Whenever people are going to a job interview, they will inevitably ask me about the questions that they should ask. During the ebb and flow or give and take of an interview, many of their questions will be answered. Then when the interviewer comes to that time in the interview and says “do you have any questions for me?” the candidate can be somewhat perplexed because their questions have all been answered. Worse, because they do not have any original questions that have not been answered in the interview, they feel like the interviewer will not take them seriously as a legitimate and interested candidate. How is such a dilemma overcome?
The way to overcome this problem is to reiterate some of your already answered questions just to ensure that you have the answers right. For example, you may have wanted to ask a question about the corporate culture. But during the course of the interview, the interviewer might have said that “the culture around here is very laidback; micromanagement is non-existent and we even wear jeans on casual Friday. So you might say “did I hear you correctly when you said the culture was very laidback and you even wear jeans on Fridays? Can you tell me more about this? The interviewer will be more than happy to reiterate their answer if you are a candidate that they are seriously considering.
Do your due diligences before you go on your interview. Due diligences are:
- Researching the company on their corporate website, Glassdoor, or any other place where you can find a review on the company
- Try to research key principals (interviewer, hiring authority) on Linked-In so that you can know some of their background
- Try to research current of former employees of the company on Linked-In to get an idea of the types of people that work there.
As you are doing your research, questions should come to you about the company. Make a list of questions to take with you to the interview and cross off each question as it is answered, writing the key words for your review after the interview. In the likely event that all of your questions were not answered, ask the remaining questions.
When the interview is completed, review your notes. Sometimes this will raise additional questions that you wish you would have asked. If your interviewer gave you a card with their email address, email them the questions. This will a) keep your name fresh in their minds b) confirm your interest in the position and c) get you the answers that you need to complete your decision-making process.
