Dear Liz,
I almost always run out of questions at job interviews.
When the interviewer asks me "Have any questions for me?" and I don't have any questions, I can see the disappointment on their face.
Sometimes I have questions prepared but the interviewer answers them before I have a chance to ask.
Can you suggest good questions to ask at my next job interview? The interview is next week — wish me luck!
Thanks,
Carmelita
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Dear Carmelita,
The more work experience you gain, the less likely you will be to go to a job interview without a hefty supply of questions — more questions than the interviewer is likely to answer before you have a chance to ask them.
You will come up with more and more questions over time because you will be more alert to the problems that can result when you don't do your due diligence before taking a job.
It only takes a few snakebites ("Dang! I should have asked about overtime before I took this job!") to teach you that it's better to bring too many questions to an interview than too few.
Keep in mind that the best questions to ask are not the questions on the list below, or any list of questions that you might prepare in advance.
The best interview questions are the ones that occur to you in the interview itself, based on what you're hearing from the interviewer. The best questions are contextual, like the questions Annabel asks in the script below:
Interviewer: So Annabel, have you designed a newsletter using Newsletter Pro before?
Annabel: I design a weekly customer newsletter and a monthly reseller newsletter but we use a different platform. I've used three or four newsletter engines — not Newsletter Pro as I recall but several others. What got you to select Newsletter Pro for your newsletter?
Interviewer (who has never really thought about this question before, and now realizes that it is a good question): That's a good question. We've been using Newsletter Pro since before I got here. It might be useful to look at some alternatives. Our last Marketing Coordinator was Marek, who took a job in Inside Sales last month. I will ask him. I'm not sure he was all that crazy about Newsletter Pro, to be honest.
Annabel: It's not hard to switch your database from one newsletter engine to another, so that's good.
Interviewer: Tell me how you put together a newsletter — for instance, a client newsletter.
Annabel: Well, I start with the editorial calendar. I lay out the calendar ahead of the fiscal year and then tweak it every quarter, together with my manager. Do you use an editorial calendar here?
End of Script
Annabel is already employed. She is ready to leave her job. She is job-hunting on the side. She is not going through the time and trouble of a job search to take a job that isn't significantly better than her current job!
Annabel has no intention of going to a job interview to sit meekly in her chair like a Good Little Job-Seeker and answer each question asked of her and then shut up.
She has questions of her own!
25 Great Questions To Ask At The Job Interview
1. What is the history of this role? Is it a new position, or was there someone in the job before?
2. What would you say is the overall purpose of the job?
3. How does this position help your department achieve its goals?
4. How does your department fit into the organization overall?
5. Who are the other members of the department (by position) and how would we all interact?
6. Who are the internal customers for this position (by job title) and how would I support them if I were in this role?
7. What are the major metrics or yardsticks for the person in this position?
8. What are you hoping for your new hire to accomplish in the first three months on the job?
9. How do you envision your new hire stepping into the role? Will they jump in and ask a lot of questions to learn the job, or do you expect them to follow a week-by-week or day-by-day training plan, or something else?
10. What do you see as the major goals for the person in this role over the next year?
11. How do you anticipate interacting with your new hire — do you have a weekly one-on-one meeting, or do you mostly rely on email, or something else?
12. How does your department communicate? Do you meet as a group, or communicate another way?
13. What are the working hours, and your expectations for overtime?
14. What sorts of technology will your new employee use in the job?
15. What kinds of writing will your new person do?
16. You are interviewing me, an external candidate. Often job openings are filled from within the company. What made you think about interviewing external candidates like me this time?
17. What are the items you'd most like to see your new employee take care of and check off your list right away?
18. How will the arrival of your new employee make your life easier?
19. How do people typically dress for work in your department? Does that vary depending on their level of customer contact, or other factors?
20. What are your thoughts on working from home — for example when there's bad weather, or in general?
21. What are your expectations around arrival and departure times, and taking work home?
22. What would you say is the most fun or creative part of the job?
23. How did you get to the company, and to your current position?
24. What are the company's senior leaders like? What do they care about and talk about most?
25. When are you hoping for your new hire to start?
Most likely you will not be able to ask all of these questions in one interview.
That's okay! You will probably have multiple email exchanges and phone conversations — if not additional face-to-face interviews — during which to ask more questions.
If you feel rushed into taking a job offer before you've gotten your questions answered, feel free to slow down the process. If you get a job offer before your questions are answered, ask the recruiter or HR person to have your hiring manager call you.
That way, you can talk through your questions before you sign the offer letter.
Never take a job under pressure, because it probably will not work out if you do.
Good luck at your upcoming interview!
All the best,
Liz
