Page 117 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

I N TERV IEW THE I N TERV IEW ER

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What do you see as the most important opportunities for improvement
in the area I hope to join?
This is another way to get some clues about what specific improve-
ments the hiring manager desires.

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What are the organization’s three most important goals?
This answer will provide a valuable clue for you if you take the job,
because you’ll be evaluated on your contribution to those three
goals.

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How do you see this position affecting the achievement of those goals?
This answer will give you an indication of whether the job is impor-
tant. If the answer is essentially “not much,” you are being consid-
ered for a nonessential position.

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What attracted you to this organization?
Get the hiring manager to tell you a story. Listen carefully for clues
about what makes for success.

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What have you liked most about working here?
A continuation of the conversation inspired by the question above.
Shared stories are what create community. Here’s another way to
bond with the interviewer around a story.

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In what ways has the experience surprised or disappointed you?
Follow-up is good. If the interviewer trusts you, he or she may actu-
ally share a disappointment. You want the interviewer to trust you.
It will make rejecting you harder.

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What are the day-to-day responsibilities I’ll be immediately assigned?
No better way to know what you’ll be doing. Notice how the ques-
tion gently assumes you are already on the team. Another variation:

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