Job Interview Question: Is there anything you would like to ask me?

There’s a love-hate relationship with job interviews. We love that we have the chance to prove ourselves to a new employer, and hopefully get a new position with a big new salary…but we hate the job interview process; its scary, horrific, terrifying!!!

This series of job interview articles will teach you how to pass your next job interview by explaining how to answer each tricky job interview question

How to Answer “do you have any questions for me?”

The job interview is coming to an end; the interviewer has asked around 10 job interview questions designed to test you on your industry knowledge, sector-specific qualifications, your skillset and ability, how you deal with job-related problems, and to see if you are the right fit for the company culture and team

The final question asked for all job roles in all industries in every organization is the most commonly asked question “do you have any questions?”

How to Answer the Interview Question

Are you one of those interviewees who waste this amazing opportunity?

Having a chance to ask the employer, well, anything, is a golden egg. If you are following, more importantly, implementing the advanced interview techniques on this blog, then you are going to offered multiple job opportunities.

So how will you decide which job offer to accept? The salary? Well, a higher salary is appealing but often the job role, level of reasonability and the company culture and team are, for most people, more important.

The reason so many job applicants waste this golden opportunity is because they ask a couple of standard questions because they have to. You have been invited to the job interview because the employers like what they read on your application. It’s now your turn to find out if you like what the company has to offer – remember you are likely to work here for 35hrs per week, 52 weeks of the year for, on average, 3-5 years – make sure you are happy with your choice

These following job interview questions you can ask the employer will give you an insight into their leadership style, company values, company culture and how they view their employees (as an inconvenience or a valued commodity)

Job Interview Question 1 – Duration

The first question is a two-parter; “how long have you worked for the organization?” and “what has made you stay?” If the interview panel are all recently recruited I would dig into this a bit more “what is the average time someone stays with the organisation for?” This question is designed to help you understand the culture. If you accept a role in a company where staff retention is poor there’s probably a reason for it!!

The second part of this interview question “what has made you stay” will give you an understanding of the company’s benefits; CPD, bonuses, the team/culture – are these things that appeal to you?

Job Interview Question 2 – a day in the life of

You want to ask about the manager’s day “what is a typical day for you like?”. The reason for this question is that you will get an understanding of their management style. If they answer along the lines of “its busy, always lots going on, it can get really crazy..” It’s unlikely that they have an organized approach, so you need to decide if you can work in this type of environment. If, for example, they reply with “a third of my time is spent planning, a third in meetings and a third supporting the team to achieve the objective” then they are likely to have a planned and organized management approach. Also note, that managers who talk about supporting staff are most likely to be people focus and a manager who states they do a lot of cross-checking can, sometimes, be micromanagers.

Job Interview Question 3 – values

The company culture has one of the biggest impacts on staff motivation. There are a couple of ways to gather this information “how does the company live its values?” “what has the organisation been working on in the last 3 months to achieve the company vision?” “what it’s your favorite thing about working here?” “How does the organisation support employees?” Here, you want to ask questions about the company culture that interest and motivate you. The answers should help you answer the question – do I want to work here?

Job Interview Advice