Wondering what questions to ask the interviewer?
If you are wondering what questions to ask interviewer, then you are on the right track. We are here to tell you why it is important to ask relevant interview questions and how you will stand to benefit from it.
Asking the right interview questions will give you enough data so that you can focus on the tasks that are of high priority.
By utilizing the same skills but by asking all the right interview questions, you can concentrate your efforts smartly to execute required tasks.
By failing to ask the right interview questions, you will have to spend more time and effort to accomplish the same tasks and with the same skill-set.
Let's get into it. In this blog, we shall see:
- List of common interview questions
- Interview questions to ask about your job role
- Interview questions to ask about the company
- Miscellaneous interview questions to ask in an interview
- What not to ask in an interview
Most common interview questions
Before we begin, let us look at some of the most common interview questions:
- What are further steps in the hiring process?
- What does a typical day at work look like, normally?
- What would my primary responsibilities be?
- How will my performance be measured?
- Are there ample opportunities for professional growth?
- Are there opportunities to learn?
- What is the work culture like?
- What direction is the company headed?
- How is the work-life balance?
- Who will I chiefly be working with?
- Are there any challenges in this role?
- Who will I be reporting to?
- What is the strength of the team?
- Will I be required to collaborate with multiple teams?
- Am I required to work in shifts?
- How long is the training/probation period?
- Are there remote-work opportunities?
- How has the company been combating the COVID-19 situation?
What does my job role entail?
No matter how detailed the job descriptions are, this interview question is pertinent to ask during an interview.
You would have a certain perception about the job after going through the job description but this is one of the best interview questions to get clarity on the most important aspect of your job during an interview.
From day-to-day work to special case scenarios, get as much information as possible about your job role.
On what parameters will I be assessed?
Every company has a unique way of measuring the candidate’s performance. Understand what they are seeking from you so that you can focus more on those areas.
Remember: You do not need to ask these interview questions in the same order. You must always probe depending on the context.
You need to get a clear picture of how you will be assessed in your job because the same role can have multiple parameters.
For eg: Some companies are keener on meeting deadlines and some others are very specific about the quality of output.
You will not be on the same page with your hiring managers if you do not gather accurate information on this topic through interview questions like this.
What is the vision of the company?
When you are joining an organization, you need to understand what the company is trying to achieve through interview questions like this.
Whether you fit into the larger scheme of things or not, you will be able to decide if you get a clear roadmap.
This information will help you in deciding whether you will be the right fit for the company or not.
Who am I reporting to
There will be chances that you may be reporting to more than one manager at the same time.
You may even be required to work alongside many team members. So it is important to ask as to who you will be directly reporting to.
The person whom you will be reporting to will always be highly important because you may sometimes be directly reporting to the owner of the company.
In such scenarios, your approach will be vastly different because you may or may not be having prior experience working with the core team.
All these interview questions will prepare you well for your job.
What is the strength of the team?
It is important to understand if you are working solo or along with a team. If there is a team, then how many are there in the team?
Interview questions like this will help you understand how the job responsibility is distributed across the team and ultimately your role will be clear to you.
This will also tell you if you are the sole person shouldering the responsibilities of the company or if you will be part of an already existing group.
Internal growth opportunities
One of the most important factors that determine your career is your professional growth. Ask away interview questions related to growth opportunities offered by the company.
You can ask very specific questions in this vein -
how many months before I can apply for an internal job posting?
What are the probable roles in the future depending on my profile?
These interview questions will not only address your doubts but also inspires the interviewer with the confidence that you are ambitious and willing to put in efforts to achieve goals.
Opportunities to learn/certifications
Almost all companies today sponsor certifications and learning modules so that you can learn and acquire new skills while working on the job.
This is an excellent way for both the companies and employees to benefit from each other. This is also a great interview question to ask because it projects your aptitude to learn perpetually.
You can also inquire what other positions you can possibly be in the future after the certification.
If there is any training period before the actual job commences, then it is pertinent to ask how long the training period lasts.
