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“So, do you have any questions for me?”
This common refrain toward the close of a job interview can make even the best of us stammer when the tables are turned. But with the national unemployment rate over 8%, sharp interview skills are more important than ever.
Whether or not you’re currently looking for a job, try your knowledge: Do you have the right questions to ask your interviewer?
The goal, of course, is to ask a few smart questions—thoughtful ones that show you’ve been paying attention and have done your homework when it comes to researching the company and the specific job you’re after. At the very least, you want to ask something.
Most employers agree that, “No, I have no questions,” is the worst possible response. “The most frustrating thing for a recruiter is when you don’t have any questions at all,” says recruiter Abby Kohut of AbsolutelyAbby.com.
We asked professional recruiters to brief us on the top 10 most common interview questions to scratch off our lists immediately—plus five effective ones to ask instead.
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“Company benefits [and salary negotiations] don’t come into play until an offer has been extended,” says Kohut. The same principle applies to sick time and vacation days. It’s best to avoid any question that sounds like you assume you already have the position—unless, of course, your interviewer brings it up first.
Why? It’s a matter of psychology. These kinds of questions put people on the defensive, says Kohut. She advises repositioning a question such as, “Why did the company lay off people last year?” to a less confrontational, “I read about the layoffs you had. What’s your opinion on how the company is positioned for the future?”
This is a great example of a question that could either make you sound thoughtful—or totally backfire and reveal that you did zero research about the company prior to the interview, says Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter of CareerTrend.net. Before asking any question, determine whether it’s something you could have figured out yourself through a Google search. If it is, a) don’t ask it and b) do that Google search before your interview!
Maybe you’re concerned about the company’s view of your performance, or maybe you’re just curious, but nix any questions about the company’s review or self-appraisal policies. “It makes us think you’re concerned with how often negative feedback might be delivered,” says Kohut. Keep your confidence intact, and avoid the topic altogether—or at least until you receive an offer.
Even if you make it clear that you’re hoping for a flexible schedule to accommodate a legitimate concern such as picking up your kids from daycare, Barrett-Poindexter advises against this question. “While work-life balance is a very popular concern right now, it’s not the most pressing consideration for a hiring decision-maker,” she says. “Insinuating early on that you’re concerned about balancing your life may indicate to your employer that you are more concerned about your needs and less concerned about the company’s.”
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Unless it was implied in the initial job description, don’t bring it up. “Some companies will allow you to work from home on occasion once they see what a productive employee you are,” says Kohut. But an interview isn’t the time to be asking for special favors. Right now your top priority is selling them on you first.
“Interviewing is a lot like dating,” says Barrett-Poindexter. “It’s important to entice with your value and attract them to call you for the next ‘date.’” Offering up your references too soon may hint at desperation. Plus, you don’t want to run the risk of overusing your references.
“An individual asking this question may come off as arrogant and entitled,” says recruiter Josh Tolan of SparkHire.com.
This is an uncomfortable one, says Tolan. Of course you may wonder about it, but will something like this really play into whether you accept a career opportunity or not? If so, he says, it may be time to rethink your priorities.
While a valid concern in today’s culture, this is something best left unsaid. “It gives the impression you have something to hide,” says Tolan. Play it safe and don’t post anything (especially disparaging things) about your company, co-workers, or employers on Facebook, Twitter—or anywhere on the internet, really.
And yes, even if you’re not “friends” with anyone at work. These kinds of things have a way of getting around.
Asking for specific insight into the company’s culture is key. “Everyone will tell you that their culture is great, but examples prove it,” says Kohut. This will help you decide if you want to work for them. At the same time, most interviewers are also trying to assess if you’re a good cultural fit for the company.
This is another example of a smart question that digs for specifics. “You want to be sure that your new company appreciates its employees,” says Kohut, and that the company values morale.
