Job Interview Questions

You can guess what happened next. The CEO looked up with a tight smile and slowly informed Handler that graphology was his hobby and that he thought the practice had substantial merit.

The good news is at the end of the day, the wisecrack didn’t hurt Handler. He still received a job offer. But it did teach him a lesson. “Think twice about making a joke or a wisecrack,” he says. “Any subject you choose, no matter how seemingly innocuous, has the potential for alienating the interviewer.”

On the other hand, humor elegantly framed and sharply focused can be effective and advantageous. But it must come naturally to you. Nothing is as risky as forced humor. Amateurs shouldn’t try this at the office. A half-baked attempt at humor can seriously backfire on you, and if you offend the interviewer—a possibility less and less discountable in these politically correct times—you will never recover. For that reason many job coaches advise against any attempt at humor, sarcasm, or teasing. Just play it straight, they say, and you can’t go wrong.

Some hiring managers welcome humor because it demonstrates you can keep work in a proper perspective. “The ability to laugh at yourself is a great attribute,” says Susan Trainer. “It means you don’t take yourself too seriously, which is a very attractive trait.”

Other recruiters are skeptical. “I want my questions taken seriously,” warns Bryan Debenport, corporate recruiter at Alcon Laboratories, a 3000-employee manufacturer of ophthalmic products in Fort Worth, Texas. “Humor may be appropriate at the start and finish of interviews, but use it sparingly.”

The goal of using humor is to bond with the interviewer, to use your shared senses of humor as a way to underscore the prospect that you will fit into the organization. Of course, if your perspective and that of the hiring manager seriously differ, then your attempt at humor will only underscore the disconnect.

At the same time, when people laugh, certain physiological changes take place that make people more flexible, relaxed, and—this is what you most want—agreeable. Humor is also synonymous with wit—and wit is born of intelligence. No wonder recruiters look for candidates with this quality. Let the interviewer set the tone. If the interviewer starts with a joke and seems to be in good humor, you can try for a little self-deprecating humor.

In other words, be sure that the question you ask doesn’t raise barriers or objections. For example:

Is relocation a necessary part of the job?

The very question raises doubts about your willingness to relocate. Even if the person selected for the position is not tracked for relocation, the negativity of the question makes the hiring manager wonder whether you are resistant in other areas as well.

If the issue of relocation is important to you, by all means ask, but go with a phrasing that reinforces your flexibility, not challenges it:

I’m aware that relocation is often required in a career and I am prepared to relocate for the good of the company as necessary. Could you tell me how often I might be asked to relocate in a five- or ten-year period?

Here are a few more examples of self-limiting questions and the com ments of recruiters who fielded them:

Is job-sharing a possibility? Possibly, but does this mean you can’t give us a commitment for fulltime work?

Can you tell me whether you have considered the incredible benefits of telecommuting for this position? Why do you want to get out of the office before you have even seen it?

I understand that employee paychecks are electronically deposited. Can I get my paycheck in the old-fashioned way? You are already asking for exceptions. What’s next? And are you afraid of technology?

I won’t have to work for someone with less education than I have, will I?

You clearly have a chip on your shoulder. Why should we take a chance that you don’t have other interpersonal issues?

The job description mentions weekend work. Are you serious? We’re serious about the job description. We’re suddenly less serious about you.

You get the picture. Don’t raise red flags. Once the interviewer has decided that you are the right person for the job, you will find the employer to be much more accommodating about issues like these. Wait until after you have the offer in hand before you raise these questions.

Yes, money and benefits are important. I guarantee you will have this conversation after the company expresses an interest in you. Your bargaining position will be much stronger then, so just resist asking about money and concentrate on showing that you understand the company’s challenges and can help solve them.

On the other hand, let’s be real. Money is critical, so why should it be so awkward to acknowledge that fact? True, most career counselors and job-hunting experts suggest it is taboo for you to ask about pay before the interviewer does, but I think it’s possible to be too rigid on this point. Occasionally it may make sense for the candidate to initiate a relaxed conversation about pay issues at an early point in the interview. Any reasonable person would expect rate of pay, health benefits, and what constitutes the workweek to be important topics. To pointedly ignore them diminishes the honesty of the relationship between the candidate and the interviewer, surely not an auspicious way to start a relationship with someone who may become your immediate supervisor and mentor.

