A job interview is a big decision for the hiring organisation. Equally it’s a big decision for you.
If you are going to make the right career moves and achieve what you want you want in your professional field you have to do your due diligence.
The questions you asked will to some extent be influenced by what stage you are in your career. Let’s say you are just starting out in your professional field. A lot of your questions might be around the support to get your professional qualifications and scope for progression. If more experienced you might be more interested in the type of work and the new experiences you might gain.
What are good questions to ask in the job interview?
Ask about what they enjoy about working at the company. This will give you insights into the culture and also the motivations of the person who is likely to be your boss.
Ask about what they find frustrating about working at the company. No organisation is perfect. There are always things that people would like to change. Once gain this will give you insights into the type of person you are likely to be working with.
Ask about plans for the business over the next few years. Is it planning to expand, change or improve? This will help determine whether it is the right working environment for you. If you love a fast changing environment and you learn little change is anticipated this might not be the next role for you.
Ask about challenges and how the job will contribute to those challenges. The reason for asking this is to establish whether they want someone to come in or do tasks or if they are looking for someone to contribute to success.
What’s the next step in the process? When you are looking to make your next career step you might be looking at several opportunities. The reasons for asking this question is to learn about the timeline for decisions. It will also give you a sense about how structured they are when it comes to process.
The decision to accept a job is a significant one for you. Make sure that you ask questions that help you to make an informed decision.