At the end of every interview, the hiring manager will ask, “Do you have any questions for me?” It is extremely important you take advantage of this opportunity to ask questions about the role, company, culture, your boss, and anything else on your mind about the position. Hiring managers say candidates who do not ask any questions will typically no longer be considered for that role; they believe the lack of questions reveals a lack of interest or preparation. Keep reading to learn more about those questions and how to prepare for a panel-style interview.
The Right Kinds of Questions to Ask: At this point of the interview process, you should have already done your homework on the company. You should be using this time to ask specific questions to the hiring authority about the job that were not discussed during the interview. We believe you should prepare 2-3 questions if you are interviewing with one individual. You may want to ask about the 30, 60, and 90-day challenges that pertain to the role, and what the hiring authority’s goals and expectations are for you if you were to earn the job. Also, be sure to ask if there is anything they want you to clarify from earlier in the interview. This is an opportunity for you to elaborate on your responses to some of their questions to prove you fit well with the demands of the job and the work environment. Keep in mind that not only are they interviewing you, but you are also interviewing them to see if you like the team, role, and company. You should know when you leave the interview whether or not you want to work there; this is your chance to find out as much as you can.
Asking Questions to a Group: Sometimes you will face an entire interview panel. You may find yourself sitting across from an HR manager, a hiring authority, and 1-3 future co-workers if you were to earn the job. The hiring authority’s boss may be in the room, too. This interview usually takes 1.5 to 2 hours. For a panel interview, we recommend you prepare 2-3 questions per person in the room. Each question you ask must be unique and tailored to that person’s role and experience. Your last two questions can be for the whole group. One effective final question to ask each member of the panel is, “What do you like best about working here?” This will allow you to see the passion the employees have about their role and the company and help you hear an authentic opinion on the culture you could be joining.
Asking About the Decision Timeline: After working your way through your questions, it is important to find out about the decision timeline. This will provide peace of mind when waiting to hear back from your recruiter about the hiring decision. It will also hold the employer accountable when your recruiter follows up. Typical hiring decisions occur at the end of the week of that interview or within 2-3 weeks of the conversation, depending on where they are in the process.
We offer interview prep on industry- and job-specific roles. Give us a call at 847-696-7377. For more interview and job search tips, check out our blog.
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