Adebola Alabi
A job interview is an essential aspect of the hiring process, if not the most crucial. The job interview allows you to promote yourself, your skills, experience, and knowledge. During the interview, you will also have an opportunity to ask the interviewer questions, so you should make sure that you ask the proper and relevant questions that will further solidify your chances of having a successful outcome.
In this piece, I will share 12 questions that you should ask, give a brief explanation of why each question is important, and the impression you will make to the interviewer.
You should have at least 3 questions in your back pocket. And let the questions be about: Culture of the organization, Challenges in the organization, Curiosity about your next job, Connection with the interviewer, and Closing to know the next step.
Here are 12 questions you should consider asking in your next job interview:
1. Why is this position open?
· Shows curiosity and tells the hiring manager that you want to know more about the position.
· aGood for you because you will learn why the position was opened. Was the formal person fired, got promoted, or he just moved on?
2. How do you evaluate my performance? What does success look like in this position?
· This is a culture related question. It shows you are ready to engage from day one. The hiring manager will see you as someone who will be able to get stuff done.
· You will get more specifics about the expectations in the role. If, for instance, they tell you that you are expected to work 80 hours plus the weekend, you will know whether or not it is something that you want.
3. What do you love most about working here? Why did you choose the company?
· This lets you connects with the hiring manager as he relates his experience with working with the company.
· You will learn more about the good, the bad, and the ugly of working for the company.
4. Tell me about a typical day or workweek in the position?
· This shows your curiosity about the organization. You want to know more about the day to day activities in the company.
· This will help you to put yourself in the organization and see what it will be like working there. Maybe you’ve been expecting that you will be able to work remotely (out of your home office) If they tell you that the job involves actively working in a shop floor, troubleshooting, or performing tests every day. That will let you know that it may be difficult to work remotely.
5. Can you explain more about the interview and decision-making process? What happens after my interview? When can I hear back from you?
· This is a closing question. It lets you know more about the hiring process. Are they still at the beginning of the process? You will know if they have more people to interview. You will know how many people they still want to hire. And you will know when you will hear back, whether you are successful or not.
· It shows the hiring manager that you are interested in and passionate about the role.
6. Who does the position report to?
– Curiosity Question: It tells the hiring manager that you want to know more about the position, which shows your interest in the organization.
– It gives you an idea of how the company is structured.
7. What are the growth opportunities in the company?
– Culture Question: This is a way of you telling the interviewer that you want to work with them and grow with them.
– It shows you your growth path in the organization. If there are no opportunities for advancement, don’t take the job; otherwise, you will be stuck doing the same thing after some years.
8. What is it that you want someone in this position to accomplish in the first 90days?
– Connection Question: Shows you want to know how you can contribute to the success of the organization. By asking this question, you are telling the hiring manager that you want to learn what you need to do to contribute your quota.
– This will give you a sense of what you are expected to do or work on, once you get the job.
9. What’s the most challenging thing about the position?
– This lets you know about the challenges in the organization: This is telling the hiring manager that you want to know more about the company and the position you are interviewing for.
– It will help you to get full information about the job, what you need to do, what is expected, and it can help you to come up with plans of action that you can implement once you get into the company.
10. What made you choose to work here? What is your favorite part about working for this company?
– Connection Question: This is one of my favorite questions. You are telling the hiring manager to give you reasons why you should join the organization. An interview is a way of establishing compatibility between you and the company that is interviewing you. Asking this question will let you hear more about the company.
– You will know something specific that you cannot find out by reading about the company on their website.
11. Based on everything that we’ve discussed, is there anything that you need me to clear up? Is there anything that makes you not 100% sure that I am the candidate for this role?
– Closing Questions: This is telling the interviewer that you are really interested in the position and want to know
– You will get a second opportunity to emphasize something that you might have missed out during the interview.
12. Who’s the most successful recent hire, and why?
– Curiosity Question: This shows the interviewer that you want to learn more about what it takes to be successful in the organization.
– You will get more information about what success looks like in the establishment. Does it involve working extra hours? Does it include taking initiatives, creativity, technical background, proactive thinking? All these will help you to determine if you have the quality/traits to achieve success in the organization.
There you have it. Twelve questions to ask in your next interview, that will show your Curiosity about the company. Get you connected with the hiring manager to learn about the culture and challenges of the organization so that you can effectively close the interview and win the interviewers’ hearts and minds.
Here are some things you shouldn’t do:
· Don’t fail to research the role and the company.
· Don’t say you have no question.
· Don’t go without your questions.
In conclusion, In your next interview, make sure you are not only answering questions but also having questions to ask. It would be best if you asked intelligent questions that will portray you as a competent, curious, and confident person.
