Page 143 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

THE QUESTION LIFE CYCLE

Cucuzza recommends that candidates ask two type of exploring
questions: high-gain questions and what’s-in-it-for-them? questions.
Let’s take a look at each type.

HIGH-GAIN QUESTIONS

High-gain questions cause the interviewer to think about the situa-
tion in a new way. Put yourself in the place of the interviewer. While
this interview is very new and exciting for you, the interviewer may
have talked to a dozen people. The interviewer probably asked the
same questions; the candidates probably asked the same questions.
It’s easy to conclude that all the interviews tend to blur together.
Your job is to make your interview stand out. Asking a high-gain
question is one way to do that. How do you know when you’ve asked
a high-gain question? When the interviewer leans forward (there’s
the body language clue) and responds, “Hmmm, that’s a really good
question,” and has to think a minute before answering. Examples of
high-gain questions include the following.

Questions for High-Level Executives

9-1
What are the three biggest issues that keep you up at night?

9-2
Where do you see the company being the most profitable in the next
one to three years, and why?

9-3
In what ways do you see the XYZ industry changing in the next one to
three years?

9-4
What are you proud of, and what do you want to see more of in the
leadership of this organization?

9-5
Why did you choose this organization to work with?

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