Interviewing Inadequacies

Job Seeker's Story

Parrish consulted a career coach because he had been to more than 100 interviews and never received a second interview or an offer. In the practice sessions, his coach quickly discovered that, when asked if he had any questions near the end of the interview, Parrish would always politely respond that he did not.

When the coach asked Parrish why he never asked questions, he responded, “I'm there to be interviewed by them, right?”

Job Seeker's Stumble

Parrish made a fundamental mistake in his interviews by not asking any questions. Employers leave space at the end of an interview with an expectation that a candidate has questions. This segment of the interview is so important that, in some cases, employers may overlook other interview mistakes such as arriving late or poor appearance if you demonstrate your motivation through a few well-defined questions.

Job Seeker's New Strategy

Asking questions is critical to the interview, but you must also ask the right questions. An interviewer wants to know you are engaged with the job opportunity. Asking the right questions shows you did your research, and that is a major factor in determining whether an employer would hire you or not. The following areas are good starting points for questions:

• • Key company goals for the coming year.
• • How the team operates and general cultural norms.
• • What challenges the department is facing.

Some examples of good questions include:

• • What are the top three priorities you want to see accomplished this quarter?
• • How long has this team worked together, and what can I offer to enhance it?
• • What do you feel is the most successful profile for this position?
• • I noticed on the Website the company is moving into a new market sector. How does this position impact that?
• • What traits and attributes are you seeking in the right candidate for this position?

Make sure that you structure questions as open-ended and relevant, because you always want to tie your value proposition back to the company's success. Never make the interviewer feel uncomfortable by asking questions that are too complex, seem to request proprietary information, or are silly (such as asking if the company offers free food or beverages). Use caution when asking questions regarding your fit to a position. Asking too many questions about your match to the needs of the position may seem to be a hard sell to an interviewer. Also, hold off on compensation questions. Remember that questions about salary and benefits will be discussed eventually if you make it to the short list of interested candidates.

Asking the right questions is a core skill for all job seekers to master. Make sure you come prepared so that you leave an impression and stand out from your competition.