Many time the interviewers are considerate enough to ask you – “Do you have any questions for me?”
Shall you say say … “Yes!” OR “No”
We recommend to always say “Yes”. Why? Asking questions shows that you are interested in the job. This also gives you another chance to show how knowledgeable you are about the position and the industry. Last but not least, it lets you highlight why you are the right candidate for this job – you have done till now using answers and now you have do the same with your questions.
What questions to ask to an interviewer?
You obviously have to be prepared before. You have to choose your questions carefully, depending on who is on the other side of table. Note that an excellent question for a recruiter might be inappropriate for an executive. Depending on the level and function of the person you have to chose the question.
What you should never ask?
There are certain questions you should never ask (if asked for asking a question) no matter whom you’re meeting. Do not ask about salary, vacation, Benefits (like retirement benefits) or anything that may look as if you are more interested in the compensation than the company.
Here are some questions depending on the person you are meeting
Questions to ask Recruiter / HR Manager
The recruiter’s job to identify and shortlist strong candidates and take them through the hiring process. They can give you an overview of the company and the department as a whole. But they may not help you with nitty gritty of the job. So save very specific questions about the job for the hiring manager. The recruiter is also the best person to answer questions about the hiring process. So the appropriate questions to as the recruiter are:
- What is the kind of the company culture you have?
- What type of employees do well in your company?
- Please tell me more about the interview process?
- Please tell me more about the joining formalities required.
Questions to ask Hiring Manager (Who will be your future boss)
Hiring manager will be the one who is most likely to supervise you if you get the job. They are the most knowledgeable people about the role and what it demands. So if you are meeting Hiring Manager you ask the specific questions about the job, responsibilities and challenges. So the appropriate questions to as the hiring manager are:
- How would you describe what candidate you are looking for?
- What are the key skills required for the job?
- What’s a typical career path at the company for someone in this role?
- (You can ask about the specefic questions related to project, job – like technology etc)
Questions to ask Senior managers and executives
Senior managers and executives are some of the most knowledgeable about the latest happenings in their industry. They work and think at a higher level so do not ask them
about specifics about the job. instead you focus your questions on the future of the
company and the industry. Taling to Senior managers and executives is a chance for you to to show off your industry knowledge. Here are some questions to ask a senior manager or executives:
- How do you think this industry will shape in the next decade?
- What do you think gives this company an edge over its competitors?
- What’s the company’s biggest challenge? How is it planning to meet that challenge?
Questions to ask Coworker
Some companies have practice of interviews with a potential coworker. A potential colleague may be most open about the job, its challenges and the work environment. However, don not expect inside information and do not even ask for it. Some questions for potential coworker are:
- What’s a typical day like in the department?
- How would you describe the work environment at the company?
- What’s the most enjoyable part of your job? What’s the most challenging part?
We have kept the above questions relatively generic so that they fit for all situations. However you may need to re phrase the questions for your domain and industry.
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