The Best Questions to Ask in an Interview to Leave a Remarkable Impression

About LifehackContact Us Psychology Productivity Health More Work The Best Questions to Ask in an Interview to Leave a Remarkable Impression Jenny Marchal Jenny Marchal is a freelance writer. Full Bio You’ve finally got through to the end of the interview and your potential employer asks you the most common question – “Do you have any questions?” Many people don’t think of this as an important question, and actually the most common reply is “no.” Perhaps you had some basic questions in your mind but felt they were already covered during the interview? Perhaps you didn’t think of any at all because surely an interview is more about what you’re saying than what your potential employer is saying? If this is the case, then you may be hindering your chances of getting the job more than you realize. Why This Simple Question Can Be Hard to Answer If you’re particularly nervous in interviews, whether or not you felt you performed well, your mind can start to feel relief at the end of an interview and start to get into a relaxed state. The problem here is that we believe the “do you have any questions?” is the moment where the interview is over, but in fact you’re still essentially being tested by the interviewer. They want to gauge your interest in them, the role, or the company. If you’re unprepared with interesting or information-seeking questions, you may come across as disinterested and unenthusiastic for the job. The other problem is if we did prepare questions, but they were already answered in the interview process. It can be hard to search for new questions on the spot, and we can end up not being able to think of any. How Asking Questions Can Prove You’re the Best Fit for the Job Enthusiasm, interest, and a good, two-way flowing conversation are all excellent ways to come across well when meeting with a potential recruiter. While the bulk of the interview is to shine a good light on yourself and your abilities for the role, asking questions really shows your potential employer your knowledge, awareness of the role, and that you prepared fully for the interview. It essentially shows you’re serious about the job and if you’ve done your research on the company and its values, it can be an opportunity to further show your knowledge about them and how they operate. But it’s not all about the recruiter, it’s also a chance for you to see if they’re a good fit for your work values, career progression, and work lifestyle. What Types of Questions Should I Ask? Preparation is key. It’s important to have at least two potential smart questions that can demonstrate your enthusiasm for the job. The best ones incorporate your interest in the employer while also eliciting essential information for yourself and whether the job is a good fit for you. In other words, your questions are focused and open-ended. Questions to Find out About the Company This is an opportunity to show off your knowledge of the company, but also to see if it’s somewhere that will benefit you and your career path. I read the company focuses on the importance of community and runs a volunteer scheme for its employees. Can you tell me a bit more about that? Could you tell me a bit more about the culture of the company? How does the company invest in its employees in terms of training? How does this company define and measure success? Questions to Find out About the Role Show more enthusiasm for the role by asking additional questions. Remember, you can pick up on something the recruiter mentioned when describing the role and ask to elaborate on it, or you can think about your future in this role and how it can help you grow. Can you tell me how you can potentially see this role progressing? What are your expectations for this role for the next month, three months, or year? Can you tell me what a typical day would be in this role? What are biggest challenges of this job? Is this a new position? If not, what did the previous employee go on to do? Questions to Ask the Interviewer Asking the interviewer for their personal view on their role in the company and how it works for them is a good indicator for a typical work life at this company, and perhaps the team you’ll work in. What do you enjoy most about working here? How long have you been with the company? Is there anything you would improve in terms of working here? What are the dynamics of the team like? Questions to Further Clarify Your Suitability for The Role If you feel you have more to say about yourself that could help you get the job, or you’d like to clarify something about your work history, then now can be a good time to present the information. Try not to force information if it hasn’t been asked for – this is a way for you to come across as being open. However, over-explaining a discrepancy that hasn’t been asked about will probably cause problems for yourself. What can I clarify for you about my qualifications? Do you have any reservations about my qualifications? Are there any other questions I can answer for you? Questions to Find out Logistics There will most likely be questions to do with the next steps in the process that you would like answered. It’s good to think of a few because you don’t want to leave the interview wondering what is happening next. It’s best to ask these right at the end. What is the next step in the hiring process? When can I expect to hear back about the job? When is the anticipated starting date for this position? If I think of any more questions who can I contact? Remember: Don’t ask questions about salary, benefits, taking off holiday, or whether you got the job. These will be discussed after the interview. So, remember to have a few questions under your belt. Continue the mindset that this is still a crucial part of the interview, and you’re showing off your enthusiasm and interest in both them and the role. However, it’s also for your benefit, and having good information-seeking questions can help you know if the job fits you. Good luck! About Lifehack Lifehack is about helping you improve your life through efficient and comprehensive learning. By leveraging the vast amount of knowledge available to us, we explore and present a wide variety of content catered to encouraging individual growth and solving problems. 