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[Q24]Questions To Ask During A Job Interview

by Ray James, Ray

There are a number of important factors that are vital for a successful interview. One of these is being aware of the right questions to ask of the interviewer. At the conclusion of an interview, you may be asked, "Do you have any questions for us?" You may think that the obvious answer to this question is "No, thank you", but this is not the expected answer at all. By answering negatively, you may have just lost the opportunity to ask some vital questions that could make a difference in interviewer's opinion of you as a candidate. Asking questions in return demonstrates that you are interested in obtaining this job and you are aware of the company issues, which in turn makes a good impression of you as a potential employee.

You must ask the important relevant and specific questions. Indeed, to be able to ask such questions you must obtain all relevant background information about the job and the company. Excellent preparation is required for such a task. To begin with, you must collect all data from company web sites, magazines and brochures. Complete and thorough research is vital to asking good questions of the interviewer. Make a request for a copy of the company policy, trading and business strategies and other issues to enable you to highlight important points. From these points, you can ask some sensible and relevant questions, allowing the interviewer to recognize that you have made a great deal of research and preparation for the offered job. You should analyze any employment terms and conditions and ask for answers to any doubts you may have regarding this as it shows that you are concerned about the job position and related issues.

Some of the more significant questions you should ask are as follows. "There are many companies in this business. How then has this organization been successful in maintaining the growth rate and being able to appoint new staff members?" The response to this question should be very positive and the interviewer should explain to you what strategy the company is following in such situations, thus giving you the insider's point of view.

You can ask questions concerning your particular job, such as "Could you explain how this particular job has been executed in the past?" and "What are the enhancements you would want to see take place? To this the interviewer should inform you of the expertise involved in that job by giving you some particular examples. Then you must convince the interviewer that you have what the company is looking for, giving you an advantage.

To confirm that this is a job you really want, you may care to ask questions such as: "What are the difficulties or rather challenges I may encounter in this job over the next three to six months?" The interviewer will admire you for asking questions such as this and should inform you as to what is expected from you as you are about to start your learning process, detailing any difficulties involved in the position.

From these questions an interviewer should obtain a clear perspective of how prepared and aware you are. You may even outshine your competitors. It is a definite winning strategy to ask the right type of questions at a job interview.

You may be forewarned—or you may be surprised when you first walk in. There they are: a panel of people waiting to interview you for a job. Your first instinct may be to panic; not only do you have to impress one interviewer, but several of them! But there are definite advantages to being interviewed by multiple people at once. The tips below will help you successfully navigate a panel interview while keeping your poise and sanity in check.

• Skip the fluff. With one-on-one interviews, you have more of a chance to develop a relationship with your interviewer wherein you may begin to get a sense of what he or she wants to hear. The good news/bad news situation with a panel is that your success depends more on your job-related abilities than owning the same breed of dog as the boss. When they're comparing notes afterward, panel members will tend to focus more fully on your qualifications, skills, and presentation.

• Spread the love. It's tempting to focus more on the person who seems to be a softer touch. If one person on the panel is smiling and nodding encouragement, who wouldn't want to talk directly to her? But it's important that you make eye contact as equally as possible with all of the interviewers. Start and end your answer by making eye contact with the person who asked the question, but during the course of your response, look at the others present. Also, unless the panel is made up of 10 people, make an effort to remember and use their names when speaking to them.

• Take notes. Many people forget to bring a notepad to an interview, but it's especially important to do so when you're being interviewed by a panel. Not only can you surreptitiously jot their names down for future reference, but you can take notes on things that you'd like to remember or bring up later. When you're facing questions and information from several people, it's particularly difficult to remember who said what or what you want to follow up on. Taking notes makes you look organized and interested. Just remember to look up occasionally!

• Investigate the company. If you know ahead of time who will be interviewing you, research their positions, responsibilities, and the work of their departments. You'll be more comfortable going in, and they'll be impressed at your knowledge. It's also important to gather as much information as possible about the company in general because what one of them doesn't think to ask (to gage your familiarity), another one will.

• Take your time. Being interviewed by multiple people may mean that questions will be fired at you more quickly. Make sure that you take time to consider your answer before blurting out something awful just to keep up with their pace. A few seconds to gather your thoughts is perfectly acceptable no matter how rapid-fire their questions are.

• Focus your own questions. Just like any other type of interview, you'll be given the opportunity to ask questions. When you ask, try to focus on one person—preferably the person you believe can best answer your specific question. Even if you're not sure who that is, pick one person and ask. Otherwise, you'll going to look like a distracted poodle trying to make eye contact with everyone at once.

• Pay attention to interaction. One of the benefits of a panel interview for applicants is that it provides a snapshot of the company. The panel members are likely to be executives, and the upper echelon sets the tone for the entire firm. So look for signs that they're respectful of each other and knowledgeable about the company's needs. If potential colleagues are on the panel, think about whether you can see yourself working with them on a day-to-day basis.

• Thank them individually. When you send post-interview thank you notes (you do send them, right?), make sure to write a separate note to each interviewer thanking her for her time and reiterating your interest in the position.

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Both Ray James & Jason Kay are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Ray James has sinced written about articles on various topics from Interview Questions, Interview Questions and VOIP. Visit and find advice on every aspect of job interviews including the. Ray James's top article generates over 60500 views. to your Favourites.

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