Page 30 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

W H Y YOU H AV E TO QU E ST ION

talking to a resourceful candidate who knows how to make informed
decisions, a skill vital to any job.

A QUESTIONING ATTITUDE

Asking just the right questions is your chance to demonstrate that
you are the best candidate for the job by communicating five differ-
ent impressions:

• Interest. You have taken the trouble to investigate the job.
• Intelligence. You really understand the requirements of the job.
• Confidence. You have everything it takes to do the job.
• Personal appeal. You are the type of person who will fit in well.
• Assertiveness. You ask for the job.

The questions you ask, and how you ask them, do as much to differ-
entiate you from the competition as the questions asked by the inter-
viewer. As you prepare for the job interview, your questions have to
be as carefully coordinated as your suit and shoes. If you miss the
opportunity to leave your interviewer with any one of these impres-
sions, you risk losing the main prize.

Of course, there is a sixth objective for your asking critical ques-
tions: to help you assess whether or not you really want the job. The
job interview is a two-way street. You get to estimate the quality of
the organization as much as the organization gets to estimate your
credentials.

The other important point is to avoid “What about me?” ques-
tions until after you get a job offer or a very strong expression of
interest. “What about me?” questions include anything that goes to
what the candidate receives as opposed to what the candidate offers.
Remember, you have two roles in the interview: buyer and seller. For
the first part of the interview, you are a seller. The only time you are
buying is when they make you an offer. Two other good questions
are:

In what area could your team use a little polishing?

Why did you come to XYZ Company?

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