Chapter 19

Ten Great Questions to Ask Your Interviewer

Congratulations! You've just completed a grueling interview in which you answered some of the most probing and thought-provoking questions about yourself that anyone has ever asked. But your answer to one final, seemingly innocuous question could blow it all

Interviewer: “Do you have any questions for me?”

You: “Uh, no. I believe you've answered any questions. Thank you.”

At best, this answer is a polite way to end the interview. At worst (and more likely), this answer may be construed as a cop out that demonstrates a lack of intellectual curiosity, preparation, and interest in the company or the job!

Always be prepared with a few questions to ask at the end of the interview. It's likely that the interviewer may have answered many of your questions during the interview without you even having to ask them. And ideally, you've had several opportunities to ask questions and engage in meaningful dialogue during the interview. This chapter provides ten questions you might want ask.

You should always go into an interview with at least five or six questions written down. Be prepared to ask these questions during and at the end of the interview.

How Has Your Department Contributed to the Success of the Company?

You should include specific details about the company when you ask, “How has your department contributed to the success of the company?” Your goal is to show the interviewer that you researched the company. This question is also a great way to showcase your business acumen and demonstrate your understanding of what the company does. Far too many IT professionals get caught up in the cool technology and forget that IT supports the business — not the other way around (unless you happen to be applying for a job at an IT company)!

Everyone applying for the job will have some level of knowledge and experience in IT. Make yourself stand out as a candidate by demonstrating a keen understanding of the company's core business.

If the company is publicly traded, their annual 10-K Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shareholders report is available on the company's website. This report contains a wealth of information about who's who in the company, the overall strategic direction, and detailed financial data. Let the interviewer know that you've studied this report by asking questions that begin along the lines of “I see in your latest 10-K filing that the company's price-to-earnings ratio has increased to 28 times earnings over the past three quarters.”

Getting information about private companies is more difficult because these companies tend to keep their financial performance data, well, private. However, you can still get a wealth of information from the company's website, press releases, and other sources. Both public and private companies love to tout their successes in the local media. Look for news interviews with company officers in local business journals and special interest stories such as a charitable cause the company supports, a recent community outreach project, a new diversity initiative, or a recent expansion or new client that the company is excited to talk or write about.

Complete your question by asking how the interviewer's department or team has contributed to that success. People usually enjoy talking about their accomplishments, so this question should lead to an engaging discussion and will also give you some insight on your potential new boss. Does the person speak with humility and downplay the team's contributions? Or does he or she burst with pride while offering specific examples and calling attention to key individuals on the team? After the interviewer answers this question, make it personal by explaining how you would help the team continue to succeed and contribute to the company's success.

Do your homework! If the company has had some recent struggles or setbacks, you don't want to ask about their recent success! In such cases, you may not want to ask this type of question at all.

What Are Some of the Biggest Challenges Your Department Is Facing?

To learn more about the company overall and some of the specific projects you may be working on if you get hired, ask “What are some of the biggest challenges your department is facing?” Your interviewer may not be comfortable giving you specifics, but you can still glean a lot of information from the answers you do get.

For example, your interviewer is unlikely to tell you “We're really shorthanded since a lot of people have quit because of the long hours we work.” But you might gain some helpful insight from an answer such as “We've had some turnover recently.”

And it's unlikely that you'll hear, “Well, we've been behind the eight ball since that huge security breach last month, so we're scrambling to shore up the network infrastructure.¹¹ But you might learn about a new initiative to build out a hybrid cloud infrastructure and that the executive team has concerns around security in the public cloud. There's your opportunity to talk about how your experience at your last company can help them address those challenges!

The answers to this question may also give you some idea of how urgently the company needs to fill the position and could strengthen your negotiating position when you get the job offer!

How Would You Describe the Company's Culture?

Cultural fit is at least as important as your skills and experience. If your personality isn't in sync and your values aren't aligned with the company, you don't want the job. Period. You won't be happy, your new employer won't be happy, and you'll inevitably part ways on terms that leave neither of you happy.

Some people thrive in large organizations; others prefer a small company. Some people enjoy working in a loud, chaotic environment. Others prefer order and solitude. Some people need clear direction; others need autonomy. Understand who you are and what values are most important to you.

Listen carefully to your interviewer's answer to the question, “How would you describe the company's culture?” The answer will give you an idea of how happy people are working for the company. Does the interviewer describe the culture with passion and enthusiasm? Do you get specific examples? Does the interviewer explain how the culture affects him or her personally? Or does the person just recite the company's mission and values statement? It's hard to be passionate about a company's culture if the truth is that your interviewer can't stand his or her job and dreads coming to work every day. If that's the case, do you really want to work there?

Ask open-ended questions that enable follow-on questions and further discussion. After the interviewer answers your question, thank him or her and continue by explaining how you fit in or can contribute to the company based on the answer. For example, “Thank you for giving me that insight into your company's culture. Cultural fit is very important. XYZ company has a similar culture and when I worked there I believe I was an integral part of that culture because . . .”

What Do You Like About Working Here?

