Good questions to ask at the end of an interview

[beeboo]

This is the reason I will never amount to anything It just would never occur to me to do something this proactive.

To be fair, one of the main things I'll be doing in the new job is using the internet to gather information and then interviewing people about it. So it seemed like an obvious thing to do in the circumstances

 

[lights.out.london]

You know - the bit where they ask "have you got any questions to ask us?"

I always think asking a couple of questions here really leave an impression and make you appear dead keen an' that. So what good questions have you asked at the end of interviews?

Good topic.

When I do candidate pre-briefs, I spend a lot of time with them on this. It's a powerful part of the interview process, but one oft' ignored by recruiters, candidates and hiring managers alike.

I have 10-12 powerful Q's I suggest that candidates may like to ask, using their words, of course. Seems to work well.

 

[pootle]

Good luck for later on kitten!

Thanks for the good luck - twas one of my worst interviews evar though

 

[lenny101]

I have 10-12 powerful Q's I suggest that candidates may like to ask, using their words, of course. Seems to work well.

Can you tell us what some of them are?

 

[lights.out.london]

Could do, but they probably won't be of use to you; they're market specific (City recruitment, buy-side, hedge funds).

What kind of thing do you do, or are you applying for? I can probably offer some ideas relevant to your own specialism/profession?

 

[_angel_]

Thanks for the good luck - twas one of my worst interviews evar though

Why?

I was dead nervous during mine, I won't have got it! Then they unleashed a typing test on me that I just about managed without fainting from nerves and shock!



I did ask a question at the end for what ot was worth!

 

[souljacker]

Where was last years christmas do and how much money was behind the bar?

 

[innit]

These have worked in the past:

In this job, what does success look like?

How would you describe the culture of the organisation? What does it feel like to work here?

Ooh, I really like those questions.

I wish I'd asked them before starting my current job... could have saved meself a world of pain

 

[Juice Terry]

My boss was interviewing some people from disadvantaged backgrounds/ areas and one girl asked this question:-

"I can imagine that in the high pressure of financial markets a lot of people use drugs to let off steam, are they easy to get hold of and how expensive are they"

He wasn't sure if she was enquiring from a personal persective or whether she wanted to set up business.

 

[Emerald Toucan]

In my last set of interviews I alway finished by asking;

"What attracted you to the company and what keeps you here"

Hopefully you'll get an honest answer if they're unprepared for the question.

 

[beeboo]

Ooh, I really like those questions.

I wish I'd asked them before starting my current job... could have saved meself a world of pain

Oh I'm not sure - I've asked similar before and been given a long speech about how close-knit the team are and joined to find nothing of the sort.

 

[lights.out.london]

My boss was interviewing some people from disadvantaged backgrounds/ areas and one girl asked this question:-

"I can imagine that in the high pressure of financial markets a lot of people use drugs to let off steam, are they easy to get hold of and how expensive are they"

 

[fogbat]

In my last set of interviews I alway finished by asking;

"What attracted you to the company and what keeps you here"

Hopefully you'll get an honest answer if they're unprepared for the question.

Yep - I used this one too in my last interview. Great question.

 

[lights.out.london]

The trouble with those Q's ^^ is that everyone and their dog uses them (woof, woof).

It's about impact and leaving the interviewer with a lasting positive impression.

Your Q's ought to dovetail with your own USPs. Think of it as reinforcing your 'brand' (your CV) by getting the interviewer to do it for you ie considering and answering your Q's. It';s about engaging with the interviewer in a slightly different way and at a different level of rapport.

There's some NLP and psych stuff tied-up with the above. But it works and it's not as woolly as it may seem.

 

[spanglechick]

I am assuming you have taken care of the basic what is the job and organisation like in the body of the interview. Then at the end are more closing questions:

What do you think about what you have heard, can I fit into your organisation in this role?

How do I compare to the other candidates for the job?

When will you make the decision on who to appoint?

etc

God no!

We're interviewing next month, and if anyone asks stuff like that i'd be really put off. The second one would be really unprofessional to answer, the last one would've prob been mentioned anyway (if not, then fair doos), and the first one puts the interviewer on the spot in a bad way - you need time to think about someone's interview - and you're asking for that response on the spot. yuk.

 

[pootle]

I asked about when decisions would be made and also "what would be the biggest challenge in the role" which enabled me to talk about some background stuff about the role.

And despite me thinking it was the worst interview evar, I've been offered the job today! but also yay!

 

[beeboo]

And despite me thinking it was the worst interview evar, I've been offered the job today! but also yay!

YAY!

Go pootle!

 

[pootle]

Thank you beeboo!

I'm quite pleasantly surprised and shocked myself but am looking forward to a challenging new role, which will hopefully be more rewarding than my current job too - the pay's a bit better too!

 

[Badger Kitten]

ooh well done