4 Vital Questions YOU Need to Ask During a Job Interview
The job interview process can be stressful and tedious, but it’s something that you not only need to get through, but in order to land the job you want you will need to master the art of the job interview. You will no doubt be asked questions that will test your technical skills and knowledge, as well as your character and morals. How you answer these questions will weigh heavily into whether or not you get the job.
But just as important as answering the interviewer’s questions are the questions you ask them in return. The questions you ask will reveal certain things to the interviewer, such as the what aspects of a company or job you place the most value in, what kind of culture you are interested in joining and what type of worker you are.
Here are our 4 most important questions to ask during a job interview.
1. How Have Your Grown Personally and Professionally Since You Joined the Company?
This is my personal favorite question to ask at a job interview. You want the interviewer to know that you value more than just a good salary and benefits; that you are interested in working for a company that will empower you and enable you to be both a better employee and a better person.
By asking how the interviewer has grown you will be able to tell what kind of company culture exists and how the employees are taking to it. Remember, these questions aren’t just merely meant to make you look good during your interview, but they are to make sure the company is one you want to work for. You should be able to tell pretty easily whether the interviewer is being sincere in their answer, as they might not be prepared to answer such a personal question during the interview.
2. What is the Work-Life Balance Like for this Position and the Company Overall?
It’s important to know what you’re signing up for. If the job requires you to work 60 hours per week, you will want to know that up front so that you can weigh that when considering the position. I’ve seen people take jobs who didn’t realize that the work-life balance was completely different than they were expecting. That is bad for both the employee and employer.
Will they expect you to take your work home with you? They might tell you that the position is a standard 8–5 work day, but they might leave out that you will be expected to answer emails and complete additional work after hours. In positions where you work online with people in different parts of the country, or even the word, you may need to be available at later times of the day.
3.) How Do You Measure Success in This Position? What are the Goals?
It is important to know how the work you will be doing will be judged or measured. You may be under the impression that your measurable is something you are familiar with, when in reality it is something you don’t have any experience in. You will also find out what they value about the position you will be taking.
In addition to asking what the measures for success are, it is important to ask what the goals for the position are. If the goals are going to be lofty or may be out of reach based on your experience, it’s best to know that going in, for both sides. That doesn’t mean you should be afraid of lofty goals, but you should know where the company expects production to be.
4.) What Style of Leadership Will I Be Working Under
This is another one of my favorites. Everybody reacts differently to different styles of leadership. For example, one person may enjoy having somebody who is more of a one-on-one supervisor; constantly checking in on their progress and making sure they have their tasks completed. On the other hand, some people work better in more of a hands-off leadership environment.
The wrong kind of leadership can negatively impact our production and our general mood and outlook for our jobs. While it is important to still be able to perform under leadership that may not suit you, you will want to know what to expect from your supervisor before heading into the position.
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