Do You Have Any Questions for Me? Three simple questions to help you interview smarter.

The final stage of the successful job-search process, the interview, provides you with an incredible opportunity to showcase your talents and better understand the goals and culture of an organization. This two-way process is critical, yet many lose track of the true meaning of a job interview. I believe job interviews are like a merge onto a highway… with the highway and traffic representing the flow of business at an organization. The goal of everyone involved is to have the most fluid and natural merge. If the merge is perceived to be easy, the chance of an offer improves. While we can accurately assume certain things from our research about companies, the opportunity to ask great questions of the hiring manager/committee will assist a candidate in their navigation of this merge, and ensure that this highway is the correct path for the job-seeker to be traveling on. While interviews are highly subjective and situational, when the interviewer asks if you have any questions for them, the right answer is always yes! The following are a few great questions that you should consider asking any potential employer, and yes, there is a psychological reason for them (and their wording).

What excites you about the next month or two working here?

It’s incredibly helpful to know if there is excitement around a specific goal, client, reorg, etc. that currently impacts the culture of an organization. When you ask this question, pay close attention to the response (facial and body language included). Is this a really hard question for people to answer? Are the answers “buzz-words” or just very generic? While important in its own right, I often use this question to queue up the next question, which I find to be even more helpful in learning about the culture.

What is one thing you’d like to change about the organization?

This question is a great way to learn about some of the challenges that the employees face working for Company X. It’s not impolite to understand what you’ll be up against, just as it’s appropriate to know what things about the organization will excite you. Far too frequently job seekers think of the interview as a step to getting an employment offer, when, in reality, the interview is part of the onboarding process – a point where you still can turn and walk away professionally if the organization will not be a good fit. In competition, we often seek to win (or in this case, get an offer), and we neglect to measure the cost of that prize. I also love phrasing this as an action question. The question, “What don’t you like about the organization?” has a negative connotation and provides the interviewer to recount a helpless feeling that they may have. This could forever associate me with that feeling. By asking what they’d like to change, I am aligning myself with them, and perhaps being a person that could offer some assistance to them in the change process.

Is there anything about my collaterals or interview that gives you pause?

I love asking this question when I’m interviewed because it provides me with an opportunity to gauge whether or not the employer is viewing any red-flags that I can address before they go into committee. Negativity in a job interview is your greatest nemesis, and when unaddressed it tends to fester. If you answer a question that rubs against the grain, or if you have experience (or lack thereof) on your resume that works against you, you should always take the opportunity to clarify or discuss it before the hiring manager or committee adjourn to their discussion. This question also demonstrates that you are open to feedback and are coachable. It’s important that we are self-reflective, always, and if you ask this question and receive a response, it gives you the opportunity to show that you are coachable and self-aware.

Job interviews will always induce stress, much like taking a big exam or going to a dentist (sorry to my dentist friends and followers). While preparation is so important to your success, keeping a focus on your power throughout the process also can have a truly important impact on your ability to interview well and make better employment decisions.

What other interview questions do you like asking potential employers? I’d love to hear your feedback and share these questions with my students as well!