Asking questions in a job interview signals many positive things to a potential employer: that you're intelligent, that you really are interested in this job, that you are motivated, and that you think critically. And, asking questions gives you information that helps you deliver better answers yourself. It's also a good idea to ask questions for the simple reason that you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. Plenty of people have made mistakes in taking a job that turned out to be a bad decision. Always be ready with questions to ask.
Related: How To Answer The Interview Question 'Where Do You See Yourself In 5 Years?'
What questions should you be asking in your job interviews?
“Why is this job available?"
You want to know what happened to the previous occupant. Were they promoted? Were they fired? Finding out what happened to them and why can tell you a lot about how you might fare in the role.
“What qualities would an ideal person for this job have?"
It's not scary to ask about their wish list for a perfect candidate. They already have this list in their minds, and it isn't always in the job description. When you know what's on that list, too, you can begin to point out the qualities that you have that line up with their list. In the end, you will deliver better, more targeted interview answers than you could without knowing the answer to this question.
“What are the biggest challenges of the job?"
This answer will tell you what's most important to this hiring manager (your future boss) and give you big clues about what you need to mention in subsequent answers about the job. It may also tell you what issues you're letting yourself in for if you take the job.
“What do you like or dislike about working for this company?"
You can read for hours about a company online, but there's nothing like speaking to someone who actually works there. They may tell you something you didn't know that makes the job either more attractive or less, and their answer may also tell you if you're going to be a good cultural fit for this company.
“Based on our conversation, are you confident that I'm someone who can meet the challenges of this job?"
With this question, you are asking if you've done what you needed to do in the interview: convince them you are a great fit for the job. If they say “Yes," you can go home and rest easy, because you know that they are telling everyone they want to hire you. If they say “No," then you know you have a little more work to do before you go. (If you leave them with doubts, you almost certainly won't get the job.) Find out what their objection is, and maybe you can overcome it and save your job offer.
*Remember: While it's always a good idea to ask questions in an interview, be sure to never, ever ask about salary, health insurance, vacations, flextime, or any other benefit—it only makes them feel negatively about you and your motivations for wanting the job. It also takes away from your time to sell yourself for the job so that they do make you an offer. After you get the offer is when you begin negotiating compensation.
*Download a Free Ultimate Guide to Job Interview Prep!This post was originally published at an earlier date.Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a Work It Daily-approved expert.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.