Your turn: Ask these questions during your next job interview

A bit like visiting the dentist, job interviews are one of those occasional occurrences that no one particularly enjoys engaging in, yet does so anyway in pursuit of a better tomorrow. Who doesn’t want a better, higher paying job? About the same amount of people who would be happy with cavities in their teeth.

Eager anticipation mixed with anxiety on the eve of a big job interview is a feeling we can all relate to, but let’s face it, such high pressure social interactions can’t help but favor the extraverts, egotists, and vain among us. Certain personalities are simply more comfortable talking about themselves than others. One relevant piece of research published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology even tells us narcissists tend to perform especially well during job interviews thanks to their tendency to project confidence and self-assurance. Arrogance is usually looked down on in life, but a job interview is one of the few occasions when modesty is more of a hindrance than a help.

Indeed, if there’s one golden rule for acing a job interview, it’s that silence is certainly not golden. If you don’t speak up and articulate precisely why you’re the best fit for the open position, rest assured the next candidate to walk through the interviewer’s door will. 

So, where does that leave other applicants who may not be as fond of the sound of their own voice? It won’t come as naturally, but even the most introverted individuals should try to step out of their shell and adopt a more talkative persona during job interviews. One way of achieving this that many applicants fail to fully take advantage of is asking questions. While you should absolutely be prepared to answer most of the questions posed during a job interview, it’s a major fallacy and myth that applicants shouldn’t throw a few questions of their own back at hiring managers, recruiters, etc. 

An interview isn’t an interrogation, applicants have every right to ask a wide variety of questions while meeting with a prospective employer. After all, despite popular culture telling us applicants should be nothing but grateful for every employment opportunity, a job interview also represents a major chance for the candidate to assess if the company and role in question is going to work for them. In other words, you’re also interviewing the employer! 

Let’s take a deeper dive into questions you can ask during your next job interview.

A few general suggestions to keep in mind

• It’s a good idea to take a few minutes before the interview to formulate a few questions you’d like to ask. You shouldn’t feel married to these queries; if a better question comes to mind during the interview, go with your gut.

• Don’t save your questions for the end of the interview. The worst job interviews are mechanical and impersonal. Finding more casual, organic ways to insert your questions throughout the conversation will help the interview flow much more smoothly.

• Specificity is your friend. Don’t just spout off stereotypical questions like “What is the starting salary?” or “What benefits do you offer?” Instead, incorporate specific facts about the employer/position. Maybe a certain topic came up during the interview itself, or you came across an interesting tidbit while preparing for the interview. Tying your questions to such instances shows you’re paying close attention and fully invested in landing the role.

• Keep in mind priority number one – landing the job! At the end of the day, even questions posed during a job interview should still serve to place the applicant in the best light possible. Remember any question you ask should reflect positively on you and your intentions for the position if offered the role.

Questions to ask during a job interview

Here are just a few examples of questions you may want to ask during your next job interview:

• What traits and characteristics do you believe are essential to succeeding in this position over the long-haul?

• If hired, what should be my number one goal during the first few months on the job?

• Do you offer any learning or in-house developmental programs that can help develop my professional skills further?

• Can you tell me more about the team I’ll be working with everyday? 

• What is the #1 skillset you currently believe the company/department is lacking? 

• How will success in this position ultimately be defined? In other words, how will performance evaluations be structured? 

• I know the organization has been prioritizing expansion into new markets in recent years. Do you anticipate these efforts to impact the position I’m pursuing at all?

• What is your favorite part about working here?

• I recently read that the company just acquired a smaller firm. Is the scope of this position expected to change or expand at any point in the near future?

• How would you describe the company culture?