Interview Tip# 4365.5

Have your questions ready!

A typical final interview question is this - “Do you have any questions?”

I’ve run into folks who didn’t ask me any questions during the interview, and didn’t respond to this opportunity. To me, in hiring mode, that tells me the person has no interest in the job I have. Therefore, that's usually not a person I seriously consider.

You can do better!

And it’s easy to fix - just have the questions ready BEFORE the interview.

Good questions you can ask include the following:

• What expectations do you have of your staff?
• What growth opportunities are there?
• How do you train new employees?
• What would your expectations be of me?
• Tell me more about how your department is structured.
• Tell me about your experience with the company.

Each of these can get you more information, and they are “open-ended” questions, too. They give the interviewer a chance to provide you with MORE information, which COULD lead to more questions on your part!

(Go the company’s website, too! You may find more questions based on company, structure, or growth that could be of interest!)

A Cheat Sheet? Why not!

There’s no need to MEMORIZE your questions!

Get a copy of your resume and WRITE your questions in a blank area. Just be certain that you not only take that to your interview, but that it’s NOT the copy you hand out to the interviewer! Anywhere from 3-6 questions is a solid start! If you have more than that, you may wish to prioritize - so that the ones you feel you NEED to know are the ones you ask first.

When the question “Do you have any questions?” comes up, if nothing springs to mind, look at the ones you’ve written. Ask away!

Note: No one will think it’s odd that you are prepared! Employers appreciate someone who plans ahead and takes the interview seriously!

You can get information, make a good impression, and not feel you have to memorize anything in the process!

And sell yourself as a candidate more effective in the process.