By nature, most people like to talk about themselves, so this question helps warm up your interviewer, suggests Barrett-Poindexter. It also provides critical insight into whether you’d be happy working with this individual or company. “If your interviewer’s answer excites you, that can further reinforce your decision to continue the interview process. If the response is lukewarm, it may give you something to think about before deciding to invest in a future here.”
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“This is a great question for team players,” says Tolan. It not only shows that you have a quality that’s very valuable to the company, but it also gets down to brass tacks when it comes to company culture.
This question shows you’re in invested in what you can bring to the company, and not just what the company can do for you. “Expect the answer to go deeper than just a basic skill set requirement,” says Barrett-Poindexter. “Hope that the interviewer will wander a bit, providing personal insight into qualities he favors–perhaps even offering nuggets of detail you can use to reinforce your value in the follow-up thank-you letter.”
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I can't buy that asking about salary even before the interview is still taboo. What about relocations? Who in their right mind is going to book a flight based on some juicy job description and a good phone screening without knowing the salary range? Of course you have to ask. Do so politely and diplomatically explaining your position.
I just recently had a very last minute impromptu phone screen that felt more like an inquisition. I can understand when dealing with third party recruiters who don't work directly with the client to be absolutely sure about the client they are taking on. I just hate the deceit. They advertise for administrative support with strong MS Excel skills when the reality is they really want an analyst preferably with a business degree but don't want to pay analyst who has a business degree hourly wages and they thrown in some clerical duties to "water down" what they really want. I'm sorry but I know of very few temporary workers who are administrative assistants that are Microsoft certified in MS Excel and do heavy analytical work.
Most of the administrative assistants I have have intermediate normal user skills and do spreadsheets with the basic of formulas, charts and graphs; and sometimes as strange as this seem, maps. The economy and the job market must be so bad that recruiters and companies are purposely making things difficult or using such underhanded means as ageism and imagism or to further weed out people to reduce the applicant pool.
I think the most frustrating thing is when you are interviewing with the recruiter or agency and not with the client themselves. I have temped for over ten years and I "know the drill". So when an agency account manager asks do I have any questions..I am so temped to say no because I have been temping for so long. When I have specific questions that most recruiters should know don't know..like : How soon does the client want the candidate to start? (because I can start as soon as they are ready) Another question is: What exactly is the client looking for in a candidate aside from the skills and work history (clearly if the recruiter called me in the skills and work history are part but not the whole parcel). The recruiter really doesn't know the client's corporate culture all that well so asking about the client's corporate culture and their views on diversity wouldn't be answered.
@Arlene Hohneker I worked as an independent contractor for a few years, doing technical writing and editing on a per project basis -- in other words finding a new job every couple of months or so. When dealing with recruiters, I would put myself in their shoes and try to make their job as easy as possible. Frequently, they would be competing with other recruiters to place candidates for an opening and their compensation was dependent upon their recommended candidates being hired. Or they would be under great pressure to weed through tons of candidates and not send through any duds. So it was my goal to make them feel good about me and put us both on the same side when it came to making THEM successful. So I'd ask questions about what it was like to do their job. What they needed to hear to feel confident about recommending me. What reservations they might have that I could address and eliminate. Their experience with this client. Their notion of the ideal candidate. What the pool of candidates looked like, Etc. One of the best interviewing tips I ever received was to get the interviewer talking as much as possible and to be interested in them and their goals. It's amazing how often the will put you past other equally qualified or even slightly more qualified candidates.
I was once interviewed and recruited by a Manager and I ended up reporting to another Manager on the day of joining. To my horror, I realized that he wanted a different type of candidate. How can we avoid this kind of situations?
In my experience, the interviewer always does some ground work about calling the right candidate as far is salary is concerned. They never call a candidate with out asking their current salary, which means they will not pay you less that what you are currently drawing and chances are they never give more than a 30 to 40% raise over your current salary unless the candidate has some niche and rare skills that the organization desperately needs.
