefits. These are things to be asked only when and if you are offed the job. Asking them in the first interview shows you are more interested in the material aspects of the job, rather than the job itself.
You should prepare four or five questions to ask. You may find that some of them have been answered during your interview, so you want to still have some you can ask.
As a Hiring Manager, here are the seven best questions I like to hear a candidate ask. They demonstrate you have a deep and genuine interest in the position and the company. If you can tweak them a bit for that exact job, you’ll look even better.
The 7 Best Questions to Ask
- “What would your employees say is the best thing about working here?”
- “How long have you worked with the team I’d be in and what can you tell me about them?”
- “How will you measure success for this job?”
- “Can you tell me what projects I will be working on?”
- “What do you look for most in a new employee?”
- “What’s the best thing about this company from your perspective?”
- “What do you consider the most important qualifications for this job?”
Be sure to take notes after asking these questions. It shows respect for the speaker and that you have a genuine interest in the answers. It will also help you if you get invited to subsequent interviews at that company.
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