If You Want To Stand Out, Change Your Questions To The Interviewer Now!

Many candidates are wondering about which questions to ask the interviewer during a job interview, this can be thought-provoking and emotionally stressful. However, with some practice and preparation, you can easily succeed and stand out. In this article, we share some of the smartest questions that you should ask during a job interview. After all, interviews are a two-way street, the employers decide whether you are a good fit for the role and you decide if the company culture and the role you want to join is the right one.

Asking thoughtful questions is important. It sets you apart from other candidates and helps the recruiter gets some insights about your personality, role fit, and enthusiasm for the role and the company.

So, when you are asked “Do you have any questions for us?” make sure you have covered all the bases.

Questions To The Interviewer That Should Be Eliminated

First, you need to understand that employers expect candidates to have done their homework about the job and the company. Therefore, asking some basic questions indicates that you have not taken the time to study the organization. So, you need to avoid questions like; What does this company do?. When was it founded?.

Package/benefits/bonus/compensation questions:

Asking about salary and benefits in the initial interview can have a negative impact on how the interviewer perceives your candidature. You can ask about the salary once you receive an offer from the employer and not before that.

The same applies to the bonus question, this is one of those questions that you need to avoid. Even if you receive an offer, you need to keep in mind that usually, companies do not mention the bonus because once added as a clause, it becomes contractual. Some companies do give out bonuses without putting the clause in the offer and others might not. Generally speaking, it is not advisable to bring up compensation during the initial interview.

Questions about when you will get an increase, or how soon you can get a promotion can simply imply that you are not happy with the role and that you are only applying to the job as leverage or an entry point. We cover below how you can reformulate your question to project interest and enthusiasm.

Vacation time or sick leave

The first impression you want to leave in the recruiter’s mind shouldn’t be about how much sick time or vacation time you can have. If you ask this question during an initial interview, the interviewer might understand that you plan your vacation time or sick time before even starting your job. If the employer offers you the role, you should be fully committed and dedicated during your probation period and not being away.

Questions that trigger doubt

Questions to the interviewer about which expenses the company will cover or whether the company runs reference checks, drug tests, supervise attendance…etc are not smart questions. Talking about whether or not you will be closely supervised could indicate to employers that you don’t care about showing up on time. Asking about the internal process of hiring references or tests could trigger negative doubts.

Smart Questions To The Interviewer During A Job Interview

The questions that you ask will help you determine if this is a job you will like and thrive in. In order to have clear and concise feedback, I strongly suggest segregating the questions according to who is running the interview with you.

Many candidates ask recruiters questions that require in-depth knowledge of the role. Recruiters are usually reviewing many candidates and open positions and do not necessarily have full knowledge about the role except what they have been briefed about from the line manager or head of the department. Therefore, you should be tailoring your questions according to the interviewer.

Powerful Job Interview Questions To The Interviewer (Functional Manager)

The best chance you can have to stand out is to ask powerful and smart questions to the functional/line manager. After all, the line manager is the decision-maker during the recruitment process. When interviewed by the functional/line manager, you have the opportunity to know about the role and gain more insights into what specific skills and strengths are needed.

So by learning and asking the right questions, you can get to the most valuable information that you are looking for. This is also a good time to understand the vision of the functional manager about the position and how it may grow.

The questions that you should ask the line manager should be more specific. This includes day-to-day responsibilities, growth possibilities, onboarding, training required, projects you will be working on….etc.

Try to build some kind of rapport. Learn more about the team you will be working with as well as the boss you will be reporting to.

Example of questions to the interviewer (Functional Manager):

1. I would like to have an idea about the projects I’d be working on.

2. What important initiatives are you working on/or department for the next 6–12 months?

3. Do you expect the main responsibilities for this position to change in the next 6 months to a year?

4. Can you tell me more about the day-to-day responsibilities of this job?

5. What do you think are some of the biggest challenges for someone in this job?

6. Would I be undergoing any training before starting work?

7. Do you expect the department/team to grow?

Best Questions To Ask The Interviewer (Recruitment Manager)

Questions to the recruiter should be more about the organization, how comfortable you will be with the culture, and the dynamic of the company.

You can also take this opportunity to understand more about the company’s growth plan, trends, and issues in the industry. If you are able to turn the interview into a conversation, you can get some valuable pieces of information.

Example of questions to the interviewer (Recruitment