5 useful questions to ask during an interview

Contrary to popular belief, you are allowed to ask questions during job interviews, but you have to be careful when choosing your questions. The key is finding the perfect balance between having a casual conversation with, and projecting yourself as a professional to, the interviewer.

The worst thing you can do is not asking questions during an interview. Remember that employers want to hire positive and eager people. Asking questions shows that you are interested in your potential employer and that you are pro-active.

Here are 5 questions you could ask your potential employer to ensure that you find that balance I was talking about earlier.

1. ”What is the company culture like?“

If you’re curious about the dynamics of the company’s environment this is the perfect question to ask. See it as an attempt to discover the company’s communication channels and finding out if they match your personality. If you’re casual, creative and arty you may not fit into an environment which is formal, unimaginative and scientific.

2. “Could you tell me about the way the job was done in the past? And what improvements you’d like to see happen?”

If you are experienced for the position that you’re applying for, you should be asking the interviewer these two questions. Asking the interviewer how the job you’re applying for was done gives you insight on how they want you to do the job and opens the door for you to convince the interviewer that you are the candidate that they are looking for by giving a specific or similar past experience story.

3. “If I get the job, what are the challenges I would face in this position over the next three months?”

Your first 90 days on the job is a critical time. You need to know what will be expected of you if you’re appointed so you know which learning curve you can expect and can determine how stressful your new job could be.

4. “Ideally, what qualities will it take to get this job done?”

Asking this question gives you an ideal chance to sell yourself if you are pretty certain that you have what it takes for a position. Try to mention the added-value you would be able bring to the company.

5. “So, what’s next?”

Try not to be dead quiet at the end of an interview. Even if you’ve asked some great questions and gave some amazing answers, you need know what the next steps with your potential employer are, so ask them this question to confirm.

I hope that you find these hints useful and trust that they will help you ace your next interview.  Make sure you ask the right questions during your interview and take of the 5 worst questions that you could be asking during your next one below (courtesy of Career Bliss). For the record: Bloomingdale’s is an American department store.

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Alternatively, get 34 crucial tips for your next job interview, find out which 2 safeguards you should follow for online job hunting, get insight into finding a job at every stage of your life or find out how to impress employers in 5 easy steps.

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