Work-life balance
It is yet another important question that you must ask. Your work-life balance could be the deciding factor for you when it comes to choosing the company you would want to work with.
You can ask how many days you would be working in a week and how many hours you are expected to put in per day.
Whether the shifts are flexible or if they are fixed, whether you have the option to work from home or not etc, These are the typical questions you can ask on this topic.
Are there any challenges?
Do not hesitate to ask if there are any roadblocks or hurdles in your job role which might be challenging for you. Seek as much detail as possible on the challenges one typically faces.
In certain jobs, the learning curve will be long or you might have to constantly adapt to changing circumstances.
Getting a definitive answer to this question will arm you with enough data points to make the right decision.
You can decide if the challenges are detrimental to your career path or it can be resolved with considerable effort.
Typical career path
If this aspect is not discussed during the interview process, it is only fair to ask this question.
You are obliged to know where your career path is heading if you are going to commit yourself to a role.
Be it within the company or the exit opportunities, it is a very reasonable question to ask if you do not already have a clear picture.
Immediate and long term goals
Any job role will have immediate and long term goals set for a prospective candidate.
It is of utmost importance to ask this interview question because you can start focusing on particular aspects immediately without hassles.
Asking interview questions is important during the interview but take note that you must not go for the overkill.
Always remember that you are the one being interviewed and not the other way around.
Remote work possibilities
Post the pandemic this question is even more significant. It is better to know if the company is remote-work friendly or not.
It is very much important to ask how the company has handled a crisis like COVID-19 and what to expect in such situations.
Also, it is good to know if you are required to relocate in the foreseeable future.
Internship
We shall also look at what interview questions to ask in an interview for an internship. If not specified, you may go ahead and ask if the it is a paid or unpaid internship.
Further, you can enquire if there is a possibility for a full-time position after the internship ends.
It is again very pertinent to ask what facet of work you will be able to learn during the tenure and if proper documents will be provided for the successful completion of the internship.
What not to ask
While it is very important for you to ask enough questions to get clarity, it is also important to avoid asking inappropriate questions.
Asking inappropriate questions can even cost you the job because some hiring managers are very stringent in terms of the attitude of the candidates.
Therefore it is of utmost importance to ask questions with a proper attitude and avoid irrelevant questions.
Typical questions you must avoid are as follows:
What is my salary
It is best to avoid questions regarding salary because hiring managers are wary of candidates who are solely focused on how much money they can make instead of contributing to the company’s growth in the first place.
Salary is certainly important and it is not wrong to negotiate for good pay. However, it should not come across as demands.
You should not be underpaid because that happens often in any industry. However, questions related to salary need to be asked during the salary discussion stage.
How did my interview go?
You should never demand the interviewer of this question. It is not polite.
Instead, you can ask - what are the further interview steps? This way, you can find out if there are any more interview rounds or if you are awaiting a decision.
Hiration Interview Prep
Hiration’s Interview Preparation is built to help you make the required impression on hiring managers that can land you your dream job.
We have compiled the most comprehensive list of interview questions and answers from across the internet that can help you nail any interview with confidence.
Hiration’s Interview Preparation includes the features that are listed below:
• 20,000+ questions along with sample answers
• An overview/objective of each question
• Insight into what the recruiter is expecting
• Easy search for job interview Q&As for 150+ work profiles
• Search option for specific questions, key strengths, focus areas, and more
• Link to additional information for specific job and question
Key Takeaways
While asking interview questions, always wait till the end to ask your questions.
If you need to ask a question in between the interview or if the interviewer has not prompted you to ask away questions, always seek permission before asking the interview questions.
Do not ever hesitate to ask genuine interview questions during the interview process. Always remember that you are not helping anyone by NOT asking questions.
We hope that this information was thorough and helpful to you. We would love to hear your thoughts on this and if required, we are willing to help you better.
Go to Hiration career platform which has 24/7 chat support and get professional assistance with all your job & career-related queries. You can also write to us at support@hiration.com and we will make sure to reach out to you as soon as possible.
