As you probably know, job interviews aren’t just a chance for you to sell yourself to the company, but also to see if it would be a good fit for you. Therefore you need to know if this is the place you actually want to work, but without offending anyone or appearing as though you haven’t already researched the company online. So what can you ask the hiring manager that couldn’t be answered by a quick Google search? We have your list:
Ask About The Job Itself
What does a typical day look like?
What skills do you think are the most important for this position?
Can you show me examples of the types of projects I’d be working on?
What would be the first and immediate concerns?
What type of skills on this team are missing that you’d like a new hire to have?
Is this a new role that has been created?
Do you expect the main responsibilities of this role to change in the next year?
Ask About Training and Career Advancement
How will I be trained?
What training programs are available to employees?
Is there training for advancement?
Where is the last person who held this job moving on to?
Where have your successful employees previously in this position progressed to?
Ask About Your Potential Success
What are the performance expectations of this job over the first year?
What is the performance review process like here? How often would I be formally reviewed?
What goals would my performance be evaluated against?
Questions to Ask About the Interview
How long have you been with the company?
How has your role changed since you’ve been here?
What did you do before this?
Why did you come to this company?
What’s your favorite part of working here?
Interview Questions To Ask About The Team
Can you tell me a little bit about the team I’ll be working with?
Who will I work with the most closely and who would I report to?
Do you expect to hire more people in this department in the next six months?
What are the common career paths in this department?
Which other departments work most closely with this one?
Interview Questions About the Company Culture
What’s the company and team culture like?
Would you describe the work environment here as collaborative or independent?
What was the last team event everyone did together?
What’s your favorite office tradition?
What do you and the team usually do for lunch?
Do you ever do joint events with other companies or departments?
What’s different about working here than anywhere else you’ve worked?
Interview Questions About the Next Step
Is there anything that concerns you about my background is a good fit here?
What are the next steps of the interview process?
Is there any other information I can provide you with that would be helpful?
Can I answer any final questions for you?
Before Your Interview
Asking questions that can be answered by researching online will show that you didn’t do the basic homework. Besides the basic Google search, be sure to also check the Google news tab and also research social media accounts. After all, if the team of three of Tim, Terry, and Tina are promoted on social media and you’re supposed to be joining them, the hiring manager is going to count this as a strike against you if you ask who is on the team. Double-check, quadruple-check, and over-research instead of winging it. Be sure to pick at least two different questions that couldn’t possibly be answered by an online search so that you’re always prepared, no matter where you interview!
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