There is one exception when issues of pay should come first, not last. That exception refers to salespeople who are paid by commission, not salary. With salespeople, the acknowledged desire to earn a high income is considered an unalloyed virtue. Companies actually like to see a reasonable level of greediness in their salespeople. The system is set up so that salespeople make money only if they earn the company a lot more money. Thus if you are interviewing for a sales job, it can be appropriate for you to raise the issue of commissions, royalties, quotas, and other compensation issues early on in the interview.

But there is set of questions that you should generally avoid initiating until two things are true. First, the interviewer initiates them (and sometimes not even then). Second, you have either the job offer in hand or a serious commitment of interest from your prospective employer.

Remember, your goal is to get a job offer. These are questions that cannot help you advance this agenda, but could seriously derail your efforts. Some of these questions are important, and you should definitely ask them, but not now.

Thinking – can the candidate:

• Quickly and effectively solve challenging problems?
• Learn and apply new job-related information?
• Develop sophisticated long-term strategic responses?

Planning – can the candidate:

• Plan time and projects without missing any steps or deadlines?
• Follow multiple rules exactly without exception?
• Act deliberately without analysis paralysis?
• Execute ruthlessly and with precision?

Interacting – can the candidate:

• Demonstrate effective leadership ability?
• Get along with others in a very close-knit working environment?
• Effectively deal with customer demands on a regular basis?
• Demonstrate genuine support and concern for the welfare of others?
• Be outgoing and socially expressive?
• Effectively coach and develop skills of coworkers?
• Be persuasive in a low-key manner?

Motivation – can the candidate:

• Be on time without missing workdays?
• Frequently suggest new ideas or job improvements?
• Work long hours without complaint?
• Cheerfully do more than what’s required for the job?
• Be flexible and accepting of frequent changes?
• Be visibly supportive of the organization?

1. Ask Open-Ended Questions

Closed-ended questions can be answered yes or no, and begin with words such as “did,” “has,” “does,” “would,” and “is.” Open-ended questions—which usually begin with “how,” “when,” and “who”—create opportunities for a conversation and a much richer exchange of information. This is a closed-ended question:

CANDIDATE: Does the company have a child-care center on-site?
INTERVIEWER: Yes.
Here is an open-ended question:
CANDIDATE: How does the company support working parents?
NTERVIEWER: Let me show you a brochure about our award-winning day-care center located right here in the building. Working Woman recently rated it one of the top ten corporate day-care centers in the United States . . .

“Why” questions also start open-ended questions, but they often come off as too challenging in a job interview. See rule 8, below.

2. Keep It Short

Nothing is as disconcerting as a candidate spewing out a long, complicated question only to have the interviewer look confused and say, “I’m sorry. I don’t understand your question.” Restrict every question to one point. Resist mouthfuls like this:

I know that international sales are important, so how much of the company’s revenues are derived from overseas, is that percentage growing, declining, or stable, do international tariffs present difficulties, and how will currency fluctuations impact the mix?

No interviewer should be expected to take on such a complicated question. If you really think a conversation about these points is in your interest, indicate your interest in the issue and then break the question into separate queries.

3. Don’t Interrupt

Wait for the interviewer to finish the question. In other words, listen. Many candidates get anxious or impatient and jump in before the interviewer is finished asking the question. Sometimes they want to show off and demonstrate that they “get it.”

Don’t do it. The risks of flubbing outweigh any points you may get for appearing swift. To combat the tendency to interrupt, make sure the interviewer is really finished with each question. It’s a good idea to pause three seconds before answering. If you can, use the time to think about what you want to say. In your mind’s eye, repeat the question to yourself. Consider repeating it to the interviewer. See if you really have it. If not, ask the interviewer to repeat the question. Even if you can’t make productive use of the three seconds, the pause will make you look thoughtful. The pause will also protect you from answering an incomplete question. For example, one candidate reported the following exchange:

HIRING MANAGER: I see by your résumé that you’ve had six systems analyst jobs in six years . . .
CANDIDATE [interrupting]: . . . And you want me to explain the job hop ping, right?
HIRING MANAGER: Actually, I was going to ask what’s one new skill you took away from each job. But since you mentioned job hopping, I am concerned about your ability to stick with one employer for more than year.

