Page 9 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

FOREWORD

Maybe all my books and blog posts are actually about my obses-
sion with a great question. For example, one of my recent rants about
how blogs need topics is really about how every great blog is based
on a great question. Want an example of a great question? Try this
one: How can we make the intersection of work and life better?

Great questions motivate us to take action. Or they motivate the
other guy to take action. And that’s what a job seeker wants. He
or she wants the interviewer to take action that advances the job
seeker’s own candidacy. I know for a certainty that asking the right
questions can move the needle in the job seeker’s direction. There
are no guarantees, of course, but when two candidates are equal in
every way, the balance will tilt to the candidate who asks the better
questions. I’ve started three companies, and that’s the way I hire.

WHEN TO ASK QUESTIONS

How far you get, in almost anything, is also limited by your ability
to time your questions. Sometimes questions become great because
of when you ask them.

The first time I saw this in action was when I was interviewing
a candidate. I started with, “So, why don’t you tell me a bit about
yourself.”

She said, “Well, first why don’t you tell me a bit about the job so
that I can tailor my answer to your particular needs right now?”

I was surprised, but it made a lot of sense to me. I told her about
the job. She tailored her answer to the job. And I ended up making
her an offer. It changed the way I think about job interviews.

Here’s the structure of the traditional job interview: The inter-
viewer asks you a lot of questions about you, figures out what you
like and what you’re good at, and customizes his commentary as he
pitches the company and the job to you. This structure works fine if
you are not all that interested in the job. But if you go into the inter-
view knowing that you want the job, this structure will not benefit
you. This is because if you really want the job, you will be trying very
hard during the interview to convince the person that you’re a good
match. But the structure of the traditional interview doesn’t give you

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