By Steve Wong
Usually the potential employers will provide an opportunity for you to ask questions towards the end of the job interview.
Can you ask questions prior to this allocated slot? It’s nothing wrong indeed!
But you should always ask permission from the interviewers when asking the first couple of questions, and you need to read their responses. If the interviewers are showing signs of discomfort, you need to back off. If asking questions is acceptable to the interviewers, you have established a 2-way flow.
So, what kinds of job interview questions are appropriate to ask the potential employers? Here are the guidelines you can use to construct your questions:
The Do’s:
1) Tailor your questions to a specific job position. Before showing up for any interview, research as much as you can for the position you are interviewing, the industry, the company, the mission statement, the recent news and the job nature. Formulate your questions according to the requirement of the specific job and the goals of the company.
2) Ask intelligent open-ended questions and be a good listener. Let the interviewers do the talking and bring about giving you the information that you want. Allow the conversation to flow naturally and build some rapport with the employer. The employer will want to hire those they feel most comfortable with.
3) You may need to attend a few interviews for a specific position before getting hire. You should shape your questions intelligently according to the different stages in the interview process. If you’re in the screening stage, you will probably ask general questions. If you have a chance to attend the 2nd or 3rd interviews, your questions can be very targeted. Likewise, you’ll expect similar concise questions from the interviewers.
4) Read the interviewers’ reaction for what you say or ask. Observe their body language, eye contacts and listen to their verbal signals. All these will provide indication for how well you’re really doing.
The Don’ts
1) Don’t ask multi-part questions all at once. You should ask concise and to-the-point questions one at a time and wait for the interviewers to answer before asking another. You can continue with your follow up questions and let the interviewers bring out more information before switching to another one. If not the interviewers may confuse or have the choice of which one to answer.
2) Don’t ask questions where the answers are easily available to the public such as from the company’s website or on the internet. For example, “Who is the Managing Director of this company?”
3) Don’t ask questions regarding rest days, medical leave, working hours, etc. Focus your questions on the job objectives and company’s goals.
4) Don’t ask questions about salary, benefits or reward during the first interview unless it is brought up by the interviewer. Keep these questions until you are offered a job or during the 2nd or 3rd interviews.
5) Don’t ask personal and weird questions with poor sense, non job related and bias. Even if you’re terminated from your current job, you should not ask questions that show you are desperate for a job.
For examples,
“I will do anything. Will you hire me?”
“Is my boss younger than me?”
“Is my boss a female?”
Conclusion:
Asking targeted, intelligent, well-crafted and concise questions during an interview will demonstrate the extent of your professional and knowledge of the particular job and the company you are interviewing. It helps to align and match your experience, skills and expectation with the company’s need.