Oops. Better to wait for the full question. How much better it would have been for the above candidate if the exchange had gone this way:

HIRING MANAGER: I see by your résumé that you’ve had six systems analyst jobs in six years. Can you mention one specific skill you took away from each experience?
CANDIDATE: You’re asking what’s one important skill I added to my portfolio from each of the jobs I’ve held, is that right?
HIRING MANAGER: Exactly.
CANDIDATE: Fair question. Let’s take my jobs in order. At Netcom, I learned how to implement an enterprise network management strategy. Then at 4Com, I worked with client-side Java programming. I believe you mentioned Java as one of the hot buttons for this job. After that, I finally got my hands on . . .

4. Getting to Yes

James Joyce, the author of Ulysses, went out of his way to end his epic novel with a big “Yes,” the most affirming word in the English language. He knew that ending the novel with “Yes” would let readers exit the novel with a positive frame of mind.

Your goal in the job interview is also to end the interview on an affirmation. In fact, the more yes’s and statements of agreement you can generate, the better off you will be. Why? People, including job interviewers, really prefer being agreeable. Few people enjoy saying no. Who needs arguments? The best way to avoid arguments is to say yes.

If the job interview features wave after wave of yes’s, think how much easier it will be for the interviewer to say yes to that last question, whether it’s asked explicitly or implicitly:

I think I’ve demonstrated I’m qualified for this job. I’d very much like to join the team. Can we come to an agreement?

In tactical terms, that means framing your interview questions so the answers you want or expect will be positive. Here’s an example of an exchange between a candidate and an interviewer to demonstrate the power of yes.

CANDIDATE: I have long been impressed by Acme Widgets. It’s been the leader in pneumatic widgets for over 50 years, right?
INTERVIEWER: (proudly) Yes!
CANDIDATE: I noticed in the current annual report that the company sets aside $50 million, or 2.5 percent of revenues, for research and development. That’s more than all of your competitors, isn’t it?
INTERVIEWER: Yes. We lead the industry in allocation of R&D by revenue. CANDIDATE: As the market for widgets gets more commoditized, we will have to differentiate the product, right? What specifically is the company doing to preserve the market share it has gained over the years?

As the interviewer answers the question, note the subtle messages the candidate is sending. The candidate ends each question with “right?” which invites the interviewer to answer with “yes.” Of course, the candidate must be on sure ground. The candidate certainly wants to avoid any possibility that the interview will answer, “No, that’s not quite right.” Good research makes such questioning possible.

5. Use Inclusive Language

Look at the last dialogue again. Did you notice that the candidate subtly shifted from “you” to “we”? Words such as “we” and “our” subtly give the impression that the candidate is already a member of the team. The more comfortable the interviewer is with the concept of the candidate already being on the team, the better the candidate’s chances. It’s so much easier extending a job offer to someone whom the interviewer on some level already perceives as part of “us” instead of “them.”

The risk, of course, is to come off as presumptuous. So a delicate touch with this technique is warranted. Generally, it works best later in the interview and after the interviewer has demonstrated a substantial level of interest in you. For example, if the company wants you to come back for a second (or third) interview. Of course, if the interviewer starts using inclusive language, you know that you are on safe ground and that an offer is in the cards.

6. Ask Questions the Interviewer Can Answer

Want to make interviewers defensive and uncomfortable? Ask them questions they don’t know the answer to or can’t answer because of confidentiality.

“Remember that although I do expect you to ask me some relevant questions, this isn’t a game show,” says Sonja Parker, VP of Integrated Design, Inc., in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “There isn’t a prize for stumping me or asking the cleverest question. Just show me that you’ve given this opportunity some thought.”