If you want to know what you might find rewarding about the job, ask “What do you like about working here?” You want to get answers at different levels, so that you can get several perspectives.

Next, you want to find out about the organization as a whole. Are people proud to be working there? The mood and the tone in the organization will affect you. Again, if people are unhappy, you'll hear this more in what they don't say than in what they do say.

If everyone is all smiles, you may have found the ideal organization where everyone is happy, or maybe they're putting happy dust in the coffee every morning. Somehow, you'll want to get to the bottom of everyone's bliss if it feels superficial.

Can You Describe How We Would Be Working Together?

Because a large part of your work satisfaction depends on your relationship with your boss, you need to ask, “Can you describe how we would be working together?”

There is no good or bad answer, because individual work habits drive how people work by themselves and with each other. However, you need to be able to determine whether you will find your manager's style compatible. You want the working relationship to be harmonious from day one.

There may be better ways to ask this question, such as:

What Is the Makeup of the Team or Organization?

If someone hasn't already described the team's makeup, you might ask, “What is the makeup of the team or organization?” You are not looking for actual names, but instead you're trying to understand how the team or organization is structured.

You can ask about the position titles for others on the team, and to understand what their responsibilities are. Chances are you will be working closely with most of them, and that you'll be asked to fill in for some of them while they are out sick or on vacation. In fact, asking more about the entire team is another good line of questioning that will tell you more about team dynamics.

What Are the Key Traits of Your Most Successful Employees?

By asking, “What are the key traits of your most successful employees?” you're asking about the traits the interviewer is looking for in you.

Expend some effort interpreting the answers you get to this question. The interviewer might be telling you what is expected of everyone on the team and, if so, his or her answer might reflect a team dynamic or insight into the company's definition of success.

If you can, find out whether the company has published a set of guiding principles. If you're lucky, they'll be framed and hanging on the wall in the conference room where you're being interviewed. See whether or not interviewers describe traits straight from the guiding principles.

Interviewers might be telling you about the successful employees on the team and how they got that way. That may, or may not, mean that you need to have those same traits. But as team dynamics go, you might have different traits that could help the team be even more successful. Often, a diversity of skills makes a team more successful than a team in which everyone has the same strengths and weaknesses. Ask a follow-up question or two to see which is the case, such as, “What kind of skills would most enhance the performance of your team?”

How Would You Define Success During the First 90 Days?

The question “How would you define success during the first 90 days?” will tell you a lot about the level of maturity and organization in the team you're considering joining. If the team (or the hiring manager) is not well organized, they might not have a good answer for this question. They may be frantically working to put out fires with no time for even short-term planning; they just need another set of hands to pass buckets of water along the bucket brigade! If this is the case, think long and hard about whether this is the kind of position you want. Perhaps the company is looking to hire someone to replace one or more burnouts. Or maybe they want help to move the organization to the next level, which would be an extraordinary opportunity.

If you interview with a more organized team (or manager), they will be more likely to know what success looks like. And you'll have an idea of what will be expected of you in the first few months.

Honestly assess whether you are up to the job (or almost up to the job). Ask any follow-up questions, such as what resources will be available to you right away. Discuss tools that are available as well as the company's plans for future tools and technology.

Just as the company will put new hires on a 90-day probation, you should do the same with your employer. After 90 days, reassess whether this is the company you thought you were joining and whether they have met or exceeded your expectations.

Do You Have Any Concerns About Me That I Can Address Now?

You'll want to appear as the ideal, near-perfect candidate to your interviewers. But every employee has some imperfection, large or small. It takes a bit of courage to ask, “Do you have any concerns about me that I can address now?” The interviewer may answer with a gap in your skills or knowledge that is a shortcoming.

Do not despair and keep your good attitude. Consider the interviewer's point of view and tell him that you agree with his observation. If you can do so realistically, tell the interviewer what, if anything, you can do about the shortcoming. Every candidate has shortcomings, and the company may be willing to take you as-is.

What Is Your Next Step in the Selection Process?

“What is your next step in the selection process?” is a great question at the end of the interview. The answer helps clarify the next steps to expect, such as when and how you should follow up with the interviewer, whether or not there will be additional interviews (perhaps with human resources or other team members), and how long you should expect to wait before a hiring decision is made. Following are some variations of this question:

Be specific during your follow-up at the end of the interview. After asking, “When can I expect to hear from you?” follow up with “If I haven't heard from you by that date, may I follow up on [date]?”

After the interviewer answers this question, be sure to thank her for her answer and for taking the time to meet with you. Then restate the next steps so the interviewer knows that you understand her answer and knows what to expect from you. Finally, and most importantly, close with a crisp summary statement that asserts your enthusiasm for the position and the value you will bring to the table! If you are truly enthusiastic about the position and want the job, let the interviewer know. “I am excited about the opportunity to work at Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe and look forward to hearing from you soon.”

The answer to this question may also provide insight into how well you did in the interview. For example, the interviewer may tell you she'd like to go ahead and schedule you to meet the rest of her team. A vague answer, such as “Well, we still have several other candidates to interview but we'll be in touch” might indicate some concerns or a lack of interest in you as a candidate.