Questions to Ask the Interviewer

“Do you have any questions for me?”

This is one of the most common questions that interviewers ask at the end of a job interview. Many job seekers skip over it. But, it’s a great opportunity to set yourself apart from other candidates.

No matter how confident or nervous you may feel going into your interview, you should always prepare to assertively answer this question with, “yes, I actually do have a couple questions to ask you.”

We have put together a couple interview pointers to help you prepare insightful questions for the next employer that interviews you.

Importance of Asking Questions

One of the main points of an interview is for the employer to decide if you will be a good fit for the job. But, an interview is a two-way street. You’re also there to learn if the job is a good fit for you. Preparing the right questions, accomplishes both goals.

When an employer asks if you have any questions, they want to gauge your level of interest. If you don’t have any questions prepared, the interviewer may assume that you are not concerned with securing the position and that you didn’t do your research.

When you ask the employer a question, it will encourage a more comfortable and informative dialogue that you can both benefit from. You will get to show off more of your personality and thoughtfulness, learn more about the available position and the aspirations of the company.

Preparing your questions

To effectively prepare for this part of the interview, start by writing down 10 questions you feel comfortable asking the employer. You don’t have to memorize every question, as it’s usually acceptable, to bring notes into the interview.

In many cases, some of your questions may already be answered throughout the interview, so it is always better to prepare more than not have enough questions to ask.

Best Practices

The questions you come up with will be specific to a job or industry but, here are a couple best practices for crafting your questions:

Don’t

Start by asking questions about salary or benefits, unless the interviewer initiates it first
Ask inappropriate questions that don’t pertain to the job
Be pushy, sarcastic or cocky when asking your questions
Shock or negatively surprise the interviewer with a question
Interject your questions throughout the interview unless you need clarification

Do

Make eye contact
Focus on open and comfortable body language
Ask your questions in a confident manner
Come prepared with notes to the interview
Wait for the interviewer to give you a chance to ask questions
Choose questions that reflect your values and qualifications

10 Examples of Questions

We have outlined some example questions you could potentially ask an employer in a future interview. Remember that these questions will be the most effective when your timing, delivery and confidence are all in tune with the dynamics of the interview.

Don’t limit yourself to these questions, but instead use these as templates to help you create personalized questions that relate to the job you are applying for:

What do you like about working here?
Tell me about the targets of my department
What are the various expectations of my position?
What does the training plan look like?
What does the ideal candidate look like?
Tell me more about… {ex. company initiative, business processes etc.}
What skills will I gain from this job position?
Will this position include more teamwork or individualistic projects?
How would you describe the department’s dynamics?
Will there be opportunities for career advancement within the company?

If you are interested in learning more about the elements of completing a successful interview, take our Job Interviews workshop at one of our 11 branches today.