Questions candidates should ask in an interview
Having been grilled, mashed or just lightly fried during your interview, your interviewer will typically ask if you have any questions. This is your big moment. This opportunity is not about drilling down into the detail of the job but more about impressing with quality of your question.
by Nick Band
It is not the time to ask about pay and holidays and certainly avoid the cliché “how do I get your job?”. It is a chance to demonstrate your enthusiasm and capabilities.
Here are our top five killer interview questions:
- How could I impress you in the first three months? This not only shows you are anxious to do well but will offer vital insight into what the recruiter is looking for. It’s a chance for you to find out exactly what is expected of you and to impress with your enthusiasm.
- Where do you think the business is going in the next five years? This question may put the interviewer on the spot, but it will demonstrate that you have a real interest in the business and its future. To you, its more than a job – it’s a career.
- What are the opportunities for progression within the company? You are clearly ambitious which is an attractive quality for most. But don’t go over the top, because arrogance and pushiness is not an attractive trait.
- What will I be working on from day one? This question suggests you are keen to get started and are already thinking about the first task.
- Would you like me to provide references? If they have not already got these, it is good to offer. It shows you have nothing to hide and are happy for the employer to double check your claims.
Of course you can ask for clarification or expanded on your responses to matters that arose in the interview, but don’t let it appear that you have forgotten what they said!
Other commentators suggest going in hard with your questions, but at Future Work we could counsel against it. At the end of the day, whoever is interviewing is human and, like all humans, is a sensitive creature who won’t appreciate being put on the spot by a complete stranger.
