Write your questions down
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.