Questions you should ask in an interview:

How would you describe the companys culture and leadership philosophy?

Can you please show me some examples of projects that Id be working on?

What is the single largest problem facing your staff, and would I be in a position to help
you solve this problem?

What specific qualities and skills are you looking for in the job candidate?

Is this a new position, or did someone leave? If someone left, why did they leave or what did
they go on to do?

What is the typical career trajectory for a person in this position?

What would you say are the three most important skills needed to excel in this position?

Who would be my manager, and will I have the opportunity to meet him or her?

Why do you like working here?

What does a typical day or week look like for the person in this position? Is there travel,
flextime, etc?

How do you see this position contributing to the success of the organization?

What do you think distinguishes this company from its competitors, both from a public and
employee perspective?

Does the company offer continued education and professional training?

How can I best contribute to the department?

What particular achievements would equate to success at this job? What would success look
like?

Are you most interested in a candidate who works independently, on a team, crossfunctionally, or through a combination of them all? Can you give me an example?

What is your ideal communication style with your staff? Do you meet regularly with your
team, rely heavily on e-mail, use status reports or work primarily through other means?

How do you see me as a candidate for the job in comparison with an ideal candidate?

Do you have any concerns about me or about my qualifications that may prevent you from
selecting me for the job?

What is the next step? When do you think you will be making a decision?

Questions to avoid in an interview:

Never ask for information you could have easily found with a quick Google search.

Never ask if you can change the job details, the schedule, or the salary.

Never ask many questions about the interviewers background.

Never ask about pay, time off, benefits, etc. (Wait until later in the process to inquire about
these things.)

Never ask What does your company do?

Never ask If Im hired, when can I start applying for other positions in the company?

Never ask how quickly you can be promoted.

Never ask Do you do background checks?

Never ask about gossip youve heard.

Never ask if the company monitors e-mail or Internet usage.

Regarding role specific questions, look through the job description to see if there are
any areas that you would like more information about. Here are some good
examples of the questions you could ask about the role:

Why has the position become available?

What are the main objectives and responsibilities of the position?
How does the company expect these objectives to be met?
What are the measures used to judge how successful I am in the role?
What obstacles are commonly encountered in reaching these objectives?
What is the desired time frame for reaching the objectives?
What can I expect from you in terms of development and support?
What aspirations do you have for me at the company?
Where will the job fit into the team structure?
Good interview preparation should have given you an insight into what its like to
work for a company, but its good to get answers straight from the horses mouth in
case youve misinterpreted anything. These questions are a good place to start:
Whats the best thing about working at your company?

What is the main thing the organisation expects from its employees?
How do you build good relationships within teams?
What is the turnover of staff like throughout the company?
Are there any plans for expansion?
How would you describe the company culture and management style?

Questions a job-seeker might ask at a job interview:

Can you describe a typical day for someone in this position?

What is the top priority of the person who accepts this job?

What are the day-to-day expectations and responsibilities of this job?

How will my leadership responsibilities and performance be measured? And by

whom? How often?

Can you describe the company's (or division's or department's) management style?

Can you discuss your take on the company's corporate culture?

How would you describe the company's values?

How would you characterize the management philosophy of this organization? Of

your department?

Does the organization support ongoing training and education for employees to
stay current in their fields?

What do you think is the greatest opportunity facing the organization in the near
future? The biggest threat?

Why did you come to work here? What keeps you here?

How is this department perceived within the organization?

Is there a formal process for advancement within the organization?

What are the traits and skills of people who are the most successful within the
organization?

What is the organization's policy on transfers to other divisions or other offices?

Are lateral or rotational job moves available?

Before you pick and choose from the following top 10, be sure to consider the culture of the
organisation and the interviewer doing the selecting. Adopt the right tone and convey a
positive attitude you want to ensure this opportunity works for you, not against you.
What are the most enjoyable and the least enjoyable aspects of the role?
This can show that you like to know what sort of challenge you are going to face and that
you like to get properly prepared for it, all in the expectation of being able to rise to it.
You mentioned there will be a lot of presenting/researching/liaising; what do your most
successful people find satisfying about this part of the role?
This question can serve two purpose; it demonstrates your listening skills and associates you
with being successful in the role and finding it satisfying.

 What types of training opportunities do you offer?

