You’ve made it through the bulk of the interview – you had a solid answer to the classic “tell me about yourself,” breezed through the technical questions (hopefully), showed the interviewers that you’d be a great cultural fit through your sparkling sense of humor, and now they’re politely staring at you asking “do you have any questions for us?”
Instead of folding up your padfolio and saying “no, I think that’s everything,” take advantage of this opportunity to learn a little more about the role and the company—and give the interviewers another great reason to remember your name. Here are five starting places for great questions to ask your interviewers:
Company Research
Check out the company’s website and any news that’s been released about them recently, and use it to formulate questions. Did they recently acquire another company? Ask about the transition. Launch a new product? Ask about the development process. Showing the interviewers that you’re knowledgeable about the company’s current events is a great way to demonstrate your interest.
Refer to an Earlier Topic
Reference back to something you discussed earlier in the interview (or in a previous phone interview) that could benefit from some further clarification. Did they ask how big of a team you’d worked on in your current job? Ask what size team you’d be working on. Did they ask you about challenges you’ve faced while working on a project? Ask what challenges they currently have on the project (or anticipate having on a new project). Show that you’ve been paying attention and are curious about the project.
Think About Workplace Culture
Ask the interviewer to take you through “a day in the life” at the company. Are people usually at their desks working by 7:45 or are they still wandering in at 8:15? Quiet around lunchtime or do people work through lunch? Are there all-department meetings once a week? This is a great way to get the interviewers talking honestly and openly about the culture so you can determine whether your personality would be a good fit.
Talk About the Project
If you’re interviewing for a spot on a specific team or working on a specific project, use this opportunity to learn everything you can about it. You don’t want to be a month in to your six-month contract only to find out that the project doesn’t interest you at all. Ask about the people leading it, the end product or goal, and the motivations for doing the project. If you know the scope ahead of time, you’re more likely to follow it through to completion. And if the scope or timeline doesn’t sound realistic, you can bring it up in advance and avoid a headache later.
Get (Appropriately) Personal
Ask the interviewers for their opinions – why do they love working for this company? What do they look forward to when they come to work every day? What’s the coolest thing they’ve ever done as part of their job? This is another great way to get down to the true culture of the company, and give you a sense of what your interviewers (and potential new managers) value about their jobs.
Want more tips for how to successfully interview for your dream job? Contact one of our recruiters today!