While it may be true that “beggars can’t be choosers”, ideally you want to work at a place that suits you, where you can thrive and be happy for years to come. Thus, when it’s your turn to ask questions, don’t hesitate. Interviewing goes both ways and it’s in your best interests to find out as much as you possibly can about your potential future employer.
Here are questions to ask to help you to make an impression, discern whether the workplace would be a good fit for you, and garner information you can leverage into solutions later in the interview or in your thank you note.
- “How did you come to be at this company?”
- “What do you like best about working here?”
- “What are some of the challenges facing the company (or department) in the next 3 months?”
- “If there was something you could change about the culture of your team, what would it be?”
- “Why is this position vacant?”
- “I understand the primary duties of the position, but can you tell me more about the secondary duties and how often I’d perform them?”
- “Would you be open to adding responsibilities to this position? I have a lot of skills in (mention a particular area that might set you apart from other qualified candidates). Could they be helpful to your team?”
- “What are this company’s values?”
- “What does the competition see when they look at you?”
- And never leave an interview without starting one question or comment with: “I was doing some research on your industry and…” (this is an opportunity for you to find out more at the same time that you show off something that you researched about the company)