This is a classic question it highlights that you're keen to advance your skills and add
further value to the organisation.
Is there scope for promotion in the future?
This is another classic question. In a similar vein, it emphasises a determination to make
progress and over the long term.
Can you tell me how the role relates to the overall structure of the organisation?
With this question you're drawing attention to a preference for teamwork. It looks as
though you want to know where you would fit in and how your contribution would affect
the rest of the company.
How would you describe the work culture here?
This signals that you want to operate at your optimum and understand that for this you
require a positive environment. This indicates you're a good self-manager who is aware of
how to get the best out of yourself.
In what way is performance measured and reviewed?
This question flags up that you appreciate the importance of delivering real results. You will
be seen as someone who understands the value of commitment, reliability and returns.
What are the most important issues that you think your organisation will face? or You
have recently introduced a new product/service/division/project; how will this benefit the
organisation?
These variations both show that you are interested in the job and employer behind it too. It
will be apparent you have done some research, done some thinking, and are now eager to
hear their analysis.
May I tell you a little more about my particular interest in communicating with
clients/developing new ideas/implementing better systems?
This is a cheeky and obvious way of getting permission to blow your own trumpet but then
that's what this interview is all about.
Do you have any doubts about whether I am suited to this position?
This is a rather more brazen way of emphasising some of your strengths. It suggests you are
open to constructive criticism and willing to learn from the experience of others. It also
gives you a real chance to address any weaknesses the interviewee may think you have.
Finally, it allows you to finish on a high, re-stating why you think you are the right person.

9 questions to ask the interviewer:

1. How would you describe the general culture of the company and the
workplace?

2. Why did you choose this company?

3. Will there be any form of training provided?
4. What are some of the biggest challenges/successes facing the department
currently?
5. What process will be used to evaluate my employee performance?
6. Who will be my direct supervisor?
7. Are there many opportunities for professional development within the
company?
8. What is the usual time frame for making the hiring decision?
9. May I contact you if any further questions arise?

Tips:
An interview is a two-way street. (A polite street, with traffic rules.)
Ask questions. The employer should, and will typically, provide an opportunity for you to ask
questions at or near the end of the interview.
Always prepare questions to ask.
Having no questions prepared sends the message that you have no independent thought
process, or are ill-prepared, or are not bright, or some combination.
Employers make judgments about you based on the questions you ask.
Have you done your research on the organization? (If yes, good.)
Are you asking rather dull questions that you could find in a web search, but about which you
have no interest? (Not good.)
Are you asking about salary? (Bad sign.)
Are your questions intelligent and thoughtful and cordial? (Very good.)
How many questions to ask:
There's no set number. It's not a formula.
It really depends on what you need to know.
However, it's highly unlikely that you would enter an interview without at least three to five
questions on your mind and prepared to articulate.
You may in fact have 20 questions on your mind, but there may not be sufficient time alloted to
cover that many questions.
Prioritize your questions based on the interview situation.
Is this the first interview? Ask for information that matters most early.
Is this the second interview? By now you should know the basics, so ask more probing
questions.
Is this an all-day interview during which you are meeting with different groups and individuals?

Ask questions that fit the roles of those individuals and groups (and ask one same question of all
in order to compare responses!).
Show you've done your homework.
Example: "I read on the company / organization / agency website that employees have recently
done presentations at XX conference. Is that a typical opportunity in the job for which I am
interviewing? Are there specific professional organizations employees have been encouraged to
join?"
Know the nature of the organization and appropriate terminology.
Not all employing organizations are "companies."
Governmental agencies and not-for-profit organizations are not accurately referred to as
companies.
Most educational institutions are not for-profit (although some are), and may call themselves
schools, colleges, universities, institutions, etc.
Some for-profit organizations may call themselves firms or businesses or agencies.
You will appear more prepared if you use appropriate terminology as used by the specific
organization.
Some of your questions may be answered during the course of the interview, before you
are offered the opportunity to ask.
If so, you can simply state something to the effect that you were interested in knowing about ...,
but that was addressed during the interview (and express appreciation for the thorough
information you were given).
You could ask for additional clarification if applicable.
Do not ask questions that are clearly answered on the employer's web site and/or in any
literature provided by the employer to you in advance.
This would simply reveal that you did not prepare for the interview, and you are wasting the
employer's time by asking these questions.
Never ask about salary and benefits issues until those subjects are raised by the employer.
Just as with questions asked by the interviewer to the candidate:
Good questions are open-ended, and thus cannot be answered with a "yes" or "no."
Better questions are behavioral: they ask how things are done or have happened in the past,
because current and past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.
The least useful questions are hypothetical, such as "what would you do if...?" The better way to
get a useful answer is to ask the behavior "what have you done when....?" However,
hypothetical questions can make sense if asking about something a person or organization has
never experienced; the answer would at least exhibit the thought process.