Whether we like it or not, it all boils down to the candidate talking to an Individual who likes to be pleased and impressed subtly and not obviously. And the candidate has to put on a decent show. And it is best to convince yourself to put on a decent show than just fake it. Don't show desperation, don't ask embarrassing questions, exercise a lot of patience and wait for the right time to ask. This is like resisting the urge to lick your fingers and enjoy the food at a high profile business lunch.
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It's just a waste of time for companies and hiring managers to completely ignore the person being interviewed. Of course you want to know the salary, hours, work environment etc. If the interviewer doesn't tell them then there is nothing wrong with asking. In fact, why waste their time and yours by dancing around the issue? I may be the perfect person for the job - and as I look at it I'm also valuable to them - so they shouldn't be afraid to answer the most obvious questions. If they want me then quit wasting my time. HR doesn't have all the power here. Sometimes they're desperate to find the right person and might let them slip by if they're unwilling to discuss what everyone obviously wants to know.
Honestly - I couldn't care less about your company unless you're considering hiring me. And if you want my services treat me like an adult and let me know if I I'll honor your company by joining them.
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So a company will ask me my current salary or 'salary requirements' but *Im* not allowed to talk about salary?That advice is ancient and outdated. If a company wants me, they are going to start talking figures to get my attention. In fact, the entire "dont say" list is cookie-cutter copy-pasted from the hundreds of bad interview advice articles written over the past 20 years.
This says quite a bit about the "Don't" and as an interviewer I do not have a proper answer for the 5 questions. By saying it, I am curious to try all the Don'ts and ask the interviewer all the 10 not to ask questions. Thanks for these and would try them in my next interview.
I totally disagree, if you have to dance around any subject as taboo, you are better off waiting and getting a job with someone where you are both comfortable each other, then take a chance you don't hear the "dog whistle" when they blow, then fire you thinking the next guy will?
Frankly, you don't know what you are walking into, so to think you are going to guess about what might impress them as a "smart interview" question totally misses the point? If you put the job description accurately, why should I have any questions? What did you leave out, are you asking me to make improvements to the job process before I have even seen it?
Of course people don't say anything, they think you will be insulted that they did not understand everything you explained to them, that's why they are silent? That thought does not fit the "university template", but lets face it, a lot of people just don't have marketing skills necessary for getting hired, but are more than skilled at doing great work?
I've read these "help articles" for years, they are variations of course, but the same themes, and you can't help but wonder if the human resource culture and education coming out of universities and other places are really effective at business, or at preventing people from taking necessary risks that make the economy move?
Look at the unemployment rates, AND your retention rates, you can't ignore it?
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Its foolish to ask about anything other than "exhibited values". Traditionally all employers have hired people for what they know and fired them for "who" they are. Dont even begin to ask about previous experience until you are sure that they are the right "who". Don't waste anyones time. Even if they have all the knowledge in the world, you shouldn't hire them if they're not a "values" fit.
know that we are the average of our five closest friends... if you want to know someone, know their friends.
A simple and useful question to ask is something like ‘Can I take a look at an example of the work that would be expected of me’. For some reason people often describe the job but never actually show it. By asking to see examples, you get to see whether you’d really like the job and can tell the interviewer exactly how it fits in with your skills etc. It can prompt a more informal discussion – what software was this done in, how long did it take… etc.
It also sort of gets a foot in the door, a bit like saying ‘enough of the chit-chat, I want to get down to work’.
I think it’s good to throw in a question that will challenge them about whether they are, ultimately, friendly, flexible and trusting. If you say something like ‘Looking at other people’s time in the company, how do you think my day-to-day role would be after a year’. It gives interviewers a chance to say that people are working from home after a year etc. It also seems to relax things a bit if they can talk about real people.
The five "must" questions are all particularly good. I personally especially iike #3; it will both tell you a great deal
about the place, and, perhaps most importantly, lends a degree of emotional intimacy to the interview that is both mutually non-threatening and demonstrates the questioner's empathic capacities.
Thank you!
