Questions to ask during interview. Here is a break down.

Knowing what questions to ask during interview is vital as an interview is and should always be a two way communication. The interviewer asks the interviewee questions and he/she answers. After the progress the interviewee is given chance to ask questions.

What kind of questions to ask during interview?

Interview questions should be about the job and the organization. The kind of questions you ask shows your interests, your way of thinking, and your professional skills.

Focus should be on what is expected of you rather than what you expect from company. This goes a long way in showing you are prepared for the interview.

The questions to ask during interview should focus on:

1. Job description and job duties:

Job interview is the best time to know what the company expects of the job duties. Things change, job duties change, and workers have to adapt themselves to the changes too. You can ask to have full job description if you don’t want to be surprised latter.

2. Work Culture:

You would also want to know exactly what kind of colleagues you are working with. In fact, this is one of the most important questions because these are the people with whom you would be spending the better part of your waking day.

3. Future Prospects:

Once you have decided that you would be working with the company, it would be necessary to know the future prospects of yourself as a person and your job in the company. With this question, you get to know the vision of the company and also get an inkling of the future plans and prospects for the company. You should ask for the timeline of your appraisals, and the percentage or amount that you would be expecting at the appraisal.

4. What are the typical hours that your workday consists of?

Gone are the days when the times a company worked for were more or less standard. With the advent of globalization, the business world has grasped the concept of 24/7. Therefore, you should ask whether the office has standard and stable working hours, or whether the office has shifts, etc. More importantly, you should ask whether the company has a five working day or a six working day a week.

5. What does the company actually do?

Most companies today have many supporting profiles and a different company structure to their actual type of business. For example, a manufacturing unit may have public relation directors. Therefore, you should ask the true nature of business of the company that you are going to work for.

6. What is the business model of the company?

Of course, this question may or may not be fully answered, or answered to your satisfaction, but the mere fact that you ask this question gives the interviewer a sense that you are experienced and have the hands on knowledge of the business.

7. Hiring Practices:

Another important question is the nature of your employment, whether you are being taken on full time employee, partial job time or a board as a consultant. There is a major difference between the three job profiles. Therefore, it is best to clear it out at the very outset.

8. What is the reason for the vacancy?

9. What is the vision for the organization and how will an individual in this role be expected to contribute to that goal?

10. What is the nature of the induction and ongoing training programmes?

11. What makes a successful person in this organization?

12. Describe your management style or how you like to manage people.

13. What do you expect the successful candidate to achieve in this position within 6, 12 months? Or 2 years?

Remember timing of asking questions is very important, and also who’s amongst the panel the question is directed to. The questions to ask during interview might be the swing vote as the employer might come to know you better and pick you.

After knowing what questions to ask during interview, how do you conclude an interview

An interview without a strong conclusion is like a good movie with a terrible ending–something that seemed great can suddenly leave you unimpressed.

It is important to have a closing statement where you thank the employer for their time, re-highlight some of your key qualifications, and state your interest in the position with enthusiasm!

Say something like

“…..thank you very much for interviewing me; I have learnt a lot about your company. I believe my (state your skills) make me a great fit. Am very excited about your company and I want to reiterate my interest on this position. Thank you…”

Before leaving remember:

a. Ask for the next steps and timeline for the hiring process.

b. Get business cards for those who interviewed you for purpose of the letter

c. Smile and give a firm handshake as you leave.

Good Luck!

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