Questions to Ask at Interview

Interviews
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prompt Journal - Interview Preparation

When you are preparing for an interview part of your preparation should be preparing some questions to ask at an interview.

Questions should be in one of the following categories:

  • ask questions to obtain the information you need an answer to so that you can properly judge if a job is right for you (excluding pay etc that would normally be dealt with at a different stage).
  • ask questions to demonstrate your knowledge. You might ask for their opinion on a current piece of work, issue, press release etc.
  • ask questions to demonstrate your interest in the job and the long term prospects of the job.

Just make sure that the answer to the question is not on their website and hasn’t already been covered off in the interview. Although you can and should ask follow up questions to get more insights or clarify anything that was unclear, but you should introduce these questsion with the awareness that you already have.

Example Questions:

Here are some sample questions:

  • How would you describe the responsibilities of the position?
  • How would you describe a typical day in this position?
  • How many people work in this office/department?
  • What is the typical work week? Is overtime expected?
  • How are employees measured in terms of performance?
  • How could I impress you in my first three months?
  • What challenges could I face in the first three months?
  • What are your expectations for this role during the first 30 days, 60 days, year?
  • How much travel is expected?
  • What are the biggest challenges facing the company/department right now?
  • What do you like the most about working here?
  • What’s the working environment and culture of the company like?
  • Can people develop quickly here?
  • What are the prospects for growth and advancement?
  • What processes exist to support employees in their career development?
  • Tell me more about the company’s training programme.
  • Where do you think the company is headed in the next 5 years?
  • When can I expect to hear from you and what are the next steps?
  • Are there any other questions I can answer for you?
  • How has this vacancy/position arisen?
  • How do you differentiate yourself from your competitors?
  • What are the organisation’s major business objectives this year?

Keep and prepare a list of questions you would like to ask at any interview.