Do you know that asking your recruiter some interview questions can help you land a job faster?
The job interview is a two-way process; You know?
Even if you have prepared for the top interview questions that the recruiter will ask during the interview, not asking the interviewer any question can still ruin your chances of landing a job.
Let’s imagine that you went for an interview feeling like ‘you have been hired’ already probably because you were able to answer the interviewer’s questions confidently.
Then the recruiter asks with so much assurance on his face; “Do you have any questions for me before we call it a day”?
Just because you have not prepared, you confidently say a big “no”! because you think you have done all you need to do.
You have just lost a job that you have worked so hard for. How do you feel that you limited your chances of getting a job?
Here is the truth; if you don’t ask any questions, you stand the risk of telling your prospective employer that you are not interested in the position or that you did not prepare for the interview.
Most times recruiters allow you to ask questions at the end of the interview. Even if the recruiter doesn’t ask you if you have any questions you should always ask questions.
Asking questions is an opportunity for you to sell yourself to your prospective employer. You must ask questions that will show the following;
Knowing that you have to ask the recruiter some questions during your interview, I know the next thing on your mind is;
“How can I ask intelligent questions that will show that I am the perfect hire?”
Well, you don’t have to worry because we have put together all you need to prove to your prospective employer that you are the best person for the job in this article.
These are all that we will cover in this article:
When you go for an interview, and the interviewer asks you; Do you have any question for me, what do you think?
Do you think the recruiter is asking you this question for the fun of it, or if the recruiter just wants to know if you have any question?
The truth is that recruiters don’t just ask you this question for nothing. They ask this question because they want to know:
Most employers always use this aspect of the interview to sell the company to you. So, if you don’t have any question for the recruiter, he will assume that you are not interested in the role and the company.
So, imagine the kind of signal you will send to your prospective hire when you don’t ask any question.
Some employers immediately reject a candidate that did not ask questions after the interview, because they believed that the candidate is not interested in the job.
(If you just started your job search journey, then these shocking job search statistics would help you stay up-to-date)
We have been talking about asking your prospective employers questions during the interview, but do you know why you should always ask questions?
You should not just ask your employer any questions because you were told to ask questions at the end of the interview.
You should ask your prospective employers questions to find out specific things about the company and the role.
If you are still not clear about why you should ask your prospective employers some questions, then you should ask the recruiter questions because you want to:
Find out more about the role, and find out if it is something you can do
Find out more about the company, to see if it will be the right environment for you to grow and develop your career.
With these reasons, you are already on your way to asking your prospective employer intelligent and insightful questions.
Now that you have known why you should always ask your prospective employer some interview questions, and why employers always ask ‘do you have any question for me?’.
Then it is time for you to take a look at some intelligent questions you can ask your interviewer.
Below is a list of intelligent questions to ask your interviewer:
It is common knowledge that the interviewer will ask if you have any questions at the end of the interview.
One way to express your interest in the role is to ask questions that will show your interest in the hiring process. Asking questions about the hiring process shows that you are interested in the outcome of the interview (which may be landing the job).
Asking questions about the hiring process gives the interviewer a good impression of you already.
Even if the recruiter does not ask you if you have any question to ask, you need to ask the interview these questions to show that you are interested in the hiring process:
What you need to know
Asking questions about the hiring process already shows that you are interested in the job to know the next stage, which the interviewer can sense already.
You should also be sensitive to know how your interviewer feels about these questions. If your interviewer feels reluctant to respond to the questions that you are asking, then it may mean that the interviewer is not inviting you to continue the process.
If this happens, you should get angry and walk out of the interview room, remain patient while you plan on looking for your next opportunity.
We understand that it could be tempting to accept a job offer even before knowing what the job entails especially if you have been searching for a long time.
Regardless of how much you need a job, you should always know exactly what the job entails before you accept the offer.
No two job roles in different companies are the same. Every company is different, even when the role is the same, you may not always have the same duties and the same condition of service.
So, you need to find out if you can function in that role with these questions:
What you should know
If after you ask these questions and the interviewer does not go over the duties that were stated in the job description, rather goes on state other duties that are out of the job description. This may be a sign that you may take more duties than you originally planned for.
But if your interviewer dodges these questions, it is possible that one of the following is going on:
Regardless of the interviewer’s response, you should know what your role entails in a particular company, be sure that you can perform the job before you accept the offer.
Before you think of accepting a job offer in a company, you should make sure you understand the kind of company that you would be working for and the values that drive that company.
You must understand the company’s vision so that you can find out if it is in alignment with yours, or if it is something that you are equally passionate about.
Every company has a ‘culture’. Different companies do things in different ways, so you must find out if the system that a company runs with suites you.
You may not be sure how it is going to be working in a company, but you can ask the recruiter these questions to find out if you will comfortable working in the company:
What you should do
Asking the interviewer these questions shows that you are concerned about the company, and not just about how you will fit into the company.
If the interviewer is unable to answer the question, then maybe you are about to get into a company that:
Even if you are not able to get good answers from the recruiter about the company, you can research the company online.
Taking a look at what people saying about the company that you want to work for may give you a good knowledge of the company more than what the recruiter may tell you.
If you find researching about a company a bit challenging, you can simply visit mysalaryscale.com to see what other people are saying about the company that you want to work for.
When you are searching for a job, it may seem like a personal goal that you need to pursue yourself. Searching for a job could seem like your responsibility.
