Questions to Ask at an Interview

You may wonder what questions are allowable for you to ask at the job interview, considering that you are not the interviewer. After you have given the required answers to the questions asked by the interviewer, it is expected that you too will wish to ask a number of questions. Prior to concluding the interview, an interviewer always asks one last question and this is always, “Do you have any queries?” Many candidates are inclined to say “No”. This is a mistake, because in answering “No” to this question, you are implying to the interviewer that you are not at all interested in the company or the job. If you do not ask questions of the interviewer, the interviewer may be concerned that you would not ask about any concerns you may have on the job.

You should always be prepared with the list of suitable questions that you would like to ask the interviewer prior to attending any interview. Avoid asking questions regarding vacation time, salary level, employee benefits etc in the first instance; instead, ask questions that will show your eagerness and enthusiasm to gain employment with the company.

You should ask questions that signify your interest in the job and also those that ensure a good impression of you in the interviewers mind. As a hypothetical example, you may care to inform the interviewer that you have read an article in a magazine that stated the company is planning expansion of its operations. Your question would follow as akin to “Into which regions is this expansion likely to occur?”

It is also acceptable to ask questions about the actual posting for which you are sitting the interview.

Further examples of questions to ask at the job interview can be as such: “Why has this position become available?” “Is this position a new one?” If it is not newly created then you may ask, “For how long has this position been in existence?” and enquire about the number of people that held this same position in the last year. You can also ask questions regarding the identities of those people senior and junior to you in the organisation. Questions such as “Who would I be supervising?” or “Who will be my supervisor?” provide information about other members of the company. You can also ask about financial details of the company.

It is also a good idea to make enquiries about the projects on which you will be working. Ask questions associated with the company culture eg “Does the company have a culture that is formal and unbendable or flexible and relaxed?” You can ask whether the company or your department within the company is experiencing any problems and if this is the case your next question should be concerned with the strategies that are being implemented to defeat the problem. You can also ask about the number of employees that are working in the department. Be sure to enquire about the ethics, philosophy and working environment of the company. Ask about the company possible weaknesses and its evident strengths, the company major competitors, its method of measuring the performance of an employee and the short and long-term goals of the company. You can also ask about the best opportunities for new employees and the company policy regarding promotion of employees. Ask the interviewer what they consider to be the qualities of an ideal employee.

You can then conclude the interview by stating that you are very interested in the position.

By: Ray James

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