What Questions Should I Ask During An Interview?
What are good questions to ask during an interview is a good
question in itself, and one that always comes up when a
conscientious person is preparing for a big job interview. The
fact that a person even wonders that sets them apart from the
crowd of applicants and means that he or she is a proactive
individual, intent on making a good impression and proper
presentation of skills and experience.
The best question to ask, according to many human resource
management professionals, is "what can I do to benefit the
company?" This question shows a good, positive attitude and will
lead the HR manager to think of you as a go getter and team
player and the type of individual the company needs.
The worst question to ask would be anything that makes you, as
an applicant, appear to be selfish or self centered. A bad
interview question would be a question related to vacation, pay
or raises too early in the interview. It is best to first
establish that there could be a good ongoing professional
relationship between you as an employee and the company as an
employer before getting into the details. Of course vacation,
raises and starting pay are important to you, and the answers
will come in good time, but it is best to show the interviewer
that you will be a team player who thinks of the good of the
company and the team.
When interviewing remember that the HR manager or other decision
maker you are interviewing with has been through the process
dozens of times, if not hundreds. The decision maker may be a
little bored, and is looking for a way to liven up the
conversation and get some information on your personality. In
that case a good question to ask the decision maker would be
anything that relieves their boredom and allows them to talk. It
is an accepted fact of making friends and influencing people
that people love to talk, love the sound of their own voice, and
love to hear their own name. The sweetest sound anyone can ever
hear is the sound of his or her own name, so be sure to call the
interviewer by name. That is just basic human nature. With that
in mind, pay attention to the office surroundings. Does the
decision maker have a hobby, like golf or fishing? Does the
decision maker have sports trophies on display or a family
photograph? If so, ask anything related to what is important to
the decision maker. Disguised as small talk, this is a strategic
question that will bond you with the decision maker interviewer.
If you allow the interviewer to talk about something he or she
cares about, they will have positive feeling about you and about
the interview. Give it a try, it could be the best question that
you've ever asked a potential employer, and may lead to a great
job.