Achieving your goal shifts from your responsibility to that of a team immediately you get employed into a company.
Since you know how important the role the people you work with play in your career life, then it is good for you to determine if you are going to be with the right set of people that will help you achieve both occupational and personal career goals.
These are the questions that you should ask a recruiter to know the kind of team that you would properly work with:
66. Can you tell me about the team I’ll be working with?
67. Who will I work with most closely?
68. Who will I report to directly?
69. Can you tell me about my direct reports? What are their strengths
70. Do you expect to hire more people in this department in the next six months?
71. Which other departments work most closely with this one
72. What are the common career paths in this department?
73. What is the teams' strength?
74. What are the challenges that the team is experiencing?
What you should do
You should always ask the recruiter questions about the team that you would be working in. When you ask this question, it shows the recruiter that you are a great team player.
If the recruiter does not respond to your questions, maybe;
The company does not have a good organizational structure
You would be the only one working in the department
As good as it is to ask the interviewer questions about the company, the role and your day-to-day responsibilities in the company.
It is also important that you show the recruiter that you are concerned about the job and the company.
It also shows that you are concerned about the growth of the company. It also shows that you are willing to move forward in the company.
These are some questions that you can ask the interviewer to reveal your future interest in the company:
75. Are there training opportunities on the job?
76. Is there a room for on-the-job training?
77. Can you say the company is growing?
78. How do you see this role expanding in the future?
79. How do you reward top performers?
80. Are there opportunities for professional development?
81. How many people have joined the company recently?
82. Where you would like the company to be in five years?
83. What are the company's goals for the future?
84. How transparent is the company about operations/revenue/and future plans?
85. Where is the last person who held this job moving on to?
86. Where have successful employees previously in this position progressed to?
87. What opportunities are there for growth within the team?
88. Is there a common career path that people who have moved up within the company follow?
What you should do
Aside from making the recruiters see that you are interested in the job, you should also make the recruiter know that you have plans for your career and the company.
If the recruiter doesn’t respond to the question appropriately, this may mean that the company is not one that would support your career growth and development.
Asking questions about the interviewer shows that you have great communication skills because asking questions about the interviewer will build a rapport between you and the recruiter.
These questions will also help you feel more comfortable and in charge of the interview as well.
These questions can also help you know somethings you don’t know about the company. If you are confused about the kind of questions that you should ask the interview, then you should find this helpful:
89. How long have been in the company?
90. What do you like most about your job?
91. What do you like most about working in this company?
92. Can you that you have grown in this company so far?
93. Has your role changed since you have been here?
94. Why did you decide to work for this company?
95. If there is anything you would love to change about your role, what would it be?
96. Have you experienced any challenges performing your role?
97. What are the challenges you have to deal with the day-to-day that the person in this role should solve?
98. What are you most excited about in this company’s future?
99. Can you say there is something the company is working to get right?
100. Looking at your journey so far in the company, can you say that it was a successful journey?
If you have gone through all these questions, then you look forward to getting your dream job soon. It is also good you know why you have not been able to get a job.
What you should do
You know that asking your recruiter personal questions helps you get some personal information about the company from the recruiter’s view.
This questions also helps you read the interviewers facial expressions and gestures which can give you answers to some question that can can’t ask.
On the other hand, if the recruiter does not feel comfortable enough to respond to your questions, then that may be a red flag that the recruiter also may not be happy with his job.
If you reading this post, then there is no doubt that you are searching for ways to land your dream job faster even with fewer applications.
Well, creating a great impression about yourself to your prospective employer will help you land the job of your dreams. These cover letter templates for all job fields is all you need to sell yourself without being there.
As much as you should ask the interviewer questions during your interview, you should also be careful not to ask the wrong the questions that can cost you the job.
If you believe in the saying that: “there is no wrong or stupid question” then we think it is time for you to start questioning that believe when it comes to job interviews.
As curious as you may be about the compensation, you should avoid asking questions that revolve around compensation so that you don’t give the recruiter the impression that you only care about what you stand to get at the end of the month.
Questions like; “What does this company do?” is another question you should avoid asking the recruiter during your interview. Asking this question means that you did not care enough to research.
To avoid “shooting yourself in the head” with your questions, you can take a look at some questions you should not ask your interviewer:
Even if you have done well during your interview, asking the wrong questions can ruin all your effort of getting the job that you have been looking for.
Another wrong way of asking the wrong question is by asking too many questions. Asking too many questions gives the impression that you have not researched the company at all.
So, you need to keep the questions short, relevant and straight to the point. As soon as you notice the recruiter is not interested anymore, you can hold-on with your questions.
Always remember not to overstay your welcome it can make the recruiter disinterested in you.
Things You Should Note About Asking Your Interviewer Questions
After a seemingly great interview, and the recruiter asks you; “so do you have any questions for me?” You should ask questions that will reveal that:
You should also take note of the following when you want to ask your recruiter questions during your interview:
Now that you know the top 100 questions that you should ask your recruiter, then it is time for you to make your interview an ideal interview, rather than the nerve cracking interrogative interviews that you have been having.
Following these steps on “the questions to ask your recruiter”, you would surely get the information you need to make a great decision for your career.
If you are still confused about the kind of questions you should ask your interviewer, you don’t have to worry. All you need to do is to leave your questions or comment in the comment section below, and we will be ready to reply to your comments.
Look forward to seeing you land a job soon. Good luck with your job search!
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