You have meticulously crafted your resume, connected with the right people in your network, applied for jobs that you know you can lend your talent and expertise to – and now you’ve scored an interview. Congratulations! What’s left to do besides researching the company and the people you’ll be meeting with? Making a list of questions to ask during the interview. Here are our recruiters’ favorites:
Engineering and Project Management Questions
1. What type of projects will I be supporting?
2. Will I be working on one or two large projects or a portfolio of smaller projects?
3. How complex are your current projects as it relates to this position and what role do you play in the overall scope of completion?
4. What project budgets are you currently working with or have worked with in the past?
5. What projects and clients is the company currently supporting and in what phase of execution are they in?
6. Is traveling to client sites part of this role?
7. What tools and technologies does your team currently work with?
Questions about the Role
8. What types of challenges do you feel I may face in this role?
9. Where do you feel I can have the greatest impact over the first few months?
10. How is not having someone in this position affecting you and the department?
11. What is the most desirable skill set you are looking for in an individual to fill this role?
12. What type of experience does your ideal candidate have?
13. What are common mistakes that people just starting this job make that I can avoid?
14. How will the person you hired for this role know if they are successful? How do you measure success?
15. Why is this position currently open?
16. What kind of turnover has this role experienced, and what do you feel were the contributing factors?
17. How do you see the position growing in the next few years?
18. Will I be overseeing any staff? If so, how many people and what are their levels of experience?
Questions about the Company and the Person You are Meeting With
19. What are three words you would use to describe the company culture?
20. What is the team’s dynamic?
21. How would your team describe your leadership style?
22. What gets you excited to come to work every day?
23. How has your company been dealing with pandemic challenges? Is your workforce remote, hybrid, or back in the office?
24. Where is the company headed over the next five years?
Questions You Should Always Ask
25. Do you need clarification on anything in my resume or what we talked about today?
26. At this time is there anything that would prevent me from being offered this opportunity?
27. What are the next steps?
28. Where are you in your interview process?
29. What is the timeline for decision making?
30. Can I share some of the reasons I am so excited about this opportunity?
It’s imperative that the meeting is a two-way conversation and that you are prepared with the right questions to ask in an interview to gather the information you need.
Lastly, and most importantly, if all goes well and you like what you have heard, let them know how interested you are in the position and joining their team. Hiring managers and recruiters like to hear excitement and be reassured that this sounds very appealing to a potential candidate.
We’re sure with this list of questions to ask during an interview, that you will be prepared for this important step in the job search process.
Photo credit: Pixabay on Pexels
Special thanks to Planet Forward’s Kyle Goldstein for his help in compiling this list.