Questions to Ask on a Job Interview Part 1

When thinking about the best questions to ask during a job interview, you need to keep in mind that this is the part of the interview process that shows whether you’ve been paying attention or not, and if you actually care about the company.

You don’t want to ask vague questions, but you also don’t want to get ahead of yourself by talking too much about compensation or asking questions totally unrelated to the discussion that you just had prior. You want to engage the interviewer in a meaningful way and make them believe that you’ll be the type of employee that will ask the right questions on the job. 

Also, never reply no when asked if you have any questions. This will show that you have little interest in the position and have not done any research prior to the interview. You need to catch their attention by asking questions that spark the right conversations. Here are 5 general question techniques for anyone going to a job interview. 

Ask the Research Question 

You want to show an employer that you have done a good amount of research on the company prior to coming in. This can be done by looking at their website, checking out Glassdoor reviews, or by simply re-reading the job posting on sites like Indeed over and over again.

The research question should somehow tie-in to the job you are applying for. For e.g: if you are applying for a writing position; look up some of the company’s best performing articles and try to talk about how you can fit the mold by creating similar content. Maybe even bring a pitch to the meeting to impress them. The company ultimately wants someone who cares about being there, and not just a person who might have the skill set but is only interested in a paycheck. 

Ask About the Day-to-Day Responsibilities of the Job 

Along with interest in the company, employers also want to know that you’re laser-focused on the position you’re applying for. If they start to believe that you’re more interested in other departments, they might decide that you’re not the right fit.

By diving deeper into the position you’re discussing, you’re able to display your interest in a simple way. And there’s no better general inquiry than finding out the day to day for the average person currently in the role you’re gunning for.

Learning about the day-to-day is absolutely necessary in an interview for both parties. The employer will feel better knowing that they presented all of the information necessary for you to make a choice about the job, and the interviewee can’t later state that the job was misrepresented to them. 

Ask About Company Culture

If you are applying for a full-time job, you need to ask about the company culture since you’ll be spending most of your time at this place if selected for the position. You might be a tech worker that likes to work from home a lot and wear jeans to the office. But the company might be more rigid and require daily attendance with a business dress code.

You might also be looking for a place with lots of after-work activities and learning programs, but some companies prefer to stick to the bare-minimum. Start-ups often boast of aggressive environments, but you might want to do your 8 hours and go home.

Employers want to know that you are ready to work in their environment and don’t want someone who is going to march in and start trying to make their own changes.  

Ask Questions About Your Career Growth 

Companies are often looking for long-term commitments from employees, especially in today’s environment where people switch jobs once a year. One of the key elements of employee retention is providing them with some type of ladder to climb.

If a worker feels like they are in a dead-end, they will immediately start firing out that resume and looking for the next opportunity. This question is more for the interviewee and you need to carefully listen to the response of the employer. If you’re looking to stay at this job for more than a year, then you need to look for some key things. 

One of them being levels for your particular position. If you’re the only one of something, then it’s likely that there’s no room for growth and you’re only being hired to fulfill a temporary need.

Also, ask about other people in the company and how long they’ve been there. If they tell you 3 years or less, than there’s nothing that will guarantee you long-term employment. When you hear that people have been there 5 years and longer, there’s a good chance you might be able to stick around, but only if there’s other people in the role you’re applying for.

Ask Questions About Personal Growth

Even if you don’t land the position, you want to use this interview to sharpen your skills for the next one. And being that job hunting is a numbers game, you’re going to have to go on a lot of interviews to be successful.

Each time you’ll notice improvement if you’re given the right kind of feedback. You can ask questions like: did i have any weak points in the interview? You can even inquire about what they thought your strengths were. Ultimately, you want to find a way to see which parts of your overall presentation need work by creating the right questions.