So as you formulate a question, think carefully about the content you are looking for as well as the person to whom you are addressing the question. In any case, avoid questions that reasonably intelligent people may not be expected to know. If the interviewer is asking you questions that you don’t know the answer to, it may be tempting to try to stump the interviewer. Bad move. You may win the battle, but you will assuredly lose the war. Questions like this can’t be expected to endear you to the interviewer:

CANDIDATE: Congress is considering an increase in the minimum wage. If it passes, do you believe that the microeconomic impacts of the minimum wage will be offset by the macroeconomic effects driven by the last round of cuts to the Federal Reserve discount rate?
INTERVIEWER: Huh?

Far from making you look smart, a question like this sets you up as an oddball. Even if you got a well-reasoned response to this question, of what possible use could it be to you as you evaluate the position? Let go of any competitiveness or urgency to show off.

At all times, know to whom you are talking. Asking a hiring manager detailed questions about medical insurance options is not useful. Nor is asking the human resources interviewer questions about the fine points of the company’s virtual private network. Finally, be careful to avoid trespassing on confidential information, especially if you are currently employed by a competitor.

As long as you are at it, stay away from cage-rattling questions. These are questions that some interviewers may throw at you, but they cannot win you points if you throw them back at the interviewer. I provided a list of some of these shake-’em-up questions in The Manager’s Book of Questions: 751 Great Questions for Hiring the Best Person. In this category fall hypothetical questions (any questions that begin with the word “if”) and probing questions of all sorts. Examples of questions that you should leave at home:
If you could forge an alliance with any organization in the world, which one would it be?
What unwritten rules at work make it difficult to get things done quickly, efficiently, or profitably?
You’re the corporate weatherperson; what’s your forecast for the organization using meteorological terms?

Don’t get me wrong. These can be great questions. And if you could get an honest answer out of them, I might say toss one or two out there and see what happens. But if you ask questions such as these before you get an offer, it has the effect of raising the ante too high. No one wants to work that hard. The interviewer will simply fold and hope the next candidate is less challenging.

7. Avoid Questions That Are Obvious or Easy to Determine

Asking questions such as these will make you look uninformed or lazy: What does IBM stand for? Who is the company’s chief executive officer? Where is the company located? Does the company have a Web site? Why? Because the answers are as close as the company’s Web site or annual report. Don’t ask the interviewer to state the obvious or do your job for you. At best it will raise questions about your ability to engage, and at worst it will cost you the job offer.

8. Avoid “Why” Questions

“Why” questions—queries that start with “why”—often come off as confrontational. Interviewers can get away with asking you “why” questions. After all, they are interested in your thought processes and the quality of your decisions. But when the situation is reversed, “why” questions from the job seeker sometimes make the interviewer defensive. Not good:
Why did you consolidate the Seattle and Dallas manufacturing facilities?
It comes off as a challenge. Better: I am interested in the company’s recent decision to consolidate the Seattle and Dallas manufacturing facilities. In a Wall Street Journal article, your CEO stated the wisdom of keeping manufacturing facilities close to customers whenever possible.Yet this move creates distance between the company and some of its customers. Can we talk about this decision for a moment?

9. Avoid Asking Questions That Call for a Superlative

Questions that call for a superlative (“What is the best book of all time?”) make people hesitate and also put them on the defensive. When faced with a superlative, the interviewer’s mind gets vapor-locked and he or she hesitates.

Poor: What is the biggest challenge for the company/team?
Better: What are a couple of things you really like about the company?

Avoiding superlatives gives the interviewer wiggle room to answer questions more personally.

10. Avoid Leading or Loaded Questions

Leading questions signal the interviewer that you are looking for a specific answer. They also signal that you are, at best, an awkward communicator and, at worst, manipulative. In any case, skewing questions is not in your interest. Be on guard that your questions are phrased to be impartial. For example, this is a leading question:

Isn’t it true that your company is regarded as paying slightly better than average?

This attempt to box in the interviewer is so transparent it will backfire. Keep the question straight:

How do your company’s compensation schedules compare with the industry average?

The wording of this next question is arrogant and makes you look foolish.

I’m sure you agree with the policy that the customer is always right. How are employees rewarded for going out of their way to put the customer first?

What gives you the right to assume what the interviewer agrees with? Ask it straight. There’s no harm in reporting a part of a company’s positive reputation, if it’s true.

