For Job Seekers Best Questions

to Ask at the End of an Interview

Career Design Where Practicality and Possibility Converge

By Maggie Graham, NCC, CPCC Career Coach http://maggie-graham.com/

Finally! It’s your turn to ask questions.

Have more questions prepared than you think you need.

If you answer “Not really,” at the end of an interview when you’re asked, “Do you have any questions

for us?” it’s a lost opportunity for further engagement and connection.

Useful Categories

Company culture

About the position you’re applying to fill

Performance evaluation

Getting to know the interviewer (helpful for customizing thank you notes)

Lead-in for your summary statement about why you’re best for this job

Questions about Company Culture

I read in your mission statement that you value A, B, C. How are these values reflected in the day-to-day company operations?

What are some specific examples of the best and worst expressions of the company’s culture?

Would you give examples of when you have been encouraged to spend time on training and education outside of the office?

What are three words that the people who are important in your life, outside of work, use to describe your workplace?

Would you give me an example of how decisions are made and then communicated here?

What’s one key element of this company’s success that someone from the outside wouldn’t know?

Who are the heroes and heroines here? What characteristics do the people who are celebrated have in common?

Or

What are the characteristics common to the promising people you hired who then failed?

Position Questions

What tends to be the typical career path for someone entering this role?

Why is this position vacant? Is it a new position?

Given that resources are stretched across everyone’s budget in these economic times, why did you decide to hire for this position instead of the many other positions you may have considered? What about this position made you prioritize it over others?

Performance Evaluation Questions

How will you evaluate my success in this position? What will have happened three or six months from now that will prove that I have met your expectations?

What is your 30-day onboarding plan for this position?

If as a company, we are very successful in the coming year, what indicators will show that success? How will the person in this position contribute to that success?

Questions to Get to Know the Interviewer

What do you wish you’d known when you were in my shoes?

What made you make the decision to work for this company?

What is your favorite day of the work week? Why?

What professional worries keep you up at night?

Do you feel valued here? What makes you know that your contributions here matter?

From the research that I have done on Company X, I understand the appeal of working here, but what is it that keeps you here?

Questions that Lead-In to Summary About your qualifications and how you’re the best fit for this job

Is there anything in my background or in what we discussed today that would prevent me from advancing to the next step in this process?

Are there any additional questions or further concerns about my skills and experience needing clarification for this position?

I hope your interviews go well!

Maggie Graham

Career Coach | Resume Writer | LinkedIn Profile Developer

maggieinfoco@gmail.com

http://maggie-graham.com/

www.linkedin.com/in/maggiegrahamcareercoach/