Five Tips for the Candidate’s Interview Questions

You should always have a chance to ask your own interview questions at the end of your interview. It may be tempting to relax here but this is a great opportunity to shine – the questions you ask will leave a lasting impression on your interviewer.

Remember these tips for a great change to show your engagement in the conversation:

  1. Demonstrate Preparation: Avoid basic questions that could have been answered if you looked at the company’s website. Asking something like, “Do you have offices overseas?” will send up red flags for your interviewer if they clearly list locations on their website.
  2. Don’t Ask Salary or Benefits Questions: Compensation and employee benefits are important, but they should be reserved for the negotiation phase after you’ve received a job offer.
  3. Request Success Stories: Ask for examples of employees who have been successful in this role and why. What made them stand out as top performers? What did they like about managing them?
  4. Be Forward Looking: Consider asking how the interviewer has seen the role evolve in the past, and how he or she expects it to continue evolving in the future. Will priorities likely change for this role? How?
  5. Seek Clarification: If anything confused you during the interview, now is a great time to ask for clarification (e.g., “You mentioned earlier that the new corporate accounting system has made things more challenging. Could you tell me more about that?”)