Job Interview You Should Ask Questions Too - FlexJobs

Job Interview You Should Ask Questions Too - FlexJobsJob Interview You Should Ask Questions Too 24We hear a lot about preparing the perfect answers for questions sure to be posed during a job interview. And it certainly is important to be ready for anything an interviewer might throw at you, but dont forget to askquestions of your own.Asking an employer smart, informed questions during a job interview gives you a great opportunity to show off your knowledge about the company and industry, and to gather practical information about the companys culture and the position.Ask a few relevant questions that demonstrate youve done your research and that youre enthusiastic, and that will help you to make an informed decision as to whether or not this is the right opportunity for you, says Melanie Benwell of the Toronto-based recruiting firm PathWorks.Not having questions is the kiss of death in an interview, says Jodi R. R. Smith of Mannersmith Etiquette. If I get to the end of a 45 minute in terview and ask if you have any questions, and you do not, you are not going on to the second round.Heres how to ask questions that arerelevant during your job interviewResearchYou know that thing youve heard about there not being any stupid questions? Its not true, at least when it comes to job interviews. If a question exposes that you dont know the basics, it is a stupid question. Want an example? Here goes So, what is it you guys do around here anyway?Your questions during an interview should demonstrate knowledge. Such as, I read earlier this week that you are developing enter product here. What kind of campaign is planned to support the launch of the product? (And if you want to ice the cake, offer some suggestions if appropriate).Dont Tip ToeIf you want to know about the companys hierarchy, work style, future plans or whatever- just ask. Your interviewer expects questions.In todays economy with an abundance of job seekers Ive found some candidates more hesitant to ask questi ons, Amy Carpenter, a Vice President with Ticket City who frequently conducts interviews. Maybe its due to the fact they fear theyll question themselves out of a job by coming across as too particular or aggressive. In either case, what theyre actually displaying is indifference or disinterest.Know What to AvoidThere are, however, some topics that you shouldnt broach during the interviewing stage. Stay away from questions about compensation, benefits and time off. At this point you want to show more about what you have to offer than what you hope to gain.Also avoid questions, that focus on indifference, fear or job security. We live and work in times of great movement and lack of job security. Companies dont want the burden of needy employees, says Career coach Roy Cohen, who also wrote The Wall Street Professionals Survival Guide.And, come on, dont ask if the drug test is mandatory. If you have to ask, it means you probably wouldnt reisepassJust to get you started, here are some qu estions you may consider adding to your repertoire for your next job interviewWhat kind of characteristics are you looking for in the candidate?If this is a new position, what prompted the company to decide to create it?Do you have any hesitations regarding my background?How would you measure performance for this position?What do you see as the key challenges facing a person in this position?What makes this company different from competitors in the industry?What happened to the person who held this job previously?If you were evaluating my success 6 months from now what would make it a home-run?Where will the company be in three to five years and how will it get there?What challenges are being faced by the company?How do people typically work together here?What is the management style here?Todays blog post comes fromCareerBliss.com, an online career community dedicated to empowering people with the tools and resources they need to make happy career decisions. CareerBliss has more tha n 600,000company reviews, a database ofsalary informationandmillions of job postings.Readers, do you ask questions during your interview? What kind of questions do you ask? Tell us in the comments below