Congratulations! You’ve landed yourself an interview for your dream job. You're ecstatic. But then the anxiety kicks in, and you feel unprepared.

You should consider a few aspects when preparing for your job interview. Of course, the most widely researched are the attire and the commonly asked questions. But an equally important factor is the questions 'you ask the interviewer. 

YES! By asking questions, you get valuable information about the company and show that you’re interested in the job.

Since a great impression is what you need to land a place, we’ve gathered all the questions to ask in an interview.

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The best questions to ask your interviewer should be well researched, specific, and well worded to compliment your qualifications and to highlight how these qualities can be linked to the job description.

With this said, we can’t stress enough the importance of good research about the company and the job you're applying to.

You should also ask questions about diverse aspects of the job and avoid restricting your questions to only one topic. For example, plan your queries to cover the position, the work environment, areas for professional development, et cetera. 

While we encourage you to customize your questions to fit your qualities and the job’s requirements, here are a few examples that you can use as a template to build your questions.

Of course, you should have a general idea about the position you're applying to. But the interview is a golden opportunity to get more information about it and construct a better picture of what you'll be doing when you get the job (fingers crossed).

Can they describe a typical workday to you?

What are the skills and experience needed for this position?

What are the main responsibilities of this position?

What qualities should you have to succeed in this position?

What are the biggest challenges that you could face while holding this position?

Many companies offer training classes or courses to help their newest employees get the hang of the company’s system. And therefore ease their integration into their team.

Do you need to take any training before starting to work for them?

Are there training programs available for their employees?

What are the chances for professional development in this position?

How did the previous employees who held this position progress in their careers?

Questions About the Performance Evaluation

Every company has its employee evaluation process. It is always a good idea to know what would be expected from you.

What are the accomplishments they’d expect you to achieve during the first month, three months, and year from your starting date?

What is the evaluation process they follow here?

What are the criteria that you would be evaluated against?

How often can you expect to be formally assessed?

With the rising competition and the declining employment rates, showing your interviewer that you know and are specifically interested in the company you're applying to is a way to get a leg up on the competition. It's been estimated that 47% of candidates applying for a position are eliminated due to their lack of knowledge of the company.

Make sure that any questions you're asking about the company can’t be easily answered by Google.

What are the company’s present objectives? And how does the team you’re applying fit in the plan to accomplish these objectives?

How does the company plan to progress in the next five years?

What are they looking forward to regarding the company’s future?

Recently, the importance of a positive work environment in improving productivity has motivated employees and company managers to be more attentive to it. These are a few questions to help you get an idea of the company’s environment.

What is the culture of the company’s teams like? Are they more professional or relaxed and informal with each other?

Would you be mostly expected to work collaboratively with your team or more independently?

What sets working for this company apart from other companies?

Is there an office tradition that they particularly enjoy here?

Fitting in with your new team would help you easily transition into your position and make your work hours enjoyable and rewarding. Here’s what you might want to know about your new team.

Can they tell you more about the team you’ll be working with?

Who would you be directly reporting to? And is there something that you should know about them to ease your integration into the team?

What other departments are you expected to be working closely with?

Your interview is coming to a close, and you're curious about what to expect next. Here are the questions that would help you put your mind at ease.

Do they have any concerns as to how your qualifications fit this role?

Is there any other helpful information that you can provide them with?

How are you going to proceed with the interview process?

Do they have any final questions that you can answer for them?

Questions to Avoid Asking in an Interview

When inquiring about the job, it's important to be mindful of the impression your question might send to your employer. You should generally avoid any question that might give off the idea that you're lazy, reluctant, or disinterested in the job. Here are a few examples. 

Can you work from home? (if it’s an office job)

Asking about salary or benefits. (this is a question best left when an official job offer has been extended to you.)

How soon can you apply for another job here?

Will they monitor your social media profiles? This question implies that you’ve got something to hide. But it’s safe to assume that, yes, they would be having a look at your social media profiles. So make sure they don't contain anything that might hurt your application. Negative talk about your previous employer or colleagues is an example.

What is the process they follow when firing someone?

Questions to Ask in an Interview

Finally, preparing all the answers is an important step. However, we believe it is equally important to know your rights as an interviewee. So we urge you to go through the set of illegal interview questions and to prepare yourself to answer them appropriately.

Now that you’ve gone through our compilation of the questions to ask in an interview and those that you should avoid. You're ready to go on, ace that interview, and land the job offer you're after.

Questions to Ask in an Interview

Mentors who can help you with this:

Kaitlyn Buckheit

Questions to Ask in an Interview

Questions to Ask in an Interview

Conclusion

Mentors who can help you with this:

Questions to Ask in an Interview

Mentors who can help you with this:

Kaitlyn Buckheit

Questions to Ask in an Interview

Questions to Ask in an Interview

Conclusion

Mentors who can help you with this:

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