What to Ask the Job Interviewer

Job Seeker Resources
Need some professional advice? Here are 20 fact-filled articles to help you compete in today's fierce employment market:

Resumes
Ten Keys to a Dynamite Resume
Resume Design Tips and Template
A Stronger Resume To Increase Your Odds
Choosing a Resume Format: Summary vs. Chronological
Beefing Up an Anemic Resume
The Dangers of Resume Overkill

Interviewing
The Secret to Interview Success
Don't Talk Yourself Out of a Job
How to Answer Interview Questions
What to Ask the Interviewer
Four Classic Interview Questions—and How to Prepare for Them
Discussing the Subject of Money

Career Decisions
How to Evaluate a Job Offer
What Does the New Job Really Pay?
Salary Negotiation Techniques
Intelligent Job-Changing Strategy
Career Strategy: It Pays to Diversify

Transition
The Proper Way to Resign
How to Leave a Job Gracefully
Resignation or Retaliation?

What to Ask the Interviewer
By Bill Radin

A job interview will quickly disintegrate into an interrogation or monologue unless you ask some high quality questions of your own. Candidate questions are the lifeblood of any successful interview, because they create dialogue and help clarify your understanding of the company and the position responsibilities.

In addition the questions you ask serve to indicate your grasp of fundamental issues, reveal your ability to probe beyond the superficial and challenge the employer to reveal his or her own depth of knowledge and commitment to the job.

Your questions should always be slanted in such a way as to show empathy, interest, or understanding of the employer’s needs. After all, the reason you’re interviewing is because the employer’s company has a piece of work that needs to be completed, or has a problem that needs correcting. Here are some questions that have proven to be very effective:

What’s the most important issue facing the company (or department)

How can I help you accomplish this objective?

How long has it been since you first identified this need?

How long have you been trying to correct it?

Have you tried using your present staff to get the job done? If so, what was the result?

Is there any particular skill or attitude you feel is critical to getting the job done?

Is there a certain aspect of my background you’d like to exploit to help accomplish your objectives?

Questions like these will not only give you a sense of the company’s goals and priorities, they’ll indicate to the interviewer your concern for satisfying the company’s objectives.