Page 58 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

CHAPTER 3

WHEN TO QUESTION

NO NEED TO WAIT FOR
AN INVITATION

While the common pattern is to have the interviewer invite the job
seeker to ask questions, you are sometimes better off taking the
initiative. Here are three scenarios in which asking questions (after
you ask permission to ask them) gives you better control of the job
interview.

IN THE BEGINNING

It’s a mistake to assume that your questions must wait till the end
of the interview or only when the interviewer specifically requests
them. While you need to respect the interviewer’s agenda and pro-
cess, you can do that while also communicating the fact that you
too have an agenda. Indeed, the entire purpose of the interview is
to determine if the agendas of the company and the candidate can
be coordinated. How you ask questions is just as important as what
questions you ask.

Sometimes, asking questions is as easy as turning the question
back at the interviewer. For example, assume the interviewer asks
you this predictable question:
What accomplishments in your career are you most proud of?

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