The company has a reputation for excellent customer service. How do you motivate and empower employees to make exceptional customer service a priority?

Loaded questions also make you look bad. Loaded questions reveal your prejudices and biases. Besides being out of place in a job interview, such questions convey a sense of arrogance or even contempt. They make you look like a bully. They always backfire on you, no matter how much you think your interviewer shares your biases. Typical loaded questions might be:

How can the company justify locating manufacturing plants in the People’s Republic of China with its miserable record of human rights violations?
With all the set-aside programs for minorities and people who weren’t even born in this country, what progress can a white American man hope to have in your company?

Questions like these reveal your biases, often unintentionally, and can not advance your candidacy.

11. Avoid Veiled Threats

Interviewers hate to be bullied, and they will send you packing at the first hint of a threat. That means if you have another job offer from company A, keep it to yourself until after company B has expressed an interest in making you an offer as well. Unfortunately, candidates have abused the tactic of pitting employers against each other by brandishing genuine or, as is more likely the case, fictitious job offers. A few years ago, this tactic created an unreasonable and unsustainable climate for hiring. Don’t test it with today’s crop of interviewers; they will wish you luck with the other company and never look back. For example:

I’m considering a number of other offers, including a very attractive one from your main competitor, and need to make a decision by Friday. Can I have your best offer by then?

This question smacks of bullying and desperation. It’s hard to come up with alternative wording, but this is more effective:

Everything I know about your company and the opportunity you described leads me to believe that I can immediately start adding value. I would very much welcome receiving an offer.Another company has made me an attractive offer to join them, and I said I would give them my decision by Friday. If my application is receiving serious consideration here, I would very much like to consider it before then. Is that possible?

12. Avoid Questions That Hint of Desperation

There is a line from the movie Broadcast News that applies to job seekers: “Wouldn’t this be a great world if terror and desperation were attractive qualities?” Unfortunately, job interviewers, like partners in romance, recoil at displays of desperation. Employers don’t want to know about your financial plight, any more than they want to hear about your failing romances. You must avoid any hint of discouragement when a job offer is not immediately forthcoming. By all means avoid:

I simply must have this job. My rent is late, and my wife and I are going to be out on the street if you don’t make me an offer.

Even a hiring manager sympathetic to your plight cannot afford to continue the interview. This next question is also too desperate:

I had hoped that my interview would be so good that you’d offer me a job. What did I do wrong?

The only attitude of a candidate that really makes sense is relaxed confidence.

13. Asking Questions That Focus on What the Company Can Do for You

The hiring manager is less interested in how much you want to better yourself than what you can do to ease his or her problem. “What about me?” questions like this are a turnoff:

I’m very committed to developing my intellectual property by learning new technologies.What kinds of tuition benefits and other educational support can I expect?

It’s nice that you want to improve yourself, but the hiring manager is not interested in your commitment to education on his time. He has a problem to solve and wants to know if you can help solve it. If you can, maybe then the company can invest in your skills so you can solve even more of its problems. Compare the above question to:

I want to put all my experience and everything I know in the service of solving the challenges you have outlined.At the same time, I hope to increase my value to the company by learning new skills and technologies. Does the company have any programs that help me add value by learning new skills?

14. If You Want the Job, Ask for It

We explore the issue of asking for the job, but it is so important that I include a preview here. As a candidate, you should use your opportunity to ask questions as a platform to ask for the job. These are called bid-for-action questions because, like every marketer (in this case, you), you should conclude every contact with the prospect (the hiring manager) with an invitation to take an action (make me an offer).

Many employers feel that a desire for the position is just as important as the ability to do the job. A very effective interviewing technique is simply to ask for the job. One way to do this is to ask the employer:

Do you think I can do the job?

Generally, the interviewer will hedge. But if the answer is yes, smile and say:

Great! When do you want me to start? More likely, the interviewer will say something like: I am very impressed with your credentials, but we have a number of other steps to go though before I can give you an answer to that question.

That’s fine. It’s also possible the interviewer will state some objections. Believe it or not, that’s even better. An unstated objection will kill your chances every time. With stated objections, at least, you have the possibility of reversing the concern.

