Asking The Right Questions During An Interview

So, you have done an excellent job preparing for a job interview and manage to answer all the questions thrown by the interviewer. And then the golden question pops-up, “do you have any questions for me?”. What? As a candidate, I should prepare questions for you, the interviewer? If you are one of those who blurt out: “Nope, all is good.”, chances are you might have crushed your opportunities to score the job.

Asking questions at the end might seem like a neglectable issue, but, it can make or break your chances. Attending a job interview isn’t just about hiring managers considering if you are the “right fit” for the organisation; it is also essential for interviewees to learn if they want to be a part of that organisation. 

Asking the interviewer the “right” questions will help you to learn a lot about the organisation as well as the person you might be reporting to someday. Apart from being able to do the job, get a better remuneration package, enjoy better company benefits, opportunities to climb the corporate ladder, etc., you might also want to learn about the company culture, working styles, the synergy between employees, your hiring manager’s leadership style, why the incumbent has decided to leave; some answers to help you gauge if you can fit in. When you prepare the right questions, they can also lead you to perform better in your interview. 

Now it got you thinking about what type of questions you should ask? Many organisations have more than one round of interview (usually 2-3 rounds), and you would want to prepare different questions for different individuals. Here is the breakdown:

Stage 1: The Recruiter

They are known as the front-liners of the recruitment department, the person who is the first to screen suitable candidates. Recruiters are the ones who will give you the initial call to learn if you are open for job explorations, also the person who will walk you through the recruitment journey. The phone call includes verification of information written on your CV, learning about your push and pull factor of looking out, explaining the job responsibilities, and managing your expectations. At this stage, you want to find out brief information about the organisation. 

Several questions that you want to ask includes:

1. Could you share with me the nature of the business of this organisation.
2. Is this a new or replacement role? If it is new, why is it so? If it is a replacement, what encouraged the incumbent to leave?
3. Who will this role report to or who is the reporting manager?

Essential questions like the above will give you solid points to do your research whilst the recruiter schedules the next interview for you. Google and LinkedIn will likely be your best friend as you will read up information about the organisation and LinkedIn profile search for the incumbent and hiring manager. Having to know the push factor of why the incumbent left can also help you understand the potential expectations that may fall on you. 

Stage 2: The Hiring Manager

This person who will be interviewing you will likely be the person you are reporting to, and it is crucial to learn if you can click with him or her. Knowing a thing or two about the types of behaviour, which you can learn from taking various behavioural assessments, it can help you to assess the compatibility of both you and the hiring manager. 

At this stage, you should you can opt for questions like the following:

1. How would you describe your leadership style?
2. What are the three things that you like about working in this organisation?
3. Do you have any reservations about my qualifications? Was there anything that I have said gave you doubts about my fit for the role?

Getting to know the hiring manager’s leadership style is vital to help you to decide if you can work with this individual for a long run. If the hiring manager has been with the company for many years, he or she will have solid points to convince you that organisation has a positive culture and environment. However, when the hiring manager shares information with a hint of negativity, this will allow you to learn why he or she felt that way; to find out what went wrong. Questioning if they have reservations about your qualifications enables you to revisit points you have said that failed to convince them, possibly giving you a second chance to recollect your thoughts and reconvince them with how you will tackle the shortfall.

Stage 3: The Final Decision Maker

When you successfully arrive at this stage, pat yourself in the back, you are very close to touching the sky! It doesn’t mean you should take this lightly; you should still carry out proper preparations. Even though the final interview is usually just a formality but leaving a good impression and asking questions that show that you care about giving your best to the organisation makes a significant impact. 

Shall we jump right into the questions? 

1. What is the biggest challenge, and how do I help overcome it in this role?
2. How could I do to exceed your expectations in the first six months?
3. What is your most challenging and favourite part of the job?

We face challenges every day, and it is delightful when someone is willing to lend you a hand to overcome it. By learning about the biggest challenge that you might face, it can prepare you mentally and emotionally if it is something that you can or want to handle. It also gives you the upper hand to develop solutions to overcome the hurdle while waiting to start work. Next, discovering how to exceed the interviewer’s expectations before your probation period ends shows him or her that you have the determination to excel in your job. At this trying time, where sustaining the business is most leaders’ top priority, the last thing they would want is worrying about handling wrong hires. Lastly, to lighten up the mood and perhaps get to know your interviewer a little better, a borderline personal, professional question will provide you insights to how he or she got to where they are today in their career. 

In conclusion, give your 100% in finding a job that will help align the “constellation” of satisfaction, happiness and success. Always be ready to ask questions when you have the chance. Remember, you have the right to find a job that genuinely fits your expectations.  Allow yourself to have enough information and practice before  jumping into any interview. Last but not least, be a responsible candidate and respect the time and effort that are put in by the recruiters, hiring manager and the organisation to interview you. Best of luck!

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