Questions to Ask in an Interview

Last week I covered some things to avoid saying when you’re in a job interview.  This week, I’ll talk you through some good questions to ask your interviewers to ensure that you get the info you need, and that you demonstrate your preparedness and enthusiasm for the job.

1. Why is this position open?
   This is a good starter question because it lets you know if someone has moved up in the org (a good sign), if it’s a new role, or if there’s something else going on.  It’s not always bad news if someone was simply not a fit for the role, but it’s worth noting, especially if they’re uncomfortable answering the question.
2. How would you measure the success of the person hired in the first three months? How about the first six months?
   This will get you a little clearer about their expectations or lack thereof.  If they mention something that sounds like what you’ve done before, you can mention that: “Oh, that’s great to hear!  In my last role, I [did something very much like that, but obviously be specific].”
3. What are some paths people have taken after leaving this position?
   Some of us need room for lateral growth instead of just straight promotions, so if that’s you, this is a key question to ask.
4. Workplace culture is important to me. How do you celebrate things like birthdays?
   Since there isn’t a right answer here, you’re likely to discover something real about who they are and what it’s like to work there.
5. What do you most like about working here?
   Be aware that most people will give you a very generic answer like, “Oh, the people.” So listen for other cues or sub-context, and don’t be afraid to follow up with something like, “What would you say are the primary characteristics of your coworkers?”
6. How will the success of this role be evaluated?
   This is an important one if you’re a bit fuzzy about their expectations, or if the role seems big. It also lets you note any specific success measures early on, so if you take the position, you have a decent idea of what your path forward can look like.
7. How has AI impacted the work you do?
   Just a nice way to evaluate things and get a sense of how tech-savvy they are.
8. Who manages this role, and how many others are on the team?
   This is a pretty straightforward question that tells you if you’d be functioning within a team structure or not.
9. I find I am at my best when I have a degree of autonomy in my work. How would that look in this position?
   What you’re really listening for here is just some thought and a sense of whether your interviewers feel independent within their roles or not.
10. What are the next steps? When will you likely be making decisions about who moves forward?
    Whatever they say, mentally add at least 3 days to their estimate.  But this gives you a good sense of the pace of things, so if an extra 2 weeks go by and you haven’t heard anything, you can move on to something else.

You probably won’t have time to ask all of these questions, and you may also have some of your own that you want to be sure to cover.  Arrange your questions in order of importance to you so you get the most pressing things answered.  And plan to have more questions prepared than you will probably need, because some are things they will answer just in the conversation you have, and because having lots of questions demonstrates that you’re interested and curious.  It’s also a great way to extend the conversation.  After all, the more time they spend with you, the more they’ll remember you, and that’s the name of the game!