{"id":3804,"date":"2019-01-29T09:19:39","date_gmt":"2019-01-29T14:19:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/technologynavigators.com\/?p=3804"},"modified":"2019-01-29T18:08:33","modified_gmt":"2019-01-29T23:08:33","slug":"10-best-questions-to-ask-in-job-interviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/technologynavigators.com\/10-best-questions-to-ask-in-job-interviews\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Best Questions To Ask In Job Interviews"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-3834\" src=\"https:\/\/technologynavigators.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/TN-branded-interview-handshake.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"563\" height=\"375\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"clay-subheader\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-subheader\/instances\/cjoot6vvz000m3g61axvee5m3@published\"><span style=\"color: #296365;\">Questions About the Position<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjoot79z8000t3g61aoi0qurj@published\" data-word-count=\"13\"><span style=\"color: #c9b384;\"><strong>1. \u201cHow will you measure the success of the person in this position?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrrca002y3962f5k3p28y@published\" data-word-count=\"40\">This gets right to the crux of what you need to know about the job: What does it mean to do well, and what will you need to achieve in order for the manager to be happy with your performance?<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-cid-qb7ko0eL\" class=\"ad vp-1024-plus\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/ad\/instances\/cjc7suw6l00jsezyeiyt1ciay@published\" data-placeholder=\"settings\" data-name=\"\/4088\/nym.thecut\/Power\/Money\" data-sizes=\"528x379\" data-label=\"outStreamDesktop\" data-site=\"TheCut\" data-google-query-id=\"CMXBiI7b7d8CFQY7TwodCngL1g\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/4088\/nym.thecut\/Power\/Money_2__container__\">Initially, you might think that the job description already laid this out, but it\u2019s not uncommon for a job description to be the same one an employer has been using for the last ten years, despite the job having changed significantly during that time. Organizations often post job descriptions that primarily use boilerplate language from HR, while the actual manager has very different ideas about what\u2019s most important in the role. Also, frankly, most employers just suck at writing job descriptions (which is why so many of them sound like they were written by robots rather than humans), so it\u2019s useful to have a real conversation about what the role is really about. You might find out that while the job posting listed 12 different responsibilities, your success really just hinges on 2 of them, or that the posting dramatically understated the importance of 1 of them, or that the hiring manager is battling with her own boss about expectations for the role, or even that the manager has no idea what success would look like in the job (which would be a sign to proceed with extreme caution).<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjoot7qlc00113g61ufys6z4c@published\" data-word-count=\"16\"><span style=\"color: #c9b384;\"><strong>2. \u201cWhat are some of the challenges you expect the person in this position to face?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrr7z002c39626foicsx4@published\" data-word-count=\"52\">This can get at information you\u2019d never get from the job description \u2014 like that you\u2019ll have to deal with messy interdepartmental politics, or that the person you\u2019ll be working with most closely is difficult to get along with, or that you\u2019ll need to work within draconian budget restrictions on your program.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrr7m00293962b1jwladm@published\" data-word-count=\"74\">It can also create an opening for you to talk about how you\u2019ve approached similar challenges in the past, which can be reassuring to your interviewer. I don\u2019t recommend asking questions just so you can follow up with a sales pitch for yourself \u2014 that\u2019s annoying and usually pretty transparent \u2014 but if asking about challenges leads to a real discussion of how you\u2019d approach them, it can be genuinely useful for you both.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjoot7xud00173g61h59bnkkp@published\" data-word-count=\"12\"><span style=\"color: #c9b384;\"><strong>3. \u201cCan you describe a typical day or week in the job?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrr7w002b3962q5bm3en0@published\" data-word-count=\"94\">If the job description mentioned a combination of admin work and program work, it\u2019s important to know whether 90 percent of your time will be spent on the admin work or if the split is more like 50\/50. Or you might find out that the part of the job that you were most excited about actually only comes up every six months. But even barring major insights like that, the answer to this question can just help you better visualize what it will actually be like to be in the job day after day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrr7o002a3962ay72meh7@published\" data-word-count=\"43\">Tip: Some interviewers will respond to this question with, \u201cOh, every day is different.\u201d If that happens, try asking, \u201cCan you tell me what the last month looked like for the person in the job currently? What took up most of their time?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjoot86ep001d3g61mjm7fz02@published\" data-word-count=\"22\"><span style=\"color: #c9b384;\"><strong>4. \u201cHow long did the previous person in the role hold the position? What has turnover in the role generally been like?