Questions You Should Ask In Your Interview

Often candidates forget that an interview is a two way street. Throughout the process, it is just as important for you to interview the company as it is for them to interview you. You should always have a list of 5-10 questions prepared FOR EACH INTERVIEW. This serves to show the company you’re interested as well as providing you with answers to vital questions you may not have known you needed answers to. By the end of the interview you should have your answers and know whether or not you’re prepared to take the next step in the process – whether it’s another interview or a final offer. The following are a list of questions that you should be prepared to ask in an interview:

About the Company

1)     Tell me about your team/company and how you feel I could fit in.

2)     What are some of the current challenges the team/company is facing? What are some challenges you anticipate you will be facing over the next year? (The second part of this question is excellent for testing to see if the team or company has a vision beyond the immediate future)

3)     What is the 1-5 year goal of the company/team?

4)     Describe the company culture and work environment.

5)     How are you faring against your major competitors?

6)     How are you distinguishing yourself in your marketplace?

About the Role

1)     Why is this position open? (Is this position new, or will you be replacing someone? This is important in knowing what the company’s angle is)

2)     What are your expectations for this role? (This is a good way to relay the expectations of the hiring manager/interviewer against the job description, which could have been written by someone else entirely)

3)     What could I do to make an immediate impact? OR How can I hit the ground running? (This one is excellent for showing your enthusiasm)

4)     If I joined your team today, what would you expect my growth to look like? What is the normal growth path for people in my role? (This question should be left for a face-to-face scenario as it is sometimes hard to get your intentions across over the phone – you don’t want to sound uninterested in the role you’re interviewing for)

5)     Who would I report to in this role?

6)     What is a day-in-the-life like?

About the People

1)     Where did you work before you were here? Why did you leave? (This question seems direct, but it’s an excellent way to get at the perks of the company and get the interviewer talking about themselves. It’s a great way to build rapport)

2)     Why do you still work here? What has kept you at the company?

3)     Describe the dynamic of the team.

4)     What are some common characteristics that successful people in this company share? (Interviewers are usually surprised by this question and think very hard to get the right ones across. It’s a great way to divert the attention away from yourself for a moment)

Questions You Should Expect In Your Interview

It never fails – no matter how much homework you do on the company and how much you prepare, you are inevitably hit with any number of interview questions you were not expecting. The more prepared you are heading into an interview scenario, the better you look to the prospective employer, which is a winning combination for everyone. Truly the best thing to expect is the unexpected, so along with your preparation, go into your interview with an open mind and avoid making snap judgments about your progress.

General Questions

1)    Give an example of one of your biggest strengths and one of your biggest weaknesses. (This is an oldie but a goody, and it never fails to come in one form or another. The only way to tackle this is to think it out in advance so you aren’t stumbling during the interview itself)

2)    Describe your most recent / favorite project. (You should know all of the details related to the project including: your role, team composition, where you fit in on the team, related technologies/languages, challenges you encountered, how you dealt with them, and finally the outcome of the project)

3)     How do you envision this role?

4)     What is your ideal role?

5)     Where are you in your career currently? What do you see for your career path over the next few years?

6)     What did you like most about your last role? What did you like least? (Please avoid badmouthing your previous employer at all costs)

7)    Tell me about a time your boss or a co-worker made you angry. How did you respond?

8)    Tell me about a time you failed to meet an objective. Where did the project go wrong? How did you recover if at all?

9)    Why should we hire you over other candidates?

10)     Describe a time when you were faced with a challenge and explain how you solved the problem.

*Extra tips: Know your résumé backwards and forwards and study it before your interview, as many questions relate directly to skills and projects that you’ve listed.