Interview Professional’s Top list of Questions for the Interviewer

There is much to go over and revise for when it comes to preparing for your interview. You need to prioritize what content you want to familiarize yourself with based on the relevance you think it will hold during the interview. Rehearsing for interview questions is one of the things that’s almost always relevant to do because it’s standard practice to give interview candidates the chance to ask questions at the end of an interview. As an interview candidate, you should always take the opportunity to ask questions as this will show the interviewer that you’re interested in the company and in the role, and also conveys how attentive you’ve been and how much you’ve enjoyed your conversation with them.
It’s for those very same reasons that your interviewer will almost certainly take note if you don’t ask them anything at the end of the interview

2 or 3 short questions is considered an appropriate amount for you to ask your interviewer. The courtesy given to you at the end of an interview to ask questions is so that you get the chance to follow-up on anything else you want to know about the company more than other reason. Remember that the interviewer normally won’t have a criterion to evaluate this part of the interview on, so in terms of impressing the interviewer, any questions you ask here will hold less relevance

It may be helpful to think of your questions as roughly belonging within two separate categories. Practical questions: are questions you would ask an interviewer because there is a practical aspect of the job or company that you want to know more about. Stylized questions: are questions you would ask the interviewer because you feel they will reflect well on yourself

While it is a relatively easy thing for you to come up with 2 or 3 questions to ask at the end of an interview either using the list below, or using questions you’ve thought of yourself, there are a few areas you should try and steer clear of at all costs. Asking about salary, holidays, or company benefits, is something you should heavily refrain from doing during an interview. This is because during your conversation, the interviewer needs to see that you are interested in the role itself, and bringing these things up detracts from that. Other than this, the sorts of questions you ask are entirely up to you. Just remember that questions at the end of an interview will only constitute a very small amount of the overall interview itself, and that you have other areas you need to rehearse for and be proficient in – for this reason it is recommended you only spend between 3% – 5% of your total interview prep time rehearsing for questions to ask at the end of your interview

Questions that challenge the interviewer to think and respond with insightful answers are always the most useful kind. In much the same way that we should take a positive approach to our conversation with the interviewer in general, we should apply this same logic to the questions we ask at the end of our interview too. Positively phrased questions, and questions orientated towards positive topics, will be received much more favourably by our interviewer and will provide a much better scope to open up the conversation further than negatively orientated ones

If you’re looking for suggestions for some questions to ask, look no further. Here are Interview Professional’s list of Top Recommended Questions for the Interviewer

1. In your opinion, what are 2 of the biggest challenges you’d expect the person in this role to face?

2. What’s the single most important thing I can do to make a successful career for myself here?

3. In your own opinion, what would you say is the most important quality needed to be successful in this organisation?

4. What are the 3 most important things you expect from your employees?

5. Is there any advice you would give to a candidate looking to make a long and successful career with your company?

6. In your opinion, what would be the most effective steps I could take to progress within this company?

7. Based on your experience, what’s the key thing I can do to show how eager I am to develop and contribute to the success of this business?

8. Are there any current processes associated with the role I’m applying for that you’d personally change or improve upon?

9. Is there anything important you feel I should know about the role that isn’t included in the job description?

10. Are there any additional duties or functions not mentioned in the job description that I could undertake to support you in my capacity in this role?

11. Can you tell me more about how success is measured in this role?

12. What can you tell me about the future direction of this company, do you know where the company wants to be in the next 5 years?

13. How has the position I’m interviewing for come to be available?

14. Can you tell me more about the company culture?
(Example). ‘I noted on your website you actively seek to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Can you tell me, is there anything you do in particular to promote such beneficial traits in your employees?’.

15. How many hours will I be working a week/ month? Is overtime offered or required at busy times?

16. What sort of travel is required for this role/ what percentage of travel per week/ month?

17. Where will the job primarily be based – how often is travel to other offices/ locations required?

18. What prospects are there for development/ advancement within this role?

19. Will I have opportunities for additional training in this role?

20. What do other employees say is the most enjoyable aspect of this role?

21. Does your company participate in any philanthropic or community outreach projects that its employees can get involved with?

22. Can you tell me what a typical workday in this role looks like?

23. In your opinion, what qualities have the most successful employees in your organisation had that’ve made them stand out?

24. Based on your own experience, what separates those employees who are good at this job, from those who are really great at it?

25.What sort of person would you say does well in this role, and what sort hasn’t lived up to your expectations in the past?

26. What are you looking for your ideal candidate to accomplish in their first six months in this role?

27. In what ways will I be supported to develop a long and successful career with you?

28. In your opinion, what are the most effective ways I can support my colleagues in this role?

29. Are there other ways I could be involved with the company outside of my core job duties, for example, volunteer days, organizing team nights out, etc?

30. What timeline are we looking at for our next steps going forward following this interview?