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This is all a show. Doesn't matter what you say, or how to say. Robotizing people. Putting everythin in the bracket, like in box. You cannot say this but you can say this. The interview should be friendly, open. No matter what you say or what they say, they gonna hire someone who knows someone nowdays or find someone who can work for them with cheap labor. Bottom line is they want to catch you andsuck your blood out.
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Hm, some great questions here - if you are looking for a permanent position. But if, like me, you are a freelance consultant the questions I ask before even speaking to the end client include:
1. How much are they paying per day? If it's too low, I walk away.
2. Can I work 4 days a week? It's normal for them to say 'not at first, but perhaps later' which is fine. If the answer is a firm 'no!' then they're not flexible, so they are not for me. As I've been freelancing for 10 years on basically 4 days a week (normal days, not 4 x 10 hours), it works fine for me.
It's about trust - do they trust you to do the job and do you trust them to keep their word. If the answer to both is 'yes' then the contract will work out just fine...
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I agree with Guest about salary being one of the first things that should be out in the open... also I take issue with #5, asking about flex hours. People have families and lives, the need to know what kind of flexibility the job offers is extremely important and should be made available early on.
Also, paid time off and sick days should also not be taboo - that's part of compensation and work/life balance. The fact that the article says it may seem that you're more concerned about your needs than the company's is absurd! Of course the job seeker is concerned about their needs more than the company's! Likewise the company is concerned for itself, and the point of the interview is to see if there's a good match between what each can offer. Interviews are NOT one way streets - the job seeker is interviewing the company to see if they want to work there. Why waste everyone's time getting to the point of an offer only then to find out that the candidate is actually not interested in the benefits/environment offerred?
Good ideas and well worth writing on the back of your hand if you have already done your research and know as much about their company as they do !
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I totally disagree about the salary issue. Before I even go in for an interview I must know if the salary [range] being offered is what I need to survive. I don't understand why asking about salary is so taboo? Companies want to know what I need so why should I not ask about the salary range for the position? Too many times I went in for interviews only to find out that they were paying far less than what I needed or what is the going rate for someone with my background. I certainly am not going to waste my time or money (commuting to an interview), only to find out after 3 or 4 interviews, that the salary and benefits do not need my requirements.
On a related issue, I asked this same question of my Connections and Groups on LinkedIn and over 95% of the respondents agreed that asking about salary prior to an interview was totally acceptable.
Really, you need to know the salary band before you waste anyone's time going for interview. If it's not enough move on. But beyond that, the interview is not the time to try negotiating around the salary you've been told.
I completely agree. My logical brain says that if an interviewer were honest and open, and opened with the “here’s the pay range, the paid time off, and the benefits” speech, right off the bat, that would put both of us at ease. It really is a racket, putting on a “dog and pony show”, when the primary thing that you need to know is, “can I survive on their pay rate”. Why is it so taboo to talk about pay, when money is what feeds you and pays your rent??
I think this article is about at the time of interview what you should ask and what not. Prior to interview you can clarify your questions but at the time of interview you should think before you ask.
I get that. It's hard though, because while no one wants to waste anyone's time, I also don't want the company to think I care more about the money than I do about the job during my first interview. I avoid the question, but try to gauge salary from reviews of the company to get a very basic idea.
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Be yourself. If you're a doofus, ask doofus questions. You don't want to be seen as thoughtful, and then be given a thoughtful job you have no ability to deliver on. If you're analytical, ask specific probing questions. You don't want to work for a company that can't answer them. If you're self centered, ask what's in it for you. If that's what's really on your mind, then ask if your needs will be met. Don't try to come off as Mother Teresa if you're going to be miserably unsatisfied with their treatment of you.
Your relationship with a company is like any other. The most valuable part is honesty. Sure, you have to sell yourself, and accentuate the positive, blah blah blah... but if you're going to put on some mask prescribed by a career blogger, and perform your interview from a script, you run the risk of ending up with a job you hate, and a job that hates you.
