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Don’t Just Answer Questions. Ask Them.

You are near the end of a job interview. You have almost completed an hour-long conversation with the “Ultimate Decision-Maker,” the president and chief executive officer, who turns to you and asks, “Now, what questions do you have for us?”

You say, “Ooops. Er. Uh. Ah. Well. Gee. Errr. Um. Ahhhh. Well, I am sure you have answered all of my questions, I am sure I’ll think of some later.”

As soon as you leave, the executive sighs with relief, “Boy did I just dodge a bullet. That candidate was a numbskull.” Your résumé is deposited in the circular file, also known as the wastebasket.

Rather than interview well and mess up at the end (often your turn to ask questions comes toward the end of a job interview), why not prepare yourself in advance with some well thought out questions such as:

“Would you please describe the company culture here.”

“How would you outline your management style?”

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“What results would I be expected to achieve during the first six months?”

“What areas of this department would you like strengthened?”

“Describe the ideal candidate for this job.”

“What are the priorities and major challenges you see for this position?”

“Where can I expect to be after three years?”

“Where do you see the major growth potential for this company or department in the next five years?”

“What qualities lead you to believe that I would be successful?”

“Have I answered your questions satisfactorily?”

“On a scale of 1 to 5, how well do I fit your needs?”

“In your opinion, am I qualified?”

Closing Questions:

“I’m interested in pursuing this further, where do we go from here?”

“May I see the environment I would be working in?

“When would you like someone to start this job?

“How many others are you interviewing?”

“When are you going to make a hiring decision?”

Please note, at the end of a job interview invariably someone, usually the decision-maker or a human resources manager, will tell you the next step in the process. For example, “We’ll call you in a few days to schedule the final interview.” So don’t waste one of your questions — they’re not going to give you more than a few — on that subject.

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You are near the end of a job interview. You have almost completed an hour-long conversation with the “Ultimate Decision-Maker,” the president and chief executive officer, who turns to you and asks, “Now, what questions do you have for us?”

You say, “Ooops. Er. Uh. Ah. Well. Gee. Errr. Um. Ahhhh. Well, I am sure you have answered all of my questions, I am sure I’ll think of some later.”

As soon as you leave, the executive sighs with relief, “Boy did I just dodge a bullet. That candidate was a numbskull.” Your résumé is deposited in the circular file, also known as the wastebasket.

Rather than interview well and mess up at the end (often your turn to ask questions comes toward the end of a job interview), why not prepare yourself in advance with some well thought out questions such as:

“Would you please describe the company culture here.”

“How would you outline your management style?”

Sponsored
Sponsored

“What results would I be expected to achieve during the first six months?”

“What areas of this department would you like strengthened?”

“Describe the ideal candidate for this job.”

“What are the priorities and major challenges you see for this position?”

“Where can I expect to be after three years?”

“Where do you see the major growth potential for this company or department in the next five years?”

“What qualities lead you to believe that I would be successful?”

“Have I answered your questions satisfactorily?”

“On a scale of 1 to 5, how well do I fit your needs?”

“In your opinion, am I qualified?”

Closing Questions:

“I’m interested in pursuing this further, where do we go from here?”

“May I see the environment I would be working in?

“When would you like someone to start this job?

“How many others are you interviewing?”

“When are you going to make a hiring decision?”

Please note, at the end of a job interview invariably someone, usually the decision-maker or a human resources manager, will tell you the next step in the process. For example, “We’ll call you in a few days to schedule the final interview.” So don’t waste one of your questions — they’re not going to give you more than a few — on that subject.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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