We are often struck how little guidance there is for candidates when it comes to the opportunity for asking questions at interview with a prospective employer. Yes, you can find the same old questions everywhere but what about the opportunity that time affords you? Little seems to have been said about this and we think this is where interviewees can really step up to the plate and shine.
Traditionally, people just think of some questions to ask and they tend to be fairly straightforward.
Typical traditional questions tend to be along these lines:
- What are the main strategies/goals for the company/department over the next 12 to 18 months?
- Given the company’s aim for growth, is there a structure that links what we will do in HR with the business objectives?
- What are the main challenges in this role?
- What sort of culture is there?
- What type of work style works best for the company?
- What type of skills are you looking to build/develop in the department over the next few years?
And yes, these are all legitimate questions but they are an opportunity wasted!
Whilst every interview situation is different and a lot depends on the job, the company and the interview there are some tips you might find useful to spark some thoughts and these relate not just to the content of the question but to how you position and phrase it.
To work this to your advantage you need to spend time thinking about ways to phrase your questions so that in asking them, you project more about yourself and let the questions reflect your interest and enthusiasm.
This isn’t so hard to do once you get the hang of it and it works at all levels and for all jobs. The only difference is the question itself.
Here are some examples to illustrate what I mean and to get you started:
| Traditional | More Engaging |
| What are the main strategies/goals for the company/department over the next 12 to 18 months? | I’ve read your website and latest annual reports and see that you are hoping to expand to increase revenue significantly in the next two years. Can you give me more detail about the areas you expect that growth to come from? |
| Given the company’s aim for growth, is there a structure that links what we will do in HR with the business objectives? | I really enjoy linking my personal and departmental goals to those of the business. I see you have great growth plans? How would you see this role contributing to that? |
| What are the main challenges in this role? | I’d be interested in hearing about the main challenges of this role, how would you describe them? |
| What’s the culture like here? | I arrived early and whilst I was waiting in reception, I noticed there seems to be a nice buzz about the place, how would you describe the culture? |
| What type of work style works best for the company? | I like to be active and achieve results, what is the scope for that in this role? |
| What are you doing regarding diversity as I see it’s a focus for you? | On your website your HRD says that diversity is a major focus for you. This is an area I am very enthusiastic about. Will there be opportunity for me to contribute? |
This type of questioning is not only more interesting but it gives you the opportunity to say something about yourself, reinforcing your strengths and good points in a more subtle way!
Try it and see how it works for you!
