Questions in an interview vary greatly depending on the job that you are being interviewed for, the size of company, your experiences, the qualifications etc.
Below are the top 30 questions that you could ask during your interview:
1. What do your staff enjoy about working here?
A good question to ask and it gives you an insight into why people like to work for them which enables you to make a clear choice.
2. How often do you review your staff?
By asking this question it allows you to know that you won’t just be employed and left but that they have a review program in place to look at the development and progress of their staff.
3. When will you be making a decision?
You know how long you will be expected to wait for a decision to the next steps of the interview process.
4. What else can I show you about my experiences?
Allows the interviewer to tell you what else they want to know that maybe you have not thought of.
5. Can I see the job description?
Most interviewers will have the job description with them in the interview if you have not had it prior to the interview it is a good thing to ask to see it so that you know what the job entails and you know how to tailor you answers.
6. Can you describe the team to me?
Allows you to see if you will fit in and also for the interviewer to see where you fit. What are the different roles in the team and different skill sets.
7. What are the company plans for the next five years?
A good question to ask, shows that you are looking to the future and allows you to find out exactly what the company plans for the future are so that you know where you could fit.
8. Could you show me some examples of what you would like me to work on?
This allows you to see what you would be doing in this role, very important to assess if you are comfortable with this work or level.
9. What is the reason for the vacancy?
An almost expected question – is it a new vacancy due to expansion, has someone left and if they have why have they left?
10. What would you say are the three most important things someone needs to do this role?
It allows you to them demonstrate your skills in reflection of this to show you are that person.
11. What does a typical day look like in this role?
Breaks the job down so that you can get an idea about what you will be doing all day.
12. Do you offer any training?
Do you feel you will need some training? Are you keen to learn new skills? A good question to demonstrate that you are willing to learn new skills and to progress.
13. Do you have any concerns about me being right for this role?
This gives the interviewer the opportunity to share any concerns they may have and also gives you the opportunity to address them and hopefully clear them up.
14. How does the company communicate to their staff?
Gives you an idea about whether they have a lot of meetings, if things are communicated by email, face to face etc.
15. What challenges does your company face?
This makes the interviewer think about what challenges they have and also allows you to show any examples of how you could cope with these challenges if faced with them.
16. What do you look for in new candidates?
Are you that person, what do they look for, can you show that you are that person by what they have said?
17. Why do people leave your company for other roles?
A good question and allows you to judge what their staff turnover is like.
18. Is there a structured career path for this role?
Or will you be required to make your own path? Depends what you feel comfortable with. Some people can only work to structure and know where they are so it is important to understand how they work.
19. What challenges do you think I would face in this role?
Do you have a skills shortage in their eyes, would it be a learning curve to begin with? Gives you an insight into what you may have to learn.
20. What are the day to day responsibilities in this role?
Looks at what you will be expected to do on a day to day basis so that you can plan in your head how you would achieve this.
21. Are there any weaknesses in the department that you are looking to improve?
Can you demonstrate that you can fill that gap with skills that you have that they are currently classing as a weak area?
22. How would you describe your management style?
Open door policy or not? Do you feel that you could work to that kind of manager every day? Most managers have very different styles so it is important to know what you can work with.
23. How do my skills compare with other people that you have seen?
Gives you an insight into who they have seen and where they see your skills in comparison.
24. What is the next step in your interview process?
They may volunteer this information but if not it is important to ask so that you know what happens next.
25. What performance expectations do you have over the next 12 months in this role?
What are they looking for out of a new employee, how quickly are they looking for someone to develop and into what?
26. How long have you been in the company and how has the company changed?
Shows what they think about the company and how it has developed during that time. It could give you a look into the future development.
27. Are you looking to hire more people over the next year?
Are they recruiting more and growing?
28. How would you describe the company culture?
What is it like to work there? Gives you some time to think if it would suit you.
29. Can I answer any last questions for you?
Gives the interviewer the opportunity to ask anything that has come to mind during the interview and discussions.
30. Do you ever hold company events?
Will you be able to go, what kind of events do they run, for clients, employees etc.
