Interviews - when they ask "do you have any questions?&

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When they ask me at the end of an interview "do you have any questions?" I never do unless I've clicked with the person and we're having a good chat about the business. But sometimes the interviewer has covered everything I need to know and I genuinely don't have any questions. It's one of my weaknesses. I'm not good at asking questions in any situation.

I have an interview next week. What are good questions to ask at an interview?

I rarely have any questions after a job interview, either, unless it's 'How much does it pay?'

I don't really expect they'd give any honest answers anyway. If they want you to work for them, they're going to make it sound as pleasant as possible, even if its a Hell Hole. I figure If they decide to hire me, they'll show me anything I have to know then, so the technical details aren't yet relevant.

In fact, I kind of feel like it would be socially impudent to ask many questions in an interview, even if they prompt you for them. Like they're only asking to be polite and if you actually do have questions, they'll think you're assuming you have the job already, and judge you for your (perceived) arrogance.

I have a stock set of questions that I will draw from, depending upon the nature of the interview, how much publicly available information there is about the organization, and the nature of the work that I will be expected to do.

What are your organization's strategic priorities?
How would my work fit in with your strategic priorities?
What are the biggest challenges in the organization?
etc.

My intents is always to ask one high level question about the organization's strategic plans or goals.

(Unless, of course, I am looking to get taken on to facilitate the development of a strategic plan, in which case I ask a lot more questions!)

Ask them what's the capital of France, and hope for a laugh.

I have this problem, too. I feel like they're usually looking for you to seem
REALLY REALLY interested in job, and not just in the sense of your personal gains, but also how you would fit within the organization.

When I asked my mom about this, she told me what she usually does is say, "I think you've covered everything really well," which is kind of an ego-boost to them, but she says she's not entirely sure if it works.

Yesterday I had two interviews, and one of them was at a store I worked as a cashier in high school and left because I went to college, and they had a job fair for managers and when the guy asked me if I had any questions I said something like (perhaps stupidly), "No, I mean, I worked here for over two years before and always had a good relationship with the managers so I know the ropes pretty well."

In the other interview (for an art museum receptionist) when they asked if I had any questions, I thought, perhaps for a moment a bit too long, and said something like, "Will I have any opportunities to take responsibilities outside of the job description, such as helping with gallery curation?" It might have been a dumb question, but I also felt like it gave them the sense that I was willing to do more work than just the absolute minimum.

Oh, and you should always make it sound like the job itself is more fulfilling than the pay, even if that's not true. I know how it is, crappy economy=people want a paycheck and it doesn't really matter where or how. Sometimes kinda-lying is a good thing.

Last edited by heliocopters on 10 Jun 2010, 1:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

That might work as well as anything else.

I don't think it's imperative that you ask questions, but it seems to show an interest in getting the job. I try to think of anything I really would like to know about the job I'm applying for, and if it's not addressed in my interview, ask about it at the end, but if they've covered all the basis, it's tough.

Normally, I like to hit them with, "Tell me what a typical day here would be like for me if I was to be chosen." It's nothing too threatening, but might show that I'm trying to picture myself working for them already.

Good tip! I think I'll use that the next time. Thanks!

They (those all-knowing people on TV and elsewhere) always say that you really ARE supposed to brag, and you try to make it less arrogant than confident. If you look like you are confident in the ability to obtain the job and do it well, I think they'll respect you a little more instead of the timid person who keeps looking at his/her shoes. Looking like you have interest, even if you think you're being arrogant, is still better than the wallflower who seems unsure about everything.

This question SHOULD never come up in an interview.

An interview is a two way process, not only for the employer to feel comfortable with the candidate, but for the employee to know what they are potentially getting into.

Most employers do not have a set of questions to fill up the entire interview time. What you need to do is to try and control the conversation early and to make sure the conversation lingers on points if your strenghth and quickly passing any weaknesses you may have.

Do not be on the receiving end nor reactionary, take control early.

What does this job entail? What kind of person are you looking for? Why did the last person leave? Why are you not transitioning or hiring internally for this position? How long do you for see the right candidate remaining in this position before promotion? Who are the people who will be evaluating the success of this employee, and what kind of people are they? Are we going to meet them? When I start, what do you see me doing the first week?

Etc.

A few years ago I purchased the e-book, "How to Impress for Success at Job Interviews", written by Vaughan Vandenberg. Chapter 9 is about "Questions to ask the interviewers”. I will send you (musicboxforever) a long list of example questions from that chapter, via PM. (I do not want to post them here out of respect for the author's copyright.) There is a lot more information in that chapter, and probably in other books as well.

Anyway, I hope the interview goes well!


Edit. Some more suggestions:
"What Not to Say During a Job Interview"
http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/eti ... page3.html

Last edited by Logan5 on 13 Jun 2010, 4:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Sometimes when interviewers ask you if you have questions, they are trying to get a better sense of you as a person and to see what you are focused on. And also, they are human and might have forgotten something.

Some good questions are: how many people are in the dept/group; what type of training will be provided if you were to get the job, what is a typical day like for a (whatever the job title is)? If you can recall something that they said earlier, you can mention this and ask them to elaborate on it.

If this is your first interview, please do not ask them how much the job pays. I know that is the burning question and the bottom line for you, but you should not ask at this point. If they ask you, however, what salary you are looking for, you can tell them. Let them bring it up first.

Good luck!

Thanks, I really like how you handle that question.