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrr96002j3962flb8a4aj@published\" data-word-count=\"82\">If no one has stayed in the job very long, that could be a red flag about a difficult manager, unrealistic expectations, lack of training, or some other land mine. If just one person left after a few months, that\u2019s not necessarily a danger sign \u2014 after all, sometimes things just don\u2019t work out. But if you hear there\u2019s been a pattern of people leaving quickly, it\u2019s worth asking, \u201cDo you have a sense of what has led to the high turnover?\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"clay-subheader\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-subheader\/instances\/cjoot91kw001j3g615dxcjzoo@published\"><span style=\"color: #296365;\">Questions About Your Success in the Position<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjoot9d39001p3g61gqnd0xdv@published\" data-word-count=\"18\"><span style=\"color: #c9b384;\"><strong>5.\u00a0\u201cWhat are you hoping this person will accomplish in their first six months and in their first year?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrr93002h3962zqcko3ly@published\" data-word-count=\"110\">This question can give you a sense of what kind of learning curve you\u2019re expected to have and the pace of the team and organization. If you\u2019re expected to have major achievements under your belt after only a few months, that tells you that they likely won\u2019t give you a lot of ramp-up time. Which might be fine if you\u2019re coming in with a lot of experience, but it might be worrisome otherwise. On the flip side, if you\u2019re someone who likes to jump right in and start getting things done, you might not be thrilled to hear that most of your first six months will be spent in training.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrra2002l3962wk21qnfi@published\" data-word-count=\"17\">This question can also draw out information about key projects that you wouldn\u2019t otherwise have heard about.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjoot9ku0001v3g61dzq1l1fo@published\" data-word-count=\"27\"><span style=\"color: #c9b384;\"><strong>6. \u201cThinking back to people you\u2019ve seen do this work previously, what differentiated the ones who were good from the ones who were really great at it?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrrae002o39625zdejvla@published\" data-word-count=\"120\">A job candidate asked me this question years ago, and it might be the strongest question I\u2019ve ever been asked in\u00a0an <a href=\"https:\/\/technologynavigators.com\/forbes-four-tricks-to-ace-your-next-job-interview\/\">interview<\/a>. The thing about this question is that it goes straight to the heart of what the hiring manager is looking for. Hiring managers aren\u2019t interviewing candidates in the hopes of finding someone who will do an average job; they\u2019re hoping to find someone who will excel at the job. And this question says that you care about the same thing. Sure, it doesn\u2019t guarantee that you\u2019ll do extraordinary work, but it makes you sound like someone who\u2019s at least aiming for that \u2014 someone who\u2019s conscientious and driven, and those are huge things in a hiring manager\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrrbg002u3962c5n4kew0@published\" data-word-count=\"43\">Plus, the answer to this question can give you much more nuanced insight into what it\u2019ll take to truly excel in the job \u2014 and whatever the answer is, you can think about whether or not it\u2019s something you\u2019re likely able to do.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"clay-subheader\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-subheader\/instances\/cjoot9rkg00213g61gi1coun8@published\"><span style=\"color: #296365;\">Questions About the Company<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjoota1t400273g61f89egnvx@published\" data-word-count=\"23\"><span style=\"color: #c9b384;\"><strong>7.\u00a0\u201cHow would you describe the culture here? What type of people tend to really thrive here, and what type don\u2019t do as well?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrrb2002p39628s8mqpo2@published\" data-word-count=\"96\">If the culture is very formal with lots of hierarchy and you\u2019re happiest in a more relaxed environment, this might not be the right match for you.<br \/>\nSimilarly, if it\u2019s a really competitive environment and you\u2019re more low-key, or if they describe themselves as entrepreneurial and you prefer structure, it might not be an ideal workplace for you. If you don\u2019t have a lot of other options, you still might decide to take the job anyway \u2014 but you\u2019ll usually be happier if you know what you\u2019re signing up for, and aren\u2019t unpleasantly surprised after you start.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjoota87c002d3g61ty2teud7@published\" data-word-count=\"8\"><span style=\"color: #c9b384;\"><strong>8. \u201cWhat do you like about working here?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrrba002s3962ukv45o2o@published\" data-word-count=\"70\">You can learn a lot by the way people respond to this question. People who genuinely enjoy their jobs and the company will usually have several things they can tell you that they like about working there and will usually sound sincere. But if you get a blank stare or a long silence before your interviewer answers, or the answer is something like \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/technologynavigators.com\/3-out-of-5-employees-didnt-get-a-raise-last-year-dont-let-it-happen-to-you\/\">the paycheck<\/a>,\u201d consider that a red flag.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjootag0y002j3g61w2bp23n2@published\" data-word-count=\"8\"><span style=\"color: #c9b384;\"><strong>9. Ask the question you really care about.