Whilst it is common to prepare for a job interview by practicing common interview questions that the interviewer will ask you, you should also think about questions to ask during a job interview that you want to address.
By asking the interviewer questions, it will demonstrate your interest in the position and show the hiring manager that you that you have carefully thought about this opportunity and company. It will also give you the opportunity to see if this role is the right one for you.
You should come prepared. Here are some questions to ask during a job interview:
1. What are the key responsibilities of this role?
A job description will likely list key responsibilities and a hiring manager should bring it up at the beginning of the interview process, but this isn’t always necessarily the case, and it may not be clear. Therefore, it is good to fully understand what the role requires and the expectations which come with the role. This will also help you to tailor your responses in future interviews.
2. What will I be doing day-to-day in this role?
This is different to the above question. This covers the daily tasks to achieve the overall responsibilities and deliverables. For example, your main responsibility could be to increase sales numbers, but your day-to-day tasks will be to make calls, attend meetings, and write proposals in order to achieve more sales. Another example could be to provide high quality customer service through daily tasks of answering phone calls and responding to emails or complaints.
3. Where does this role fit into the team? How does the team work?
Getting to understand team dynamics and roles is important. You want to fit in and align to their processes and structure because it will make your job easier and you will also know if the role is right for you and how you like to work too.
4. Where does this role fit into the organisation, along with its goals and objectives?
Your ultimate goal is to contribute to the success of the organization and work with others to achieve common objectives. Through asking this question you will show the interviewer that you care about your place in the company and how you can help achieve greater goals.
5. What do you need the person in this role to be in order to be successful? Who would perform best in this role?
When the interviewer asks you questions, your responses aim to show them that you are best suited for the role. Turning it around to them will get them to think about what they are looking for, and you can relate those qualities to you and your experience.
6. How do you measure success? Do you have KPIs or other key goals?
If you feel uncomfortable asking, don’t know what to say, or you have run out of time, this is one of the top questions to ask during a job interview. Focusing on results and success is very appealing for a company, so showcasing your understanding of this and your mindset of goal tracking and achievement will be seen positively.
7. What are the biggest challenges to overcome? How can I help them?
This demonstrates your commitment to uncovering challenges and obstacles so that you can understand them and overcome them. Potential employers will appreciate and respect this.
8. Would you like this role to grow and expand with new responsibilities? How?
Being career-oriented and dedicated to the organization will be an asset when making a decision on a future candidate. It will also give you the opportunity to see if there is any growth available for you.
9. Where is the company going in the next 1, 5 and 10 years?
This is tied into the previous question, but is focused on the company rather than the individual role. This question can show that you are committed to the future and would like to know how you fit into something bigger.
Further tips when questions to ask during a job interview:
- Asking about salary, benefits and time off during the interview stage can be perceived as rude and pushy, especially since you have not even been offered the role. Avoid bringing these up until you have a job offer and are in the negotiation stage. Asking about working hours and business travel is ok, as they are directly related to the job and its tasks.
- Be sure you do your research on the company before the interview to avoid asking basic questions which could be found online, such as on the company’s website. This will have the opposite effect by showing you have not prepared or done your research.
By preparing questions to ask during a job interview it will not only give you answers to make your own informed decision on if this role is right for you or not, but it can also help place you in a positive light for your future employers.
If you would like more interview tips, visit our job interview hub, or contact our team today.
