Page 112 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

QUESTIONS FOR HIRING MANAGERS

interviewer’s job is over and that you are the answer to his or her
problems.

8-8
What other problems need attention now?
After you have dispatched the first or main problem, get to the
secondary problems and challenges. This shows you are thinking
strategically.

8-9
Is this a new position or has the job had an incumbent? If so, what has
become of that person?
It’s legitimate to inquire if the position is new (which has its own set
of challenges) or whether you are inheriting the job from someone
else. Has that person succeeded and been promoted (good) or failed
and been terminated (not so good)?

8-10
What can the person selected for this position learn from the experi-
ence of the incumbent?
This is another way of getting information about what behaviors
predict success and which ones are detrimental to one’s career. In
any case, the question suggests that you are able to learn from expe-
rience and the mistakes of others.

8-11
How would you describe the typical day for this position?
How a supervisor describes the job of a subordinate tells you a lot
about what the supervisor values and how engaged he or she is.

8-12
How would you define the scope of this position?
Every job has both stated and unstated responsibilities. The job
description typically addresses only the former. To succeed, you will
have to address both the explicit and the implicit expectations. This
question is designed to identify both.

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