Your questions must show your own thought process.

What are the organization's/company's strengths and weaknesses compared

to its competition?
How does upper management view the role and importance of this
department and this position?
What is the organization's plan for the next five years, and how does this
department fit in?
Could you explain your organizational structure?
What do you most enjoy about your work with this organization / company /
agency?
How have various types of decisions been made?
What are the various ways employees communicate with one another to carry
out their work?
How will my leadership responsibilities and performance be measured? By
whom?
What are the day-to-day responsibilities of this job?
Could you describe your company's management style and the type of
employee who fits well with it?
What are some of the skills and abilities necessary for someone to succeed in
this job?
What is the company's policy on providing seminars, workshops, and training
so employees can keep up their skills or acquire new ones?
What particular computer equipment and software do you use?
What kind of work can I expect to be doing the first year?
What percentage of routine, detailed work will I encounter?
How much opportunity is there to see the end result of my efforts?

How and by whom will my performance be reviewed? Are there specific

criteria upon which I would be evaluated? And how frequently is formal and
informal review given to new employees?
How much guidance or assistance is made available to individuals in
developing career goals?
I read on the company / organization / agency website that employees have
recently done presentations at XX conference. Is that a typical opportunity in
the job for which I am interviewing? Are there specific professional
organizations employees have been encouraged to join?
How much opportunity will I have for decision-making in my first assignment?
Can you describe an ideal employee?
What is your organization's policy on transfers to other cities?

For the interview itself you should dress smartly and

appropriately. It is important to have some questions
prepared and here are a few that could really help:

1. What exactly would my day-to-day responsibilities be? It is essential that

you clearly understand your role and the tasks that you would be expected to
undertake. It is easy to make assumptions and get the wrong impression of
what the work would be so it is vital for both sides that there is clarity in what
is expected of you. If the interviewer cannot give a clear answer then this is a
worrying sign, so politely follow up with more questions. Some people even
ask to see exactly where they will sit.

2. What are the opportunities for training and career advancement? This
question serves two purposes. It helps you to understand where the job might
lead and what skills you might acquire. It also signals that you are ambitious
and thinking ahead.

3. What is the biggest challenge facing the organization today? This sort of
question takes the interview away from the detail and towards strategic issues.
It allows to you see and discuss the bigger picture. It proves that you are
interested in more than just the 9 to 5 aspects of the job. It can lead to
interesting discussions that can show you in a good light especially if you
have done some intelligent preparation. If appropriate you can follow up this
question with some questions about the objectives of the department and the
manager who is interviewing you.

4. When did you join? After the interviewer has asked a number of questions
about you it can make a good change to ask a gentle question about them.
People often like talking about themselves and if you can get them talking
about their progress in the company you can learn useful and interesting
things.

5. What are the criteria that you are looking for in the successful candidate for
this position? The job advertisement may have listed what was wanted in a
candidate but it is very useful to hear the criteria directly from the interviewer.
The more that you can discover about what they want and how they will make
the decision the better placed you are to influence that decision.

6. How do you feel that I measure up to your requirements for this position?
This follows on naturally from the previous questions. It may seem a little
pushy but it is a perfectly fair thing to ask. In sales parlance this is a trial
close. If they say that you are a good fit then you can ask whether there is any
reason you might not be offered the job. If they say that you are lacking in
some key skill or attribute then you can move into objection handling mode
and point out some relevant experience or a countervailing strength.

7. Would you like to hear what I could do to really help your department? If
you want the job then this is a great question to ask at the end of the
interview. Most interviewers will reply, Yes. Drawing on what you have
learnt in the conversation, you can give a short sales pitch on why you fit the
criteria and why your strengths and ideas will siginficantly assist the boss to
meet their objectives. Make it short, direct and clear with the emphasis on the
benefits for them of having you in the team. At the end ask something like,
how does that sound?