5 Questions You Should Ask In Every Interview
Before my first interview for a real job, I had no idea what questions to ask the interviewer. Now that I’ve interviewed (and been offered jobs) at seven companies, I’ve learned which questions work the best. They work because they not only get you necessary information, but they also present them in a way that shows you are serious about your career. These questions are hard enough for the interviewer that they also swing the balance of power back in your favor. They indicate that you have been shopping around, and they suggest that you have some minimum requirements that they must meet. It will no longer be a scenario where you are begging for whatever you can get. Now they will be answering to you.
1. How will my performance be judged? How will I know if I am getting better, staying the same or getting worse? what can I do to establish myself as a top performer?
2. Where is your industry/product in its lifecycle? Are we currently innovating, or are we supporting something on its tail end?
3. What mentoring opportunities will be made available? How will I be kept in the loop on key business activities?
4. To whom will I report? How many people are in that organization? Are there advancement opportunities in that group, if so what is a realistic timeline for promotions? If I see an opportunity to fix or improve something, is there a way to effectively communicate this to my manager?
5. Can I get all benefits (especially those pertaining to equity opportunities) in writing? Once we agree on all the terms, are you willing to put it in writing and sign it? Get into the nitty-gritty here. Be sure to ask how much will be deducted from each paycheck to pay for health insurance. This will not be covered in the 100 page booklet they give you. Remember, all of those booklets and pamphlets are advertisements; they are designed to make it look better than it really is.
3 questions to skip
1. Why did the last person leave? This is a dumb question because you will never get a truthful answer.
2. How important is the work-life balance? This is also dumb because they will always say it it better than it actually is.
3. How do you do raises? This is dumb because the answer is always the same. Additional money and benefits are awarded based on performance. Instead, you should assume that you’ll get a raise if you are a top performer. So you should refer to #1 above and ask how you can establish yourself as a top performer.
If you are nervous, remember one thing: it is not about whether you are good enough for the job, but whether or not the job is good enough for you.
Picture Credit: Post Journal
Welcome! If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed or subscribe via email. Thanks for visiting!
8 Responses to “5 Questions You Should Ask In Every Interview”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Subscriber in a reader
November 7th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Another important piece is not to focus too much on location. Too many Gen Yers either want or don’t want to travel and they make it very evident in their questions. This will limit your flexibility and the jobs open to you.
November 7th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Very useful stuff — could be polished and printed on a handout for a university career center.
November 7th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Right on. I think that we’ve all been in a position where we wish we would have asked these questions before accepting a position. I think that along with putting the benefits in writing, one of the best things that I’ve ever done is put my exact job description in writing and have that signed by both parties. That way if you’re expected to do something that isn’t on the signed job description, you have either the option to say no or the option to use it as leverage when negotiating a raise (”Well, remember the time that I…?”).
Anyway, excellent post. Great advice.
Josh Boldman
http://www.joshboldman.com
November 7th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
Suppose it’s a job that will require two or three interviews. At what point is it okay to ask about salary? Or is it never okay to ask? Should someone just wait until the last interview to see if you are offered? I would hate to put a ton of time into the interviews and personality tests if the salary was too low to accept the position in the first place. Thanks in advance.
November 7th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Instead of asking about salary outright, ask for a formal offer package. Part of this package will always be the salary. However, asking for the whole package shows that you aren’t just focussed on money. Typically I will phrase it like this at the very end of the interview (literally when you stand up to shake their hand)…
“It was very nice to meet you. I am definitely interested in the position. What’s the next step? Should I expect to receive a formal offer?”
This is classic salesmanship, you are basically trying to close the deal when you phrase it like this. They have to say yes or no. If they say no, you still have options. Ask if there is another round of interviews or what the next step will be. If they jerk you around, assume you aren’t a finalist and move on.
November 7th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
In terms of salary… never answer the question “what would you expect to make in this position?” They are setting you up for what you think it would be. You should always counter with something along the lines of “what does a person in this role typically make, a range is fine”. Once you’ve told them what you expect to make, you lose leverage later on when you want to discuss the terms of your salary.
December 28th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
[...] 5 Questions You Should Ask In Every Interview [...]
February 20th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
[...] be similar to the career path of the role you are interviewing for. Be sure to check out “5 Questions You Should Ask In Every Interview” for more questions to ask your interviewer. 7. Can I ask how large the staff is and how [...]