Questions You Need to Ask in a Job Interview

Whenever we go for any interview, it is ever time we think that what is going to happen and what questions do we need to answer. In my few years of experience, I have found few questions to be best to ask in an interview. “It’s not about me, though, it’s about you”.  Here are those questions you need to ask in a job interview.  I have put this list collectively because so often we can forget what an interview’s all about. It sure feels like it’s about you, but it’s really not.

An interview is in fact about how you can help your future superior and future employer succeed. You can find out what their requirements and hopes are and are they matching up with your background and experience with what they need.

Overlooking these basic specifics about the interview is easy. There will be much else going on in your work, your life, and in your job search, so you often miss out these basic things which will result very bad from the interviewer’s point of view; which is not at all a good sign for you.

Look into some conversations in between, and explore what will you get when you ask meaningful questions.

When I asked how do I get a “gold star” when an evaluation is going on, the interviewers’ faces lit up!” You will never know where it will land you, but I can tell, if you ask such meaningful questions at the end, you may get a positive result.

Ask the interviewer about his leadership style and reward system, he will feel good and his face lit up like a Christmas tree, and land you in great.

After he answers the question, say “how can I help you receive your next promotion?”, he will begin to give you advice on how you should negotiate for a higher starting salary.

And that’s exactly the point. By asking these type of questions, which focus on the needs, personality, and preferences of your future boss and future employer, you’re demonstrating that you are somebody who is genuinely interested in their well-being.  And the more interest we show in others, the more promise they show to aiding our cause.

Let’s go into the topic and look at best interview questions. My aim here is to arm you with easy-to-ask, revealing-to-answer questions for you to take with you to an interview:

1. What’s the biggest change your group has gone through recently? Do your teams feel like things are getting better in the economy and for your business?
2. If I get into the position, how quickly can I earn a “gold star” on my performance review? What are the key undertakings you’d like to see in this role over a year?
3. What’s your leadership style?
4. About which competitor are you most worried? Or who are our best competitors?
5. How do sales / operations / technology / marketing / finance departments work around here? (the groups other than the one you’re interviewing for.)
6. Who are the most successful people here? What type of people are not?
7. What’s one thing which is a key to this company’s success that somebody from outside the company wouldn’t know about?
8. How did you get your start in this industry? Why did you pick this industry? Why do you stay?
9. What are your group’s best and worst working relationships with other groups in the company? What are the pain points you have to deal with day-to-day?
10. What’s your biggest worry these days and why?
11. What is the timeline for making a decision on this position? When should I get back in touch with you or with whom?
12. The economy is getting better, and there’s a lot of hiring going on. Why did you decide to prioritize this position instead of the many others you could have hired for?
13. What is your reward system? Is it a star system / team-oriented / equity-based / bonus-based? What do you guys hope to get out of it, and what actually happens when you put it into practice? What are the positives and the negatives of your reward system? If you could change any one thing, what would it be?
14. What information is shared with the employees? Is this an “open book” shop, or do you play it closer to the vest? How do I get access to the information I need to be successful in this job?
15. If we are going to have a very successful year in 2016, what will that look like? How does this position help achieve those goals? (This question helps show your ability to look beyond today’s duties to the future more than a year away.)
16. How does the company or my future boss do performance reviews? How do I make the most of the performance review process to ensure that I’m doing the best I can for the company?
17. What is the rhythm of the work around here? How about during the week or month? Is it pretty consistently spread throughout the week / month, or are there crunch days?
18. What type of industry / functional / skills-based experience and background are you looking for in the person who will fill this position?
19. What would the “perfect” candidate look like? How do you assess my experience in comparison? What gaps do you see?
20. What is your (or my future boss’) hiring philosophy? Is it “hire the attitude / teach the skills” or are you primarily looking to add people with domain expertise first and foremost?
21. In my career, I’ve primarily enjoyed working with big / small / growing / independent / private / public / family-run companies. If that’s the case, how successful will I be at your firm?
22. What characteristics do the people who are most celebrated have in common with each other? Conversely, what is the individuality that is common to the promising people you hired, but who then flamed out and failed or left? As I’m considering whether or not I’d be successful here, how should I think about the experiences of the heroes and of the flame-outs?

I hope you find these questions useful in your interviews!