The only question you can guarantee an interviewer is going to ask you is: Do you have any questions for me? Cue your opportunity to show what a smart, insightful individual you are, and why they would be foolish not to snap you up today for an astronomical salary!
When given this opportunity in an interview, it can be helpful to ask questions such as:
- What do you enjoy most about working here?
- What qualities do the people here have who are really successful?
- How would you define success for me in the first 6 months/year in this role?
- What is the single biggest challenge this role faces?
- Who previously held this position, and what are they doing now?
However, the one question I get all my clients to ask at an interview is: From our conversation, do you have any concerns about my fit for this role and this organisation?
This works well for many reasons:
- It gives you opportunity to address any concerns that they may actually have, by highlighting your experience, skills, or talking about what you would do to overcome the challenges the employer foresees.
- It forces the interviewer to review your interview performance and, in their mind, say yes to you. This is particularly helpful when you are up against a number of candidates.
- It demonstrates leadership, showing that you are proactive and not afraid to have the difficult conversations.
- It also helps unearth the unexpected. One client found out that the interviewer had no concerns about him, but had already found a candidate internally who they were going to appoint. We can debate whether they should have even interviewed my client, but it was helpful to find out there and then rather than wait for a few days or weeks, and it meant he could focus on the next interview. His problem was he didn’t know which job to take when he was offered three in the space of month!
If you have any questions about your ability to do well in an interview, including the right questions to ask and what to do with the answers, then get in touch at [email protected].
Jenny Williams, Career Coach
@jenfi
