Not having prepared any questions will make you appear unprepared for the interview and under qualified for the position. Hiring managers are less likely to hire a candidate that does not ask questions because to them that’s signaling the person hasn’t done due diligence, hasn’t taken the time to think of why they’d want to work there, and is not valuing themselves high enough to see if that company is a good fit for them. 

In this blog post we’re talking about questions you prepared for the interviewer and I’m going to give you some example questions at the end of the video, so stay tuned for those. 

These questions generally come up at the end of the interview, but you can also pepper them throughout the interview.

For example, if the hiring manager is talking about the corporate culture and you had prepped a question about the company’s ethos, that would be an opportune time to ask it. 

That is how you’d seamlessly integrate this question in the conversation with the hiring manager. And they’ll think it just organically emerged, you’re smooth like that….when in fact you prepped it.

So you see it’s a very good idea to prep your questions ahead of time and familiarize yourself.

Then, once you are in the interview look for opportunities to ask one of your questions. If there is no overlap between the discussion and your question then hold off to the end, because I can guarantee they’ll ask you “what questions do you have for me?”

If for some bizarre reason they forget to ask, then you can take charge and say “Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?”

Two types of questions you can ask:

Ask questions that will help you make your decision of whether they are the right fit for you.

These are questions that help you understand what their company’s culture is. Ask probing questions, not “what’s your company culture like?” That would be too generic and will yield canned responses.

Ask at least 1 or 2 questions that originate from the discussion itself (make a mental note of something they said in the interview or jot it down on paper)

• Project management software
• Competitors in the industry
• How they’re differentiating themselves 
• Career path
• Skills one would need to excel in this role

With that let’s jump into some examples:

To decide if you want to work there and if they’re a good match for you:

(Eg. 1): What do you guys do together outside the office?

(Eg. 1 b) What personality types do well on your team?

To show that you’re able to do extemporaneous speaking that appears spontaneous, but you actually prepared in advance, you can think of the types of questions you’d like to ask and then listen for them in the discussion. 

It might be questions having to do with software they use, more info about the role (not included in JD, the competitors in the industry, etc.)

(Eg. 2) Qs originated from discussion itself:

These are structure in two ways: (1) interject mid-interview (2) save for the end

(1) interject mid-interview

You can interject in the middle of the interview. This is encouraged bec it makes the interview conversational and bi-directional. 

• Speaking of… (project mgmt.) do you have any insight into …
• Speaking of project management what software do you guys use?
• I like how you phrased that. Do you have any insight as to how that would apply to my role?

Important: it shows that you’re listening and engaging with them. Listening is an important team skill. The most important team skill.

(2) save for the end

And if it does not feel like there’s a good moment to interject, then save those questions for the end.

• You mentioned earlier…
• We briefly discussed your social media strategy, what aspect would you like me to focus on if I join your team? Digital, Mixed Media, Video-based…etc. 

Let’s quickly recap:

When asked “do you have any questions?” the answer’s yes. If you say nah I’m good, then you’re not looking to be hired for this role.

• Prep a few questions in advance so that you’re ready to ask away 

• Remember, this is your turn to be the interviewer. • Ball’s in your court, use it wisely 

• Ask questions that will help you make your decision of whether they are the right fit for you

• Ask at least 1 or 2 questions that generated from the interview (make a mental note of something they said in the interview or jot it down)

Happy Explearning🐝

About the Author and the Explearning Academy:

Mary Daphne is an expert in communication, executive interpersonal skills, and personal development. She is the founder of the Explearning Academy, a platform dedicated to helping individuals enhance their social fluency, boost their careers, and elevate their social game. Through immersive group coaching programs like the Executive Communication Lab and self-guided journeys, participants gain the social superpowers and career catapults they've been searching for. If you're ready to take your negotiation skills to the next level and connect with like-minded individuals, visit academy.explearning.co and explore the various plans available. Join the Explearning Academy community and unlock your full potential.

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