Interviews
10 Questions Every Candidate Must Ask At Interview
Glassdoor Team
Glassdoor Team | Author & Career Expert at Glassdoor | 10 July 2017
You’ve probably heard that you’ve got seven seconds to make an impression at an interview, first impressions count. Within seven seconds the interviewer assesses your body language, your smile, eye contact, handshake, and even your voice.
What if your handshake wasn’t strong enough, perhaps your voice quivered as you said hello, do you still have a chance to impress them?
The answer is yes; all is not lost, you can deliver a powerful presentation and pick up extra points by asking good questions. Well thought through questions will impress interviewers, they’ll like that you’re making the interview two-way and it’ll show that you’re enthusiastic. Asking good questions will help you to delve deeper into the job role as well as the company and help you make a more informed choice of whether you’d want to work there or not.
10 questions you definitely should ask at the interview:
The Job
How do you see the job position evolving?
Technology changes everything daily; you want to make sure that your next employer doesn’t get left behind. Going forward your employer might need to change direction, and you might need to acquire extra skills. Give the interviewer peace of mind that you’re agile enough to pivot and can quickly learn new skills should you need to.
Why did the last person who held this position leave?
You shouldn’t feel uncomfortable asking this; it’s an important question to ask. It may be the case that they've hired wrong in the past, if so, did they learn from their mistake?
Who will I be working with?
Like attracts like, we all like to work with people who we get along with, probably people similar to ourselves. By asking this question, it will enable you to do some research on your possible work colleagues. LinkedIn is probably a good place to start, see how long they’ve been working at the company, that way you’ll get an idea of what staff turnover is like.
What does the career path look like?
You would want the interviewer to talk about the training, personal development, as well as success stories of other employees who have climbed the ranks. If they draw a blank, then you can assume there is no career path.
The company
How would you describe the company culture?
The company culture is the heart and soul of the company, and the interviewer should light up as they talk about it. If the answer is “happy and helpful” but you’ve been greeted by a miserable, unhelpful receptionist you’ll know something isn’t right.
How do you measure success here?
Success can mean many things for many people. What you need to work out is, does their definition of success align with your definition of success.
What is the company’s mission and is everyone aware of it?
The mission should roll off the tongue; it’s what makes the interviewer and all the employees come to work every day. Do you think the mission could also be your mission? How does the interviewer answer “is everyone aware of it?” Any doubt that signifies that employees might be in the dark about the mission should ring alarm bells.
What are your plans for growth?
If you find out that the company is stagnating and not growing, then you have to assume they’ve lost their way. If however after asking the question you’re shown a growth map, told about how they are acquiring new services as well as doubling their customer base, then you should have peace of mind that it’s all going in the right direction.
Do you encourage your employees to leave reviews on Glassdoor?
A good employer will always encourage their employees to do that.
When will I hear from you?
This should always be your last question and hopefully the answer will be very soon!
Glassdoor Team
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