Candidate Interview Questions
Asking smart questions of interviewers is one of the best ways to shine in an interview. Ironically, most job seekers focus soley on their answers and then miss the best opportunity to shine by showing the interviewer that you are interested and passionate about the company.
Always ask questions of the interviewer if given the opportunity. It does not matter if every question you have has been addressed, for no other reason than you want to demonstrate your interest in the company. In addition, asking the same question across multiple people gives you the opportunity to compare the answers given.
Before you begin the interview process you should prepare a list of questions for each and every interview you have. Below are some sample questions to get you started.
Relationship Building
May I ask what your background is? What has your career path been?
This builds rapport and gives you a sense of the culture of the firm; it also gets the interviewer talking about him or herself, a topic they will relish.
What do you find most satisfying about working here?
If the answer is up front and talks about the good and the bad, this is a good sign; it shows an open management style. If the answer only talks about the good, beware.
Questions for the Hiring Manager about the Company and Team
What are the company's biggest initiatives for the coming year?
Understanding the company's priorities will help you understand whether you can help address these priorities.
How would you describe the company culture? Department culture? Team Culture?
Knowing this, you will have a better sense if you fit in.
Why do you think your company is the best one to work for?
This will allow you to hear the company's sales pitch
To what extent does the company promote from within versus hiring from outside?
This will give you a general feel for your chances for advancement.
How is the department organized?
This will let you know if you have the opportunity to grow.
Questions to Ask the Hiring Manager about the Position
What can you tell me about the detailed job responsibilities?
This is crucial, as it will tell you a lot about what you actually need to do.
What skills are the most critical for success in this job?
Here is a question that will allow you to be proactive in the interview and get a sense of the problems and tailor your skills and experience in an answer explaining how you can bring skills to bear on the problem by giving examples.
What kinds of people are most successful in this job?
This is a great chance to sell your soft-skills and present them as solutions that will benefit the company by giving the examples.
What resources are available to get the job done?
You will want to know that you will have the tools available to do the job.
What kind of training will I go through?
This is important for you to understand your growth potential at the company.
What might be the potential career path within the company?
This shows you as someone with ambition willing to work hard and tells you your possibilities for advancement.
As a new employee, how could I make your life easier?
We love asking this question. It builds rapport and gets right to the heart of understanding the needs of the company so you can get in to tailoring answers.
Can you walk me through a typical day in this position?
This gives you as good an idea as any as to what the job will be like.
Questions to Ask Other Employees
How long have you worked here?
This should be your first question. It lets you understand how relevant their information will be.
Why did you join the company?
This gives the person a chance to give you more information to tailor answers and make a decision.
How regular are reviews and promotions?
This gives you a sense of the possibilities of advancement and feedback.
How is morale?
This lets you see if the company is positive and energetic.
What do you like most about working here?The least?
This gives you more information to decide.
Do you feel you have adequate resources?
This gets you more of a sense if you will have the tools to properly do your job.
What is the best thing about working here?
If you get a real answer with no hesitation, you will able to get a sense if people are genuinely excited to come to work.
What is the culture like?
This gets you information beyond what the hiring manager told you from a different perspective.