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrrb9002q3962clf1htgj@published\" data-word-count=\"134\">Sometimes people use their turn to ask questions in an interview solely as an additional chance to try to impress their interviewer \u2014 asking questions designed to reflect well on them (by making them look smart, thoughtful, or so forth) rather than questions designed to help them figure out if the job is even right for them in the first place. It\u2019s understandable to want to impress your interviewer, but interviewing is a two-way street \u2014 you need to be assessing the job and the employer and the manager, and figuring out whether this is a job you want and would do well in. If you\u2019re just focused on getting the job and not on whether it\u2019s the\u00a0<em>right<\/em>\u00a0job for you, you\u2019re in danger of ending up in a job where you\u2019re struggling or miserable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo4g2kn2000s3g5xdf4m8cgn@published\" data-word-count=\"120\">So before you interview, spend some time thinking about what you really want to know. When you imagine going to work at the job every day, what are the things that will most impact whether you\u2019re happy with the work, with the culture, with the manager? Maybe it\u2019s important to you to work in an informal culture with heavy collaboration. Maybe you care most about working somewhere with sane hours, where calls and texts on the weekend or in the evenings are rare. Maybe you\u2019ve heard rumors about the stability of the\u00a0funding\u00a0for the position. Whatever\u2019s important to you or that you\u2019d want to have answered before you could know if you\u2019d really want the job, think about asking it now.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrrbe002t3962221f650z@published\" data-word-count=\"56\">Of course, you shouldn\u2019t rely\u00a0<em>only<\/em>\u00a0on your interviewer\u2019s answers about these things. You should also do due diligence by talking to people in your network who might have the inside scoop on the company\u2019s culture or the manager you\u2019d be working for, reading online reviews at places like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.glassdoor.com\/Overview\/Working-at-Technology-Navigators-EI_IE149262.11,32.htm\">Glassdoor<\/a>, and talking to other people who work there.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"clay-subheader\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-subheader\/instances\/cjootanw1002p3g61sfxs8mo9@published\"><span style=\"color: #296365;\">Questions About Next Steps<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjootawah002v3g616i29jait@published\" data-word-count=\"7\"><span style=\"color: #c9b384;\"><strong>10. \u201cWhat\u2019s your timeline for next steps?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrrc9002x3962h7q6r5pp@published\" data-word-count=\"124\">This is a basic logistics question, but it\u2019s useful to ask because it gives you a benchmark for when you can expect to hear something back. Otherwise, if you\u2019re like many people, in a few days you\u2019re likely to start agonizing about whether you should have heard back about the job by now and what it means that you haven\u2019t, and obsessively checking your phone to see if the employer has tried to make contact. It\u2019s much better for your quality of life if you know that you\u2019re not likely to hear anything for two weeks or four weeks or that the hiring manager is leaving the country for a month and nothing will happen until she\u2019s back, or whatever the case might be.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrrc6002w3962ejlo7afd@published\" data-word-count=\"98\">Plus, asking this question makes it easy for you to check in with the employer if the timeline they give you comes and goes with no word. If they tell you that they plan to make a decision in two weeks and it\u2019s been three weeks, you can reasonably email them and say something like, \u201cI know you were hoping to make a decision around this time, so I wanted to check in and see if you have an updated timeline you can share. I\u2019m really interested in the position and would love to talk more with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrrc6002w3962ejlo7afd@published\" data-word-count=\"98\">\n<\/div>\n<p data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cjo0hrrc6002w3962ejlo7afd@published\" data-word-count=\"98\">View the original article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecut.com\/article\/questions-to-ask-in-a-job-interview.html?ref=AustinDigitalJobs&amp;mc_cid=f1599bdbb0&amp;mc_eid=d465638d0d\">here<\/a>. Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net\/lekkyjustdoit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Questions About the Position 1. \u201cHow will you measure the success of the person in this position?\u201d This gets right to the crux of what you need to know about the job: What does it mean to do well, and what will you need to achieve in order for the manager to be happy with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3834,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[667],"tags":[12,889,892,893,903,897,896,888,668,887,898,894,901,895,890,884,886,900,21,899,902,15,891,885],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/technologynavigators.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3804"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/technologynavigators.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/technologynavigators.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/technologynavigators.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/technologynavigators.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3804"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/technologynavigators.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3837,"href":"https:\/\/technologynavigators.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3804\/revisions\/3837"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/technologynavigators.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/technologynavigators.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/technologynavigators.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/technologynavigators.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}