Of course interviews are mainly about you answering the questions they put to you, but at the end of your allotted interview time, the questions that really matter most are yours. You should hope to hear the interviewer ask you:
“Have you any questions?”
But even if they don't ask, you should grasp the opportunity and say:
“Do you mind if I ask a couple of questions?”
However you must be careful when planning what questions you're going to ask, and make sure that they are not ones that you should already know the answer to because it's been covered in the interview.
Try to make sure that you ask questions that are relevant to the job. You could ask things like:
• Is this a new position?
• Who would I be responsible to?
• How many other people do a similar job?
• When did the last person leave this job? (And why?)
• When will I know the result of this interview?
• What opportunities are there for progression or further training?
• Do you have time to show me around the area where I will be working?
• Is there anything else that I can tell you about my experience or background?
And the most important if you can ask it is:
"Did I answer all your questions fully?"
If they do have any reservations, this just might bring them out and let you have another shot at giving a better answer.
You probably also want to know about pay, benefits and holidays too, but now is not the right time to ask — and it's important not to ask too early. You'll get a chance when they show they're interested in you for the job.
If they covered all the points you were going to ask :
Try paying the interviewer a compliment:
“I think you've covered all the points I was going to ask you about.”
“I wanted to know about the department structure and the systems that you use, but you have covered all those areas, thank you.”
Show that you have taken an interest in the company:
“I read that you have ten outlets in Yorkshire. Are you intending to expand any more during the next year?”
Try for the opportunity to summarise for one last time why the interviewer should offer you the job. This means that you will leave on an upbeat note with your skills and experience the final things that they remember about you:
“Could I summarise why you should seriously consider me for this position?”
Interview questions are not only your best leads because they let you know what is important to the interviewer, but your interview questions let them know you are interested.
It also means that the interview doesn't just fizzle out but ends positively.
With over 25 years running businesses, and as a Career Coach and Consultant in many sectors, Peter Fisher is well placed to guide job seekers through the steps needed in order to achieve that all important new position. He has personally coached thousands of individuals to career success.
His distillation of these years of experience includes all the essential facts and actions you must complete in order to achieve your own success. He is very clear that you shouldn't be misled by others into thinking of “acing interviews” or “finessing” your way into a business; the most sustainable and fulfilling roles are gained through understanding your own specific needs and creating your strategy accordingly. |