Page 34 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

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

provide guidance to help you strategize about the questions you will
take into your job interviews. Now is the time to be intentional about
the interview, to take control, and to put your best foot forward.

FIFTEEN RULES FOR FRAMING
BETTER QUESTIONS

The art of asking questions is considering what responses you prefer
and framing the questions to maximize your chances of getting the
answers you want. Here are fifteen rules for asking better questions.

1. Ask Open-Ended Questions

Closed-ended questions can be answered yes or no and begin with
words such as did, has, does, would, and is. Open-ended questions—
which usually begin with how, when, and who—create opportuni-
ties for a conversation and a much richer exchange of information.
Here’s an example of a closed-ended question:
CANDIDATE: Does the company have a child-care center on-site?
INTERVIEWER: Yes.
Here is an open-ended question:
CANDIDATE: How does the company support working parents?
INTERVIEWER: Let me show you a brochure about our award-

winning day-care center located right here in the building. Work-
ing Woman recently rated it one of the top ten corporate day-care
centers in the United States. . . .
Why questions also start open-ended questions, but they often
come off as too challenging in a job interview. See rule 8.

2. Keep It Short

Nothing is as disconcerting as a candidate spewing out a long, com-
plicated question only to have the interviewer look confused and say,

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