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Focus on Self Actualization Learn More About Career Advice Seven Simple Yet Effective Ways to Make Money Online Why Too Much Positive Thinking Can Get In The Way of Success Why Big Dreams Can Be Big Problems 10 Reasons Why (Almost) Everyone You Know Hates Their Job Love what you're reading? You're now one click away from getting all the best ideas on Lifehack for free! Subscribe to Lifehack Newsletter to end negativity and get things done fast. Scroll down for the next article Pick Your Job Based On What You Love To Do, Not How Much You Have Invested In. Work Pick Your Job Based On What You Love To Do, Not How Much You Have Invested In. Angelina Phebus Angelina Phebus is a writer, registered yoga teacher (RYT 200), and voracious reader. Full Bio Have you ever continued to pursue something even though it no longer served you? Maybe it’s a degree program or the dead-end job that you refuse to give up. Perhaps you’ve stayed in a relationship for no other reason than the fact that you’ve been committed to it for so long. From time to time, we all justify staying the course by considering the effort we’ve put into our current situation. Many of us decide to take a job just because it’s a good use of our training. When we invest time and money in getting a degree, we expect that we should use it. Maybe you hate your job, but you can only envision yourself taking similar positions with equal or greater pay and responsibility. You may feel trapped by the decisions you made before, but you don’t have to be. Whatever you do, do it because you love it. When you are trying to figure out how to decide on a career, it is easy to be influenced by the types of work and training you’ve already undertaken. In general, you get a degree or training in a field that interests you, and this leads you to a job in that field. If you should ever decide to leave your job, there’s a high probability that you will look for work in the same field with similar pay and responsibilities. You are less likely to consider whether you still like the work that you do — you feel obligated to continue your career trajectory regardless of how you feel. This is how people get stuck doing jobs that they don’t like. Instead of thinking about what would make you the best and happiest version of yourself, you may face temptation to maintain the status quo. Many of us do this because we fear wasting our efforts.1 Others feel that their persistence will eventually be valued, and changing course doesn’t fit well within the story they are creating about themselves or their business.2 They may willingly take on sunk costs with the belief that their situation will improve. Don’t get sucked in by sunk costs. The sunk cost fallacy is the assumption that you must continue follow a trajectory because you have already put lots of resources into that particular career path or personal endeavor. We can be so loss-averse that we avoid the possibility of greater gains through changing our approach.3 If you are wondering how to decide on a career, and you take a job solely because it makes use of your years of training, then you might be worrying more about sunk costs than your future happiness and success. Refusing to leave a career that is unfulfilling could be a sign that you are caught in the job investment trap, which is a variation of the sunk cost fallacy.4 Businesses also fall into this pattern of continuing down a failing path just because they already put time and money into initiatives. For example, an entrepreneur might take out a loan to open a second business location. They reason that since business is booming at Location #1, success in Location #2 should be a cinch. After about a year, the owner realizes that Location #2 is hemorrhaging money, and the only way to stop the bleeding is to scale back to one store. The numbers don’t lie, but despite the irrefutable evidence, the owner may still have trouble cutting his or her losses. The business owner thinks about the effort, time, and emotion that went into Location #2. From an outsider’s perspective, it is easy to see that the business owner in the example or the person stuck in an uninspiring career should try something new. It is harder to let go of sunk costs when we are faced with them ourselves. You aren’t a one-trick pony. Just because you took a particular course of study in school doesn’t mean that you are bound to that discipline for the rest of your life. When you are figuring out how to decide on a career, ask yourself the following questions: What are you interested in doing? If you are passionate about your work, then it won’t feel like a burden. What skills do you need to do this job? We often think of our degree or primary training as our default career option, but the default may not be the best choice. If you need to change focus, what transferable skills do you have, and what additional training will you need to be successful?5 Is there room for growth in this job? Today, the average employee stays with a company for 4.2 years before moving on.6 What types of skills can you build in your current work? How can you leverage your growth to position you for a fulfilling career? Do you have opportunities to work with different people? Forming meaningful connections with people is one of the best things you can do for yourself professionally. You’ll not only be happier at work, but if you decide to change careers, you will already have a solid professional network. 7 What can this job offer you in 3 years? Consider your expectations for income and authority-level in the next three years. Is this job going to give you what you want? If not, how will taking this position help you work toward your end goal? Can this job help you to become the kind of person you want to be? Being inspired by the work that you do can brighten even the toughest days. Do you feel that your work is meaningful?8 Does it bring you closer to being the optimal of yourself? Know when to hold and when to fold. You can’t recover sunk costs, but you don’t have to perpetuate a cycle of loss. “I’ve already put so much time into this,” isn’t a good enough justification to continue down a particular path. Deciding to change directions doesn’t meant that you have failed. It makes zero sense to continue to put resources into something that isn’t working for you. Although you may feel like you have wasted an experience or lost time, remember that you have probably learned some valuable information as you undertook the process. Just because it didn’t go the way you expected doesn’t mean that it’s a total loss. Being successful and following your dreams are not mutually exclusive. Use what you know to keep growing, and don’t be discouraged if you have to change course along the way. References [1] Psychology Today: Letting Go of Sunk Costs: How to Escape the Past [2] Ryan Doody: The Sunk Cost Fallacy is Not a Fallacy [3] Learning Loft: Why Perseverance Might Actually Be Hurting Your Career [4] Lifehacker: Don’t Let the Job Investment Trap Keep you from Switching Careers [5] The Muse: 8 Steps to an Utterly Successful Career Change [6] Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employee Tenure Summary [7] CareerShifters: How to Change Career When You Have No Idea What You are Doing [8] Forbes: Five Ways to Tell if You Need a Career Change About Lifehack Lifehack is about helping you improve your life through efficient and comprehensive learning. By leveraging the vast amount of knowledge available to us, we explore and present a wide variety of content catered to encouraging individual growth and solving problems. Learn more about our mission Advertising Advertising Recommended for you 30 Morning Routines That Can Make You Motivated and Productive for a Whole Day 23 Body Language Tricks That Make You Instantly Likeable People Judge Your Intelligence Based on the Tone of Your Voice and How Fast You Speak What’s Popular now? Poor Sleep Quality Comes from All the Things You Do Since Morning Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep This List Keep A "Friend Bank" So You Can Maintain The Right Kind Of Friendship! How I Become Creative by Spending 10 Minutes a Day to Exercise My Brain Muscle See How You Don't Have To Start Your Weight Loss Journey Sweaty! 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