Of course, there are some objections that you really can’t do much about: The job listing clearly noted that the position requires a minimum of six years of object-oriented coding experience.You don’t have any. Some objections are softer: I’m concerned that you are not as seasoned in leading large multidisciplinary teams as this position requires. Here you have some recourse: I can see how you might get that impression. But if I can take you back to my work for XYZ Company, I showed you how I led four separate teams. What I might not have emphasized is that I coordinated the teams. At the height of the project, there were 65 developers across the four teams all reporting to me in a matrix structure. In the end, under my supervision, the teams succeeded in launching a strategic product on time and on budget. Does that speak to your concern?

Note how the candidate checks out if the response moderated the objection. If not, try again.

Even if your experience is light in some area, it may not be fatal. Try to find out what percentage of the job that requirement represents. Then attack the gap head-on with something like:

I am willing to put in extra time to come up to speed in this area.Would that help?

If so, ask for the job:

I understand the challenges of the job, and I believe I have the experience to take them on. I would very much like to start doing this important work.

Before leaving the interview, thank the employer for taking the time to talk to you about the position. Follow up with a personal thank you note to the employer, stating once again why you’d be an asset to the company and expressing your interest in the position.

15. Don’t Ask Questions That Are Irrelevant to the Job or Organization

Another awkward moment comes when the interviewer challenges your question with something like, “Now, why on earth would you want to know that?”

In the same way that you can respond to interviewer’s illegal questions with, “I fail to see what that question has to do with my ability to do the job,” don’t give the interviewer an excuse to apply a similar phrase to your question. To be safe, make sure that every question can pass this test: Does the answer the question elicits shed light on the job, the company, and its desirability as a workplace? If not, the question is irrelevant.

Also, stay away from marginal queries about competitors, other positions that don’t relate to the position you’re interviewing for, or current trends that have no bearing on the organization.

While asking about the interviewer’s individual experience at the company is okay (see Questions You Should Never Initiate), try not to interrogate the interviewer about his or her career history. It’s okay, for example, to ask specific questions about what the interviewer likes best and least about working at the organization, but don’t go beyond that. If the interviewer chooses to share some in-depth information about his or her career path or experiences at the organization, then feel free to ask follow-up questions. Just keep them open-ended and don’t push it.

Everyone has a different killer question. Ask yourself, if you could present just one question, what would it be? Think about the brand you want to present. You are that brand. Take some time to think of the question that allows you to differentiate yourself from the crowd. In many cases, the killer question has three elements:

• A statement that you appreciate the company’s challenges or problem
• An assertion that you can solve the problem
• A request that you be given the opportunity to do so

The thoroughness with which you prepare for this question goes a long way in deciding whether you will be successful in getting a job offer.

Formulating open-ended, penetrating questions gives you a leg up on the competition. The right questions give the hiring manager a better picture of your value proposition to the company, the only basis on which you will be offered a position. The 15 rules that follow provide guidance to help you strategize about the questions you will take into your job interviews. Now is the time to be intentional about the interview, to take control, and to put your best foot forward.

Are you ready? then do the homework. Have you did yet?

Some job seekers are uncertain about whether they should write down their questions. If they do, should they bring them to the interview? The answer to both questions is yes. Doesn’t that look, well, premeditated? Of course it does. That’s the effect you want. See  a fuller discussion of the issues around taking notes.

“I’ve always found that the most important thing at a job interview is to have a list of questions prepared before going in,” says Kate Brothers, director of grants administration at Keuka College in Keuka Park, New York. “It accomplishes two things: It makes you look like you’ve done your homework, and it fills the awkward silences when the interviewer runs out of things to ask you. Also, it puts at least a portion of the interview in your control.”

Writing down your questions accomplishes a number of useful objectives.

It helps articulate your thoughts. Your questions should be as crisp as your shirt or blouse. Write them down, practice reading them aloud, and edit until the questions sing.

It helps prioritize your issues. Not every question carries equal weight. But only when you write them all down can you decide which question to ask first. Some candidates write questions on index cards so they can easily order and reorder them until they have the flow they want.

