Just before wrapping it all up in an Interview, pop comes the question from an interviewer, “Do you have any questions for us?” Don’t give away blank looks and ask silly questions or worse ask nothing at all!! Your chances of displaying your amazing intelligence and impressing your interviewer slowly become dim and dimmer from there!! Preparing well in advance can save you some grace and also help you in asking interactive questions! Relevant queries put forward to an interviewer will showcase your interest and highlight things you must know! Still thinking about what is best to ask? We have come up with a list that will help you leave your mark with your beautiful question!!
Benefits of Asking Questions
The art of asking thoughtful questions to an interviewer comes with many benefits as listed here-
- Demonstrates your interest in the role applied. Any bad question or question not asked itself are turn-offs for an interviewer! Ensure to ask well-thought questions to be on the priority list of the interviewers!
- Gives you a platform to learn more about the organization and the role applied. Asking the right questions will help you establish if you need this job!
- Asking intelligent questions creates a positive impact on the interviewer and makes you someone whom the interviewer wouldn’t forget easily.
Your Beautiful Question Please
About the Company
The questions put forward about the company culture or competitions should show that you are educated about the basics of the company! Questions like, “What you Guys Do here?” or “How long has the company been here for?” can reflect poorly on you showing that you were least interested to even search about such generic information! The 7 questions given below are great questions to be asked about the organization.
- What will make working here special?
A question that will show that you are not just looking for a job but you are looking for one which is the right fit in terms of culture!
- How do you describe the organizational culture here?
This question will impart knowledge on the company’s ethics, philosophy and culture right from the do’s and the don’ts to timings and relations with fellow employees. It’s always good to know about the work culture before hopping on to a new job to make you mentally and physically prepared and not put you in a state of shock!
- How will this Organization shape up in the next 5 years?
Questioning on this aspect will show you as a stable candidate who would like to grow as the company grows! That you are interested in the company’s future will certainly earn you extra points in the interview. In the case of nil planning by the company, it will show up for you to give another thought before joining!
- Who are your major competitors?
Research beforehand to learn more about the competitors so that if counter questioned you are not left speechless but can name a handful! However, asking to give an insight into the competition zone from the organizational perspective can give you a glance which no one else can present. All in all, a good question!
- Any major challenges the company is facing right now?
Highlighting challenges will highlight the problem areas and you could sell yourself once again to showcase your skills which will come handy in countering the problems! This will also give you a picture in advance of assessing how big will your tasks be as an employee!
- How are the Company Values defined and demonstrated here?
Googling about this prior hand would be a great idea and will show your willingness to researching in advance about the company values. The fact that you are looking for a company to match their values with yours will earn you a good score at the interview!
- What attributes will help me excel in the organization and be successful?
The question shows your interest in excelling in what you do and be successful in the company! Your hunger to succeed will certainly impress your employers and make you a good hire material!
About Role
Discovery of the success mantra to excel in the new role and the expectations from the perfect aspirant. This is exactly what these queries will lead you to! To ask about the role will give you a better understanding of the job at hand and your responsibilities involved apart from what was written in the job description! So, go ahead and ask these 7 superb questions to secure your position and learn more about it!
- Please throw light on the daily responsibilities of this role?
It’s essential for you to know about the day in day out responsibilities, however, go with some research here. In case this is a new role or you would be part of a cross-functional department this query helps in gauging requirements from you. But if this is a role which you have already been part of in your previous organization asking such a question will make you look ignorant!
- Who would be an ideal candidate for this job?
To ask this is to know whether you are the right fit for this job. This will also help you in preparation for the job in hand and upgrade your skill sets in case you land up with the offer.
- What would prevent me from bagging this offer?
Is the hiring manager happy with your candidacy? Do they feel you are tailor-made for the role? These questions would certainly be rattling your mind. There is no harm in asking the same however in an appropriate way! If there is feedback for you accept it sportingly and immediate action upon it!
- What are the challenges which can be part of this job?
No job is a rosy affair!! Every job has its challenges! Asking this question will let you prepare in advance for both good and bad in the job arena. Employers will find this question good and you very rational and calculative in approach. An opportunity again to come up with solutions to the problems!
- If I get this offer, how would my first week be like in the office?
Your eagerness to bag the role and get started is visible to the employers from this question. This is impressive and a proud moment for the interviewers, showing how much renowned is their organization or how attractive is the role! An answer could give you time to plan your work ways or brush up your skills which will come handy in the job.
- What lies ahead in the career path for someone in this role?
Everyone wants to grow and your hunger for career advancement will amaze your interviewers! Learning about the developments and opportunities while growing in tenure with the organization and the role, will give you a glimpse of your future growth and how you would want to picture yourself in the company say 5 years later.
- What are my next steps before this job opening closes?
The interview is over and the hiring manager might have already mentioned the next steps however if he hasn’t yet, it would be great for you to ask the same! Ask about your do’s and don’ts related to the job application post the interview. Also, ask if it would be proper to follow up on the status of your candidature related to the employment offer! You would this way know how much time before you could follow up and when you can be certain to look out for other opportunities!
Asking relevant questions is an art to create a powerful impact on the interviewer. So, don’t hold back your questions but quench your thirst for knowing more about the job and the organization. Your doing so will earn you your interviewer’s consideration and confidence!! Go prepare well and shoot!!