If you can't be yourself, however perfect or insufferable you are, then working that job will be a miserable experience for everyone.
Good points! Plus you could be having a great day on your interview or a total brainfreeze or just bored or not in the mood, it is all so relative how you come across. Besides, the interviewer could be a total know too, so it's not just "What you should / never", what about them? ...
All of the 'Not to ask' quesions are great, but there are several terrible suggestions of questions to ask! Don't ask ANY questions in a first interview that put an employer on the defensive, including 'What is your culture and how do you uphold it?" or "How have you recognized employees in the past?" Those are terrible inteview questions!
@Victoria Bonus Disagree...IMHO an interview is not just for you to impress the hiring manager, he or she needs to impress you as well. Yes, this is a discussion to decide whether they want to hire you, but it's also a time for you to determine if you'd want to spend the next several years of your life working for this person and at this place. I've turned many an interview around by making the interviewer do some work to sell me on wanting to work there. Makes you seem more valuable and less desperate, and it gives the interviewer a chance to say what he really likes about his company, talk about himself some, etc. (I've also been a hiring manager and liked people who had the courage to ask tough questions. Figured they'd end up being employees who would help drive change and speak up when they had creative ideas.)
@Victoria Bonus I agree. the question should focus on demonstrating you are thinking about how you can make a contribution. Thise look too much like the candidate is thinking about what he can get out of the company. I like "What are the biggest challenges facing the role?" ""Do you think I have the skills required?"...if they say you are missing X you at least then have the opportunity to correct that view...
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Another question that is appropriate is "Please describe how innovation gets handled here - is it an R&D responsibility, or is the a process where all employees can contribute? How is innovation recognized?"
Another one that comes to mind is "In an economic context like we have seen over the last decade, it is important for organizations to be complex-adaptive, or to coin the title of a recent book, antifragile. How well do you feel this organization is able to cope with and leverage turbulent change in your market?"
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I agree with Andrew, a list of questions not to ask is in itself harmful. I agree that in certain situations questions should be avoided but the real reason for asking questions should be because you need or want to know the answer. An interview has to be a two way process, it is just as important that a company convinces you they are right for you as it is to convince them you are right for it.
The problem with having this specific list is that you are asking the "right" questions to guarantee you get the job. The way to guarantee that should be by asking questions throughout and making every interview a conversation, not an interrogation. If this has happened the feel free to answer "No more questions thanks, I think I've asked about everything I need to know" at the end because the interviewer will have learnt a lot about your thoughts throughout. If the questions that you truly want to know the answer to are the "wrong" ones then maybe the company is the wrong company.
Make sure you prepare, research the company in depth, know exactly what you can offer the company and know exactly what you want from the interview and for your future career.
I always feel like if I ask a question that is "approved" it makes me seem like I am just following the steps of the interview. Anyone have good questions that are safe, but also stand out?
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Here's a typical question I like to ask (coming from a Software Development point of view):
"Tell me about a project that has failed, how you dealt with it and how you learnt from that failure".
...and this is why: For me it's important to know that there's a culture of admitting failure, tolerating it, and learning from it. It's equally important to see if the company actually knows the difference between a successful project and a failed one, in other words they've identified success criteria for a project and they don't end up flogging the proverbial dead horse.
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@Rick Tonoli That's great question! And so true... being able to talk about failure and learn from it is a critical skill in any team member.
Rick, how would you think about failure vs. mistakes? I think of them as being quite different, and am always curious to see if interviewees understand that difference.
@acavoulacos I think I'd apply the word "failure" more to projects and "mistakes" to people? Failure is also more of an end result than mistakes, you make mistakes, enough of these results in failure.
The culture of a company should be one that tolerates individual mistakes (but not repetitive ones) and allows them to learn and grow from them. It should also be one that can accept failure as an end state of a project.
In the end though it may just be semantics, its just essential that we CAN fail and/or make mistakes and learn from it.
