To make the best impression, save the questions about salary, benefits, and vacation until you have an offer. (Some of the benefits questions may be answered on the organization's Website, anyway.) Ask questions based on your preparation and your interest in the job.
Asking good questions shows that you are interested and prepared, and the answers will help you make a decision about working there - an interview is the proverbial "2-way street," and you want to be sure that you'll like and succeed at the job.
Preparation
I have had recruiters tell me that they automatically disqualified any applicant who hadn't taken the time and effort to visit the company Website.
So visit the organization's Website to see what you can discover. What do they do, and where do they do it? What are their products and or services? Who is the "management team"? How long have they been in business? What is the "philosophy" or "mission"?
If it is a publicly held company, Yahoo Finance will have a ton of information about the company and the industry. How large is the company, in terms of sales and number of employees? Who are their competitors? Check to see how healthy their finances are - several years of losses are a very bad sign. You don't want to be the last person hired before the layoffs begin.
Google the organization's name (Web, News, Groups, and Blogs) to see what you find.
Do the research, and let them know that you've done the research by making reference to it in the interview. Be very careful - or avoid - referencing negative things you may have discovered. You may be able to ask questions that will help you decide if the "digital dirt" you might have found is fact or fiction, but usually these topics are not appropriate early in the interview process.
Sample Questions
Often the interviewer will end the interview by asking if you have any questions. Saying "no" can be the kiss of death.
Here are a few "general" questions to choose from, in addition to the ones based on your research:
- What is a typical day for a person in this job? Typcal week? Typical month? Year?
- What is the most important quality (or skill) of the person who does this job?
- What happened to the last person who did this job? (promoted, hopefully)
- How many people have held this job in the last 5 years? (hopefully, not many, unless they were all promoted to better jobs)
- How many people in this group (or office) have joined in the last year? (In a fast growing company, several people could have been hired. In a tough place to work, several people could have left.)
- How do you define (or measure) "success" here?
- Does this organization promote from within?
Closing the Interview/Sale
Express interest in getting the job (even if you aren't terribly excited about the opportunity). Ask what are the next steps are in the hiring process, and ask for permission to stay in touch to learn the status of the job.
Two Important Etiquette MUST-DO's
Before the interview starts, turn your cell phone off or set it on vibrate (and then ignore it if it vibrates). If you do leave the cell phone on, be sure to explain why, and be sure to have a very good reason.
After the interview, send a unique thank you note (or e-mail, depending on how tech-savvy the employer seemed) to everyone who participated in the interview process, with the possible exception of the receptionist - unless the receptionist was particularly helpful, making copies of your resume for example.
Telephone Interviews
Sometimes you will be asked to participate in a telephone interview before you are invited to come in for a face-to-face interview. Don't panic. It's not unusual, but take it seriously. You don't have to put on your interview outfit, but being too relaxed and informal can backfire.
If you can, be standing (not sitting!) in front of a mirror when you are doing the interview. Smile - you'll see it in the mirror (which should give you a little lift), and they will hear it in your voice!.
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Article by Susan P. Joyce,
Job-Hunt's editor and senior job hunter
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