Jobhop Jobhop's blog : Ten Questions To Ask At An Interview

Ten questions to ask at an interview, save this post for when that time comes!

Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”, the man was right! You must never be racking your brains for questions to ask the interviewer when he or she says “what would you like to ask me?” the questions should flow from you.

Asking great interview questions takes preparation, and you must practise until they roll off the tongue.

Make sure to compile a list of the best interview questions and keep going over them until they feel natural to ask. You won't want to use all the same questions at every job interview because every interview is unique, but you’ll probably have your favourites.

Below are ten questions to ask at an interview

What is your employer promise?

It’s not all about what you can do for them; it’s also what they can do for you. Your promise is to bring your skills, talent, maybe connections and devote 8hrs or more every day to the company. You’ve told them that you would deliver results and every day will be a productive one, now what are they going give back in return? Perhaps they can promise excellent training, personal and career development, shares in the business, whatever it is, it’s important to know that they will stand by it whatever happens.

Can you describe your company culture?

You want to make sure that you’re going to fit the company culture and not feel like you are a square peg in a round hole. If you’re a person who’s not one for drinking after work, but it’s a place where the employees like to go the pub after the day finishes, then you might find it uncomfortable. You might be someone who likes their own space but the office is open planned with rotational workstations, or everyone is super chatty, but you like peace and quiet. It’s best to find out as soon as possible whether you’re a culture fit or not; it will save your time and the employers.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

This is a typical interview question asked by the employer to the candidate, but candidates should be asking the same question. You want to know whether the company has a clear vision of where they are heading and whoever is interviewing you shouldn’t hesitate when talking about the company vision.

What is the company mission?

Why do its employees come into work every day? What are they trying to accomplish? If the company doesn’t know what it’s mission is then you might find that its employees might lack direction.

How often is feedback given?

To be able to give your best regular feedback is required. Good businesses know that by giving regular, helpful feedback employees are happier and are more productive. You want to make sure that they are a company who understand how important feedback is.

Would you say you’re an ethical company?

We all feel better when we know we’re surrounded by people with good ethics and working for an ethical company makes us feel better too. Do they help in the local community? Do they support certain charities? Are they passionate about a particular cause?

How agile is the company?

Technology changes every part of our lives at super speeds; you want to know if the company you’re considering working for can move swiftly or will it get left behind? You don’t want to work for a company who’s considered to be the dinosaur in the industry; you want to belong to a fast changing, forward thinking company.

What awards has the company won?

It’s good to work for an award winning company and knowing that it wins the industry “Best Customer Service Award” year after year gives peace of mind that they are the best at what they say they do. Award winning companies usually feel more united because awards bring people together.

Where will I be sitting?

This is a brave question to ask, but it tells the interviewer that you are visualising yourself working there. It doesn’t have to be that exact question; it could be “Where is the department that I’ll be working in?” The question might even prompt the interviewer to get up and take you there, once they do that they remove the barrier that’s been between you and them ( the desk) bringing you both closer. Psychologically this is a good move; it will make you stand out above the other candidates.

When will I hear from you?

You must always end the interview with this question. If the interviewer ends the meeting by saying “you’ll hear from me” you need to say “when do you think that will be?” Get them to commit to a date. You can then chase them up if it goes past that date and they’ve not called you.

All I have to say now is... Good luck at your next interview!

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