Turn the tables on your interviewer. Asking the interviewer questions can work wonders when it comes to landing the right job.
Smart, open ended questions will boost your brand and help you ace the interview. Asking questions also makes you look interested/intelligent/motivated and will get you noticed, which means separating yourself from the pack.
Smart, open ended questions will boost your brand and help you ace the interview.
What’s more, the answers tell you if this is the job for you. That’s what we all want. Right?
Every job is different. But we’ve worked with Robert Walters’ director Erica Lindberg to come up with 10 questions designed to help you nab an awesome job.
Try these:
- Why is the role available? “I want to know if it is a revolving door.” Or is it a positive opportunity where the previous person has been promoted says Lindberg.
- What are the plans for the team in the next six months to two years? “This will tell you if the person you are meeting with is a forward thinker (and/or) is interested in growth and innovation.” The answers will mean different things to different people. If you’re ambitious you’ll want innovation. If you’re a plodder, the opposite may be true. The answer to this question can also validate what they have sold to you, says Lindberg.
- How do you celebrate success in your team? “That gives you an understanding of what the team might be like.”
- What kind of employee is going to fit best in your team? This will tell you if you’re ‘the one’ or it isn’t you, she says.
- What does a successful person in your team look like? “If it is someone really out going and gutsy and that is you then it might be the right position.”
- How important is this role or department in the organisation? If it’s essential to you that the role or department is central to the organisation then the answer will be important. Being in the thick of it can make you feel more valued than being in a backroom job or the research and development department that’s covered in cobwebs.
- What does the organisation value most in employees? “It might be coming to the table with ideas. It could be sales acumen, or someone who is a confident communicator with different parts of the business.” You’ll know whether you’re the person the interviewer describes.
- What made you choose this organisation and how long have you been here? This could catch the interviewer by surprise and elicit a really honest answer. Ask this of as many people you can in the organisation – especially if you have more than one interview. The answers will tell you a lot about the organisation, the team, and the culture.
- Where did the management come from? If you’re going for a position with the hope of moving up and becoming a leader it’s important to know whether the next role up will be open to you, says Lindberg.
Finally, having the confidence to ask these questions will give you a greater chance of landing the job and of knowing it’s the right job for you.
