Wondering what should you should say at the end of an interview? Our career coach gives some advice on what you can ask to stand out from the crowd.
Question: What are some of the best questions to ask the interviewer in an interview? Anonymous
It’s very common to be asked ‘Do you have any questions for us?” at the end of an interview.
This is your chance to find out some things you want to know, but it’s still part of the assessment. The interviewers want to see you are seriously thinking through how you would fit the job. It’s also a bit of a pitfall if you ask the wrong thing!
Because this comes at the end of the interview, it’s important to get right, because of the Peak-End-Rule. The end of the interview will have a disproportionate influence on how you are perceived.
Ask questions that show you are thinking about what it would be like to DO the job. They should be curious and open-ended, giving the interviewer the opportunity to expand their thinking and for you to follow up and turn it into a (short) two-way conversation.
“How will success be measured?”
“What does good look like in this role?”
“What are the biggest challenges for the person who gets this job?”
“Who are the key stakeholders, how do they view this post?”
2-3 questions like this are sufficient, and ask follow up questions when they say something interesting. Turning this part of the interview into a conversation about the job is great!
Then ask…“What are the next steps in the process, when should I expect to hear back?”
You need to know this – it saves you worrying about it later – and people who think about next steps are good people to have around in the workplace.
What should I avoid doing?
Don’t ask anything you could have found out by reading their website or watching the news.
Don’t ask closed questions, you won’t learn much and it can kill any rapport you have established (remember the Peak-End-Rule!).
Some people favour asking the interviewer something about themselves, or their experience at the company.
I don’t like this, the interviewer is probably only going to share generic, non-committal information that’s broadly positive. So you won’t learn much. The same goes for really broad questions along the lines of “what’s the culture like?”
Some people favour asking questions that demonstrate your research into the company by asking something about strategy, or initiatives the company has undertaken.
This can work, but it runs the risk of being irrelevant to the role you are applying for and making the interviewer feel like they are being tested.
If you do ask a question like this, make sure it’s relevant to the vacancy.
I’m Dan (He/Him), a careers coach who is passionate about helping people make good career choices. I currently work for Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. Follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.
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