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What Job Interview Question Should You Ask?

01/01/2024

Julia Penny -- Asking thoughtful questions during your interview demonstrates your interest, initiative, and strategic understanding of the position and the company, and that you're a serious job candidate.

Ask the right job interview question in your interview and get ready for success. One of the easiest ways to win in the interview is to prepare a list of good interview questions to ask the interviewer.

Asking thoughtful and well-researched questions during your job interview makes a great impression.

You demonstrate your interest, initiative and strategic understanding of the position and the company. You show the interviewer that you have spent some time thinking about the job and the company.

Use the opportunity to ask focused job interview questions. Show that you are better prepared than the other candidates, use your questions to highlight your suitability for the job.

How to make the right impression with your interview questions during the interview

1. Be proactive

Don't rely on the interviewer to ask you the "right" interview questions, take control of the discussion by asking the job interview question that you have researched and prepared.
Ask interview questions that show how hard you have thought about the position and the company and how serious you are about the job opportunity.

2. Do your homework

A key aspect of asking the right job interview question is good background research.
Use your research to understand as much as possible about the organization and its situation, the position and its priorities.
Prepare questions to ask in the interview that demonstrate this knowledge and insight.

3. When should I ask my questions?

The timing of your interview questions should be thought about. The interviewer will ask you at some point, "Do you have any questions for me?"
You can wait for this opportunity to ask your planned questions or you can assess the situation as the interview progresses to decide when it is a good time to ask your question.
If the interview is not flowing smoothly asking an appropriate job interview question can improve the flow of the interview and help build rapport with the interviewer.
If the interviewer doesn't directly ask you for your questions take the opportunity towards the end of the interview to offer your questions: "Is this an appropriate point to ask you some questions I have?"

4. How many questions should I ask?

This depends on the level and complexity of the job opportunity and how much information you have on the company.
Try to have a list of 5 to 10 questions prepared that you can choose from as the interview progresses.
Nothing frustrates an interviewer more than asking a candidate if they have any questions, only to be told, "No you have answered them all already."

Tips for asking the interviewer the right job interview question

Ask open-ended questions. Closed questions that require just a "yes" or "no" response contribute little to the flow of the interview and provide minimal information
Avoid interrupting the interviewer, make sure you are at an appropriate point for your question
Only ask questions that are relevant to the job, department, management and organization
Interview questions that appear to be challenging the interviewer or that require knowledge or information that the interviewer is unlikely to have create an uncomfortable atmosphere and impact negatively on attempts at establishing rapport

Prepare your own list of about five to ten questions, review the list a number of times before your job interview and be prepared to impress!

What are the top 5 questions to ask an interviewer?

You can't go wrong with asking these 5 questions in your job interview:

2. What are the immediate priorities in this position?

3. What are the skills required for successful performance in this job?

4. How is the performance and output measure in this job?

5. What do like most about working for this company?

Julia Penny has many years experience in recruitment and career management. She offers an insider's perspective to help job seekers succeed in their job search and job interviews at Best Job Interview.

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The views and opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect those of College Central Network, Inc. or its affiliates. Reference to any company, organization, product, or service does not constitute endorsement by College Central Network, Inc., its affiliates or associated companies. The information provided is not intended to replace the advice or guidance of your legal, financial, or medical professional.