Prepare your own interview questions to ask
So you’ve done your preparation, practiced answering your sample interview questions, and know all the tips. You feel ready. So why prepare interview questions to ask?
An interview works both ways
As well as the employer making a judgement about you, you must also take the opportunity to assess whether the job and the organisation are right for you.
Your questions will affect their perception of you
Asking intelligent questions will set you apart from the other candidates, showing enthusiasm and your understanding of what is required. It also gives you the chance to tailor your response to what you learn from their answers. If they say technical skills are paramount, emphasise your technical skills. If it's dealing with the public, talk about those experiences.
Show you are committed
Where you work is a big part of your life. Not having any questions signals you either don’t take it seriously, or you couldn’t be bothered to prepare.
When it comes to the questions themselves, it’s up to you. What do you want to know? I’ve provided some examples of useful questions below, but before you get to them, here are a couple of brief, but important tips to bear in mind:
Don’t ask for answers you should already know!
You may have received information prior to interview. Read it. As part of your interview preparation you should also explore the company website for information. The more you know, the more informed the questions you ask will be.
Carry out your own research.
To find out about the interview information you need click here
Ask not what your company can do for you……
Stay away from questions about what you can gain such as salary, benefits or time off. Unless of course the interviewer brings them up. Focus on what you will contribute, what you will be doing, and how you can add value.
You can improve on this by asking questions about you performing the role;
What would my first major project be?
How do you see me spending most of my time?
What are the key challenges our team would face over the next 18 months?
Who will I be dealing with, outside the department?
To answer these types of questions the interviewer has to imagine you performing in the role, after giving you the job. This is a powerful technique because it gets the interviewer used to thinking of you as successful in the interview.
Also ask the interviewer questions about their role, and what attracted them to the company. This helps to deepen the rapport you have built, and allow you to affirm that those are also the things you are looking for.
Here are some other examples of questions you can use:
The Role
What will my daily responsibilities be?
What personality attributes do you think are important to doing the job well?
How do you see me adding to the group?
How much travel would be part of my role?
Key Challenges
What are your aims for the department in the next two years- how will I contribute to this?
What are the strengths of the department?
What would the career paths be for me within the company?
Culture
What is the reporting structure?
What is it that keeps you here?
What would be important in me settling into the way of doing things here?
Growth & Direction
What are the future plans for the company? Where does our department fit in?
What markets does the company plan to expand into?
These questions are a starting point for thinking of your own interview questions to ask. Create your own list of questions as part of your interview preparation. Remember the effort you put in now will be rewarded when you get to the interview.
Learn more useful interview tips
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