Questions to ask during interviews that get you the job

Job seekers are usually laser-focused on preparing for all the questions they expect to get that they neglect to think through insightful questions to ask.

This is a big missed opportunity.

I've seen repeatedly that leaders can stop an entire room with a clear and concise question. 

Job seekers need to present as leaders as well and thus it's vital to ask insightful questions. I believe in such a competitive job market today, questions (not answers) could be the differentiator.

So, today I want to equip you with some insightful questions that you should consider asking (at the right time) during your interviews. Here they are:


𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲:
Questions about the role should focus on understanding culture fit and envisioning what a typical day would look like in the role. More importantly, if you (i.e. job seeker) see yourself fitting into the expectations and opportunities of the role. Here are some questions that reveal a lot:

1. Why is this role open?
   
2. Who would not be a good fit for this role?

   
3. What do you expect the biggest challenge will be for this role?


Team:
Your direct team will be the people you work with day in and day out. You want to use the opportunity to understand how it might be working in that team as well as how your contributions to the current team would be unique. Additionally, you should also explore how the work-life balance would be. These are questions I use to find answers to these:

1. What skill is the team missing today?
   
2. How much  "Time Off" do people in the team take on average?
   
3. When was the last time someone on the team was promoted internally? Why did they deserve it?
  

𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿:
Your manager will most likely be the most influential person throughout your tenure in a company. Your manager will be assessing if you're a good culture fit, you should do the same. Dig further into what kind of leader they are and what drives them. Use these questions:
 
1. Do you favor quality or speed?
   
2. What has surprised you the most during your time working here?
   
3. Most recently, have you hired or fired someone? What was that like for you?


𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆:
Finally, an important consideration I make while choosing a new company is its financial health and growth rate. In my experience, one of the most important factors in an individual's growth ironically is not their intelligence or contribution, but it's, in fact, the company's growth rate. With that in mind, I try to probe during my interviews to ask the following:

1. How does the company use the profits?
   
2. What proportion of profits does the company reinvest in growth?
   
3. What are 2 key business objectives for the company in the next 12 months?
   
   
Remember, in addition to asking the right questions, it's important to ask them at the right times.

𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝟭 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯.
 
__________

I hope they are helpful. 

That's all for this week. 

See you next week.

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