@Rick Tonoli "The culture of a company should be one that tolerates individual mistakes (but not repetitive ones) and allows them to learn and grow from them." --> That's dead on. Love it.
Great advise, passion for the company for which one works is a good indication the company is doing something right.
“If your interviewer’s answer excites you, that can further reinforce your decision to continue the interview process. If the response is lukewarm, it may give you something to think about before deciding to invest in a future here.”
I was once interviewed for a teaching post and as part of the process had to submit a two page letter laying out my qualifications for the very specific post, what I hoped to achieve etc. The first question I was asked was 'Which job are you applying for?' It was clear the letter had gone unread and from then on I went through the motions until a tactful moment arrived when I could withdraw my application because I was increasingly certain I didn't want to work for this guy.
They were unprepared, late and disorganised. One member of the interview panel was dressed in a short sleaved pale blue sports shirt with a clip-on lime green tie and track-suit bottoms. When he asked 'Do you have any questions?' I had to bite my tongue to avoid saying, 'Yes, what the hell are you wearing? '
A year later OFSTED put the school into 'special measures'.
"Tell me a little bit about the geographic layout of our primary team in the office"?
Hope you're not going for a job with the Plain English Campaign.
I run my own "small business" and I wouldn't hire any of the people involved in the blog post. If someone asks me about office space, that's fair enough they are going to spend 40hrs+ a week in it if they get the job so why shouldn't they know more about the environment before making a decision.
As for flexible hours, i'd rather know before I extended an offer than once i signed a contract with them!
“Tell me a little bit about the geographic layout of our primary team in the office.”
Marcy, i would have me tthat with a blank stare while I spent 10 minutes figuring out what you meant!
Unless you’ve just cured cancer and you’re interviewing at Pfizer, I wouldn't ask ANY of these, even the 5 that the author thinks you should. OK, maybe #3 and #5. I agree you have to coach people on what not to ask, because otherwise they will embarrass themselves right out of a job; you'd be amazed at what people think is "OK" to ask. As a general rule, you want to give the interviewer the subtle impression that you are so excited about this company that you would work 16 hours a day from a wobbly desk in the hallway for a handful of pistachios.
Avoid any administrative-type questions, such as hours, pay, references (almost no one gives 'em or uses 'em anymore), promotions, etc. Culture? You'll get a tour of the office, you'll figure it out soon enough. Even the desk-and-office questions, or proximity to the boss, are too transparent, and in any event you are a long way from negotiating office geography. Naturally, the interviewer may volunteer anything to you, and the jumping directly to HR-type issues is usually a sign they are very interested or have actually already made a preliminary hire decision.
You should definitely do your homework on the company, its management, history, business model, product and competition, and ask insightful questions about those. Never, ever, start a question with "Why ...?" it sounds like an interrogation - and that's the employer's prerogative.
On my very last job interview I definitely screwed up two or three of the questions. Do you have any questions for me? I answered no. Well, i had no questions. That job was so boring. So I started my own business. :) Promote your business on over 100 college campuses. Go to 100Colleges.com.
Yes I had a similar situation when the CEO asked me about my astrology symbol! Really?! http://www.noholtzbarred.com/its-all-up-to-the-stars/
What kind of questions in an interview session can I expect and if possible how can I answer them.
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I liked your list of questions to ask much better than your list of questions not to ask. I think it's wrong to be prescriptive about forbidden questions, People only get confused when they read them. Is it wrong to ask if you can work from home? Not necessarily, if that's important for the candidate to know. True, there might be other ways to ask the question.
The tendency for bloggers to create lists of forbidden or "dumb" questions prompted me to write a recent blog, "What Makes Dumb Sales Questions Dumb," on CustomerThink. In the blog, I said that questions themselves are rarely dumb, but timing, context, and intent can make them seem that way. It's much better for people to focus more on avoiding situations make questions seem dumb, and less on avoiding asking specifically worded questions.
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