It helps you remember. In the anxiety of the interview, you can easily forget a question you meant to ask. Or worse, your brain can vapor-lock and spill out something really dumb. If you have been interviewing with a number of companies, it is easy to forget where you are and ask a totally inappropriate question, such as asking about manufacturing facilities at an insurance company. Protect yourself and make yourself look professional by preparing questions in advance.

It improves your performance. Knowing which questions you will ask generally makes the interview go better. It breeds confidence. You will be able to guide the interview to highlight your qualifications in a way that your questions will underscore.

It makes you look prepared. That’s a good thing as far as interviewers are concerned.

Well, the situation I’ve just described is your next job interview. It’s a presentation. The agenda: your future at the company. In the audience: the senior decision makers required to authorize offering you a position. Everyone is looking at you to shine. Now, given the stakes, are you willing to wing it? If you’re comfortable with working like that, there’s little need to read further.

Some applicants believe that spontaneity can make up for lack of strategic planning. But spontaneity, in cases such as this, can be indistinguishable from laziness and lack of preparation. Interviewers, professionals themselves, really want you to prepare for the interview as they did. Preparation is professionalism in action. It’s common sense. It’s courtesy. It works.

Of course, there is a sixth objective for your asking critical questions: to help you assess whether or not you really want the job. The job interview is a two-way street. You get to estimate the quality of the organization as much as the organizations gets to estimate your credentials.

Five different impressions:
Interest, Intelligence, Confidence, Personal appeal, Assertiveness

The other important point is to avoid “What about me?” questions until after you get a job offer or a very strong expression of interest. “What about me?” questions are anything that goes to what the candidate receives as opposed to what the candidate offers. Remember, you have two roles in the interview: buyer and seller. For the first part of the interview, you are a seller. The only time you are buying is when they make you an offer.

Listen to Susan Trainer, senior information systems recruiter with RJS Associates in Hartford, Connecticut. She interviews hundreds of candidates to determine if they represent a good fit for her client companies. “It makes me crazy when I ask a candidate if they have any questions and they respond with either ‘No, you have answered them already’or ‘How many vacation days does your client give?’

“There are so many things you can screw up in a job interview, and not asking thoughtful questions when you have the opportunity is probably the biggest one. Interviewers want to know how candidates collect information, and the easiest way to know that is by listening to candidates ask questions,” Trainer says.

“This is a real chance for a candidate to shine and set themselves apart from all the other job seekers. When I am prepping a candidate to go on an interview, I usually give them two or three very pointed questions to ask in the interview, and then we talk about another three for them to formulate,” she adds. Her two favorites:

In what area could your team use a little polishing? Why did you come to XZY Company? “The questions you ask, and how you ask them, do as much to differentiate you from the competition as the questions asked by the interviewer,” Trainer insists. As you prepare for the job interview, your questions have to be as carefully coordinated as your suit and shoes. If you miss the opportunity to leave your interviewer with any one of these impressions, you risk losing the main prize.

Thoughtful questions emphasize that you are taking an active role in the job selection process, not leaving the interviewer to do all the work. Active is good. Great questions demonstrate that, far from being a passive participant, you are action-oriented and engaged, reinforcing your interest in the job.

Asking questions is an excellent way to demonstrate your sophistication and qualifications. The questions you choose indicate your depth of knowledge of your field as well as your general level of intelligence. Asking questions also enables you to break down the formal interviewer-candidate relationship, establish an easy flow of conversation, and build trust and rapport. The matter of rapport is critical. Remember, most finalists for a job are more or less evenly matched in terms of qualifications. What gives the winning candidate the nod is rapport. Your questions steer the interview the way you want it to go. Questions are a form of control. You can also use questions to divert an interviewer’s line of questioning. If you sense the interviewer is leading up to a subject that you’d rather avoid—your job hopping, for example— ask a question about another topic. After a lengthy exchange, the interviewer might not return to her original line of questioning.

The more senior the position you are seeking, the more important it is to ask sophisticated and tough questions. Such questions demonstrate your understanding of the subtext and context of the position, as well as your confidence in challenging the interviewer. Hiring managers will judge you as much on the inquiries you make as on the responses you provide. If you don’t ask sufficiently detailed questions, it will demonstrate lack of initiative and leadership qualities that a senior-level position demands.