#9: My #1 Secret to Nailing Interviews
#9: My #1 Secret to Nailing Interviews
Stand out from other candidates by asking unique questions
During a previous role, I asked my manager why she hired me.
She replied, “You asked a lot of questions during the interview.”
At first, it didn’t really seem like a compliment. But it stuck in the back of my head.
Fast forward a few years later, I became a recruiter myself.
And I saw what she meant.
Sometimes I would be unsure of a candidate, and then decide to advance them to the next round BECAUSE of the questions that they asked.
In fact, I realized that candidates NOT asking questions was actually a pretty big turn-off.
I mean, how could you not be curious about the job you applied for??
Showing up to interviews with good questions is a no-brainer.
Need some help coming up with questions? I’ve got 10 questions you can ask, plus a couple formulas for creating questions yourself.
But first, a PRO TIP:
Depending on who will be interviewing you, you’ll want to TAILOR your questions to them.
Some of the questions below would be targeted towards the recruiter, and others would be better suited for the hiring manager.
For example, you wouldn’t ask a technical question to a recruiter, but you would ask it to the hiring manager.
Likewise, it would be more appropriate to ask a question about benefits to the recruiter than the hiring manager.
10 Questions:
Why is this role open? (Was it just created? Did the previous employee leave or were they promoted?)
What should this role accomplish in the first month, 3 months, and year?
How did you choose to work for this company?
What measures does the company take to ensure diversity and inclusion?
Does the team do team bonding events?
How often does the team give each other updates on their work?
How do you help develop members of your team?
What is your/your manager’s teaching style like?
How often do you interact with people from other departments?
Are you involved in any company activities outside of work? (Ex. ERG's or volunteering)
Formulas:
Here is some food for thought to help you create some knockout questions:
1. What do you want to get out of your next role?
Form some questions based on that. Here are some examples:
If you want career mobility:
“Can you provide examples of employees on your team who have been promoted, and how you knew they were ready for the next level?”
“Are employees encouraged to apply for roles in other departments?”
If you want friends:
“What opportunities exist for mentorship and company bonding across the organization?”
“Are there any programs specifically for young professionals?”
If you want training:
“Are there in-house training opportunities?”
“Does the company offer tuition reimbursement or pay for employees to get certifications and attend trainings?”
If you want work-life balance:
“What practices does the company have to promote work-life balance?”
“How does the company support both remote and in-office workers?”
If you want good management:
“How transparent is leadership?”
“Can you share examples of when the manager supported their team members?”
2. What are my values?
For example, if you value diversity and inclusion, you can ask ChatGPT to help you come up with questions around DE&I:
Pretty good questions if I say so myself!
Now, you’ll be able to ask questions that get the interviewer thinking, and you’ll be able to get a better grasp of the company.
I’d recommend preparing 5+ questions for each of your interviews - you can always ask fewer questions depending on time, but it never hurts to have a bank of questions to choose from!
Health & Wealth ☕️
Interview Life Hack!
So this one’s for my Mac users… (sorry I didn’t have a choice on this one 😅)
You know when you’re just about to hop onto a virtual interview and you want to make sure you look good on camera, but you don’t want to go through the hassle of opening a whole new window to test it out?
I found this cool little app called Hand Mirror a few years ago and it’s been super convenient (and it’s FREE)! It looks like this:
Career Inbox 📩
Wish you had a go-to recruiter friend that could answer your career questions? Well, that’s me! Send your questions my way and I just might answer it in a future edition!
Thanks for reading! 😊
Hope you enjoyed this article of 9 to Thrive!
Hit the reply button if you want to write me an email, and I’ll respond back!
Until next time, stay healthy, wealthy, and wise!
Sincerely,
Sarena