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What
to Ask the Interviewer
A job interview
will quickly disintegrate into an interrogation or monologue unless
you ask some high quality questions of your own. Candidate questions
are the lifeblood of any successful interview, because they create
dialogue and help clarify your understanding of the company and
the position responsibilities.
In addition
the questions you ask serve to indicate your grasp of fundamental
issues, reveal your ability to probe beyond the superficial and
challenge the employer to reveal his or her own depth of knowledge
and commitment to the job.
Your questions
should always be slanted in such a way as to show empathy, interest,
or understanding of the employer's needs. After all, the reason
you're interviewing is because the employer's company has a piece
of work that needs to be completed, or has a problem that needs
correcting. Here are some questions that have proven to be very
effective:
What's
the most important issue facing the company (or department)
How
can I help you accomplish this objective?
How
long has it been since you first identified this need?
How
long have you been trying to correct it?
Have
you tried using your present staff to get the job done? If
so, what was the result?
Is
there any particular skill or attitude you feel is critical to getting
the job done?
Is
there a certain aspect of my background you'd like to exploit to
help accomplish your objectives?
Questions like
these will not only give you a sense of the company's goals and
priorities, they'll indicate to the interviewer your concern for
satisfying the company's objectives.
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