QUESTIONS TO ASK

Can you tell me what skills or competencies are the most important to be successful in this job?

This may seem like a strange question. After all, the employer must think you have the necessary skills/experience, in order for them to have decided to interview you. You may even find that the interviewer has given you a run-down on the job as part of the interview. That’s okay, you are asking what the most important parts of their requirements are. Why?

Well, if they tell you what is most important to them, it gives you an opportunity to highlight your expertise in this area. You should ask the question because it enables you to focus their attention on your suitability. When they tell you, you can say something like ‘that’s interesting. I don’t think my CV shows just how much of my time at JB Jones was spent on that type of work. I’ve always found it fascinating.’

What would be the best and worst points of this position?

This is a good question from two points of view. First, it’s good to ask if you have any doubts whatsoever over whether or not you are interested. It’s also another opportunity to shine. If they tell you the worst points of the job, and you can say ‘Is that all? I find I actually like that kind of task’, it tells them that you’d be a good fit with the job, and that you would probably stay – going back to the three fundamental concerns of interviewers.

Would you be the person I report to? If not, will I be able to meet him or her?

This question first tells you if this would be your new boss, so that you can judge whether or not you’d like working for them. But secondly, and more importantly, it forces the interviewer to picture you as an employee – they have to either imagine themselves as your boss, or imagine someone else at the company as your boss. Seeing you in the job is a powerful psychological shift, and usually can only be beneficial.

Assuming I took the job, how big a team would I be working with?

Again, the interviewer starts to imagine you in their team. This is a very good move on your part, as imagining important events is something we do all the time. What person starting a new job doesn’t imagine their first day, for example? What bride doesn’t imagine herself walking down the aisle? It’s human nature. Make yourself part of their imagined picture, and they are more likely to feel you are the right person for the job.

What would you say should be my number one priority if I took this job?

This question also forces the interviewer to picture you actually doing the job.

What happens next?

It helps to know how long you are likely to wait before hearing anything. Be warned, however, a lot of interviewers get quite detailed when asked this question, and talk about timescales and deadlines. This can falsely raise your hopes, to be told about future interviews if you aren’t invited back, for example. It can also make the interviewer stop thinking about you, and start thinking about the arduous task of recruiting. You become part of a problem, not a possible solution. It’s best to leave this question to the very end, and be very casual about it. If the interviewer starts going into the process in detail, just say ‘that’s fine, I just wanted some idea as to roughly when I can expect to hear from you.’

One last question

Before you say you’ve no more questions, just think for a moment. This is your one opportunity before the interview ends to ‘squeeze in’ any information you’ve not had a chance to offer until now. You can sell yourself just one more time! This is easy to do by a question such as, ‘I’ve had a lot of experience with handling . . . How do you handle those transactions here?’ This tells them you’ve had a lot of experience at it, and draws attention to the thought you’ve put into the task.