Ask The Right Questions During A Job Interview

You may think you know what it takes to nail a job interview, how your cover letter should look, what to wear, how to make your greatest weaknesses sound like strengths. But just before the parting handshake, what will you ask your prospective employer?

Crafting the right questions for the interviewer will display confidence and knowledge about the company. While asking the wrong questions can make you appear unqualified or even desperate.

Do your homework

It's a good idea to ask very specific questions that demonstrate your knowledge about the company and that you've done your research, said Doug Arms, chief talent officer for Ajilon Professional Staffing. This can be about products, competitors or the company's strategic plan.

"It's important how you phrase the questions and cite things you've already learned," Arms said. "A good question might be about how the company has poised itself for growth in the past. You might be able to use that response to help formulate your own answers during future interviews."

You should limit yourself to three questions, Arms said, and make sure they're short and to the point.

Showing an interest in the company's culture and asking about management style will also help you determine whether the job is a good fit, said career coach Jo Singel.

Learn about the job

Finding out why the position is open is great for insight about the job itself and what the employer would like done differently, according to Jennifer Warne, senior recruiting specialist for consulting firm Towers Perrin.

You'll also want to ask for specific details about how performance is measured, and whether your interviewer sees potential gaps in your experience, she said.

"This can be a really great opportunity to assess and address problems head on," Warne said. "Often times the interviewer will give you an honest response, and it will give you a good idea of where you stand."

Arms and Singel give these examples of strong questions to ask about the job:

• How long have you been trying to fill this position?

• What does daily life in this job entail?

• How do you evaluate success?

• What are you expecting from me in the first 60 days I'm working here?

• What kind of orientation program do you have for new employees?

• What have others who've worked with you said about your leadership?

• How much confidence do you have in your team right now?

• What's more important to you, productivity or creativity?

"At the end, don't forget to ask for the job," Singel said. "Tell them you want it. A lot of people forget to do that."

Tie in your qualifications

It may be a good idea to thread five strengths into questions to use as emergency backup in case they haven't already surfaced in the interview, said Bob Daugherty, head of recruiting for the U.S. at accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

"You're going to need a game plan, but you'll still need to customize your questions based on what's happening during the interview," he said. "What's most important is that you stay on your toes and get those qualifications and strengths out on the table, no matter what."

Avoid salary and benefits

Hiring managers agreed that the last thing they want to hear is, "What's in it for me?"

"The function of asking questions isn't so much about getting information about the company as it is about conveying your own talent," Tryon said. "The purpose of the interview is to get the job, and asking about medical benefits isn't necessarily working toward that goal."

Susan Leonard, human resources business partner at ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's, said there's a tactful way to navigate the issue of salary. The interviewee shouldn't ask about pay or benefits during a first interview, but if it comes up, ask what the hiring range is to get a sense of whether it's in your ballpark.

"As part of the dance, the interviewer may ask you what your salary history is," she said. "Avoid the question completely and say it's too early to discuss salary. Gently turn it around to ask what they're offering, so you don't oversell or price yourself out of a job."

Know the questions you shouldn't ask

Avoid questions that are aggressive and can display a "lack of emotional maturity," said Kristen Weirick, director of talent acquisition for Whirlpool Corp. Some of the questions on her forbidden list:

• Are you going to hire me?

• When will I be promoted?

• How much does this job pay?

• Am I more qualified than the other applicants?

• Can I call you tomorrow?

The worst question Weirick has heard from a job candidate: "That's a really good question. What do you think the answer is?"

Photos: Getty Images

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Comments

[Pedro]

I totally disagree with the not asking about how much a position does pay, if you are worth a certain amount of money you do not want to settle for something severely less, there are very tactful ways of asking how much you can expect without wording it "how much does the job pay"

[Timothy]

One question to ask is, what additional duties does the position entail. I've worked for a few companies that always have those non posted "additional" job duties that you may not want to do, but only find out about them after you have been hired.

[Grant]

I have always been told that you should wait until you have a firm job offer before discussing salary. If it is unacceptable you can always decline taking the position and explain to them that it is not what you need or want. But if you get too pushy about salary before a job is offered, you can look like you are only in it for you and not to help make the company better. Sure 99% of us are in it just for the money but you still have to play the game and make them genuinely believe that you are interested in being part of a "winning team".

[Ha]

The salary is always on the main application. I tell them what I want for pay and I always went 5 to 10 thousand higher then my last position. Always say negotible making it look like your flexible but let them know your not willing to work for peanuts. My field is gernerally at minimum 50k to 120k depending on your level of experience and how much responsibility is expected of you. It always good to know what your job is so you can literally charge extra for the things that aren't being posted. You already know your level of experience and the employer does to as long as it written well on your resume. The most important thing is always be confident letting them know you know what your doing but always say that even if you don't know something that you know when to ask questions and look for the proper resources to get the job done. Getting the job done is the bottom line so if you don't know something let them know that you know where to look and you are capable troubleshooting.

[Diego]

I am totally in agreement with the rest of the comments. Asking for a salary is totally okay. There are many jobs I would not have accepted and avoided had I known how much they paid during the interview. Maybe hiring managers don't want to tell you the salary to lure you into taking a less amount. At a recent interview, during the interview, I was told I'd be making $15/hour when in reality they only paid $10/hr. What can we do about wrong information and lies from the hiring managers?