Hi folks I came across this wonderful article from one of my best site http://www.lifehack.org/ on career development. It was very timely just as a young friend of mine was preparing for her 1st time major employment interview. The result was amazing and she was full of testimonies and gratitude for the privilege of the information. I promise to feature her in our subsequent post. So here it is;
Questions You Should Ask at interview to be the
Most Impressive Job Candidate
1. “What are the common attributes of your top
performers?”
2. “What are the one or two things that really
drive results for the company?”
3. “What do employees do in their spare time?”
4. “How do you plan to deal with _____?”
5. “How do you measure success of the people
currently in this position?”
6. “What does a career path look like at this
company?”
7. “I am really excited about this
opportunity; what are the next steps?”
Most interviewers follow a
basic model these days called “Behaviour
Interviewing.” The purpose is to see how a candidate has acted in the past
in certain scenarios, because most of the time, past behavior will predict
future behavior. Along with this interview style, there are also seven
questions you as the candidate will most likely be asked. My boss in our career
centre refers to them as the Seven Deadly Questions. This includes: “Tell me
about yourself” and “Where do you see yourself in 2–5 years?” These are loaded
questions that if answered wrong can ruin your chances of getting the job.
So if these are some of the
questions the interviewer asks, what should you as the candidate ask? After
all, aren’t you interviewing them too? Do you know for certain before an
interview if this somewhere you want to work for the next year, two years, five
years? If this is somewhere you want to work, then how can you be the most
impressive job candidate?
Believe it or not, many times,
the best way to show an interviewer you have done research on their company and
industry is not through the answers you give, but through the questions you
ask.
Here are 7 questions you
should ask to be the most impressive job candidate.
1.“What are the common attributes of your top performers?”
This question serves many
purposes. First, you didn’t ask “what are the common attributes of your worst
performers?” The reason being is that you want to show them that you want to
identify with and be one of the top performers, and not one of the worst. You
will probably have the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the
interview, so to show you share common traits with the top performers, you can
either reiterate an answer you gave earlier in the interview when you hear
their answer about top performers, or mention your matching skills in a
follow-up email and written thank you letter. You should be sending both.
2. “What are the one or two things that really drive results for the
company?”
Based on the research you have
already done prior to the interview (you did do research prior to the
interview, right?), you should have an idea of what is the answer to this
question before you ask. This illustrates to the interviewer that you
understand the position you are applying for fits into a bigger company
picture. This is not the “you” show. The company has a need and you are trying
to convince them your background and skill set fits that need better than
anyone else and you will make them more successful than they already are. You
are part of the “thing” that drives results.
3. “What do employees do in their spare time?”
This question helps you gauge
how you will fit in with the people working there. “Fit” has become a big focus
for companies these days. You may have the skills to do the job, but if you are
socially awkward or your personality does not make the interviewer feel
comfortable with you they will probably pass on hiring you. Also, this question
will help you understand the job/life balance at the firm. One too many jokes
about “what spare time?” from the interviewer and you may want to consider
whether you are willing to put in the hours this job may require.
4. “How do you plan to deal with _____?”
This question will end with an
industry-specific issue. Maybe it is regulatory like the Dodd/Frank Act that
hit the financial services industry a few years ago, or maybe in doing your
research, you discovered a new player entered the market. My advice to you is
be CAREFUL with this question. If the company does not have an answer for the
issue yet, you will make the interviewer defensive. Focus on the positives if
you want to show you have done your research. Ask something like “how do you
plan to spend all the money you are going to make with this new product’s
sales?” I’m kidding of course, but on the serious side be careful in choosing
to ask about an issue.
5. “How do you measure success of the people currently in this
position?”
This question differs from the
question about attributes of top performers because you are not asking what
they think makes someone in this position successful, but rather how do they
measure success. The point you want to make with this question is that you plan
on being successful so you want to know what goals you should focus on. Also
this question may lead to a conversation about commissions and bonuses, not
specific numbers probably—and do not push for that—but it will give you an idea
of expectations and how realistic they are.
6. “What does a career path look like at this company?”
When you ask this question you
want to make sure you get the point across that you are looking long term. Do
not ask, “how long does it take to move up?” or anything like that. You are
there to fill the job at hand and add value immediately. The point of asking
this is to show you are in it for the foreseeable future and that you are again
coming to this job with an attitude that you are a good fit and will be
successful.
7. “I am really excited about this opportunity; what are the next
steps?”
If you don’t tell them you are
really excited about the job, how will they know you are? They are excited
about filling it; you should be excited about the possibility of being hired.
If you are in the process of interviewing for a few jobs,
and you should be, then this is when they can tell you it may take a few weeks
before you hear anything or that there are more interviews coming. If you get
an offer from another company a few days after this interview, you know you may
have to ask that company to give you more time to decide, because this company
told you it may take a few weeks to get back to you. Any question you ask
should show either that you did your research on the company and industry, or
that you are there to fill the need they have and be successful. That is what
will make you the most impressive job candidate.
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