The importance of Interview questions

One of the big mistakes I see jobseekers make during the interview process is not asking questions or asking questions that aren’t important to them. 

In this edition of Caffeinated Careers, I break down the why behind asking questions, general topics of questions that you should cover and topics to avoid. 

Why should you ask questions? 

Human psychology tells us that people like people who want them. The company and interviewers want to feel that you want to work with them. Asking them questions shows them exactly that. Interview is a two way process, you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. One sided inquisition is not interviews, it's interrogation and no one is being interrogated. You are showing them not only your unique value as an employee but you’re also showing them your interest by asking them questions based on your research of the company, interviewer, team and product. Recruiters and interviews are humans too, they might forget some things and you asking questions will ensure you are receiving accurate information and facts on why you should want to work at the company and with that team. 

Topics that you can ask questions on.

Now I’ll be the first person to tell you that you should ask questions that you want answers to and not based on a list that someone gives you. Below are the topics that I believe you should cover in your interview process. 

1. Salary questions - This is a topic you’ll cover with the recruiter or the HR person. We all work for money and most of us out here don’t have the luxury to volunteer for free. You aren’t negotiating in the first conversation but if you aren’t covering this, you’re wasting YOUR time. Especially if you are in a state that doesn’t have salary transparency laws. You can argue that companies should just list the compensation/budget on the job posting and while I agree that is not our current reality. You want to know what your skills are worth, what your negotiables and non-negotiables are, what you are going to walk away from. The job search is a great example of the power imbalance that exists in the world. However, you can take your power back by knowing your worth and asking for it. The company's budget won’t matter if it’s too low. 

2. Manager/ team questions - People often ask culture questions and you’ll find out why they aren’t helpful in the next section. As the jobseeker you’re interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. You’re planning on spending a third of your day at this place over the next however long, you want to know if your manager is the right fit for you, if the team is a team you can work with. 

   1. Growth opportunities: You want to know when was the last time your manager promoted someone. How did the manager influence and support the promotion? 

   2. Management style: Not all good managers are effective for all employees. A good place to start is asking the potential manager what their management style is. Hint: the answer should be that they’re flexible. Everyone on their team is going to be different and if they can’t be flexible that is something you should consider.  It’s also important to gauge your level of independence.Are they a micromanager?  

   3. Team questions: You want to know what type of collaboration opportunity is provided to employees not just within the team but across teams in and outside the department. Your growth in some companies can be stifled if you aren’t allowed these opportunities. 

3. Research-Based Questions - Now these will be dependent on your research. What did you find during your research that made you more curious to ask questions around? If you’ve watched the show “The Hot ones” you’ll know that the host does intensive research on the guest and asks them pointed questions that he wants answers to. You need to be like Sean Evans, the host and ask your interviewer the pointed questions. 

Topics of questions that you should avoid. - There are certain questions that you shouldn’t ask. Most of the time these questions are invasive or put you in a negative light. 

1. Questions that are too personal / invasive - I’ve had candidates bring up politics during the interview, they brought up their religious beliefs and such. You are interviewing to work with people, and these topics can put a wrench in your candidacy. You want to avoid these topics. 

2. Generic questions - Most companies have made up their culture and asking about what the culture is like isn’t going to give you any insight. This question is tired and you’re going to get a curated answer. Instead ask pointed questions that you want answers to. 

3. Any version of: “Do you have any concerns about my candidacy?” - If I tell you right now to not think of an elephant, what are you thinking of? Elephant right? If you ask the interviewer if they have concerns about you, they’ll start thinking about their concerns which might not have been on their mind before. Interviews are also a group effort so asking individual people that question will get you some canned response. It also puts the interviewer on the spot and makes the conversation a bit confrontational. Don’t do that to yourself. 

Like always, I’ll tell you that the best questions you can ask are the questions you want answers to. Do you have all the answers that you need to make an appropriate decision? If not, you want answers to those questions.

What questions worked for you as a jobseeker or what question did a candidate ask that you were impressed by? Tell us in the comments below. 

Until next time,

Stay Caffeinated!