Page 10 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

FOREWORD

the chance to find out a lot about what they’re looking for in a match
until the very end.

Then you get to the end of the interview, and the interviewer asks,
“Do you have any questions for me?” The questions that everyone
recommends you ask are questions that will help you learn what the
company is looking for in a new hire: questions about the goals and
philosophies of the company, about the parameters of the position
you’re interviewing for, about the expectations for the person it hires.

The answers to these questions will help you to explain why you
are the ideal candidate for the job. So why wait and ask these ques-
tions at the end? Instead, ask them as close to the beginning as you
can. Don’t hijack the interview, but try to ask a bit about the position
at the beginning of the interview, and then you, too, can tailor your
answers to the requirements of the job.

FOUR GREAT QUESTIONS TO ASK

With this strategy, coming up with questions will be easy because
you will naturally want to know what the hiring manager is looking
for so you can be that person. Here are four questions that make me
take notice:

What would the first three goals be for the person who takes this job?

What are the biggest hurdles to overcome in this position?

What type of person do you think will be most successful in this
position?

Do you have any reservations about my qualifications?

If you ask a variation of these questions toward the beginning of the
interview—even if you ask only one or two—you’ll be in a much bet-
ter position to ace the rest of the interview.

While it is bucking convention to ask questions toward the begin-
ning rather than at the end, consider that you will look more authen-
tic doing this. After spending the whole interview convincing the
interviewer that you are a good fit for the job, you likely won’t have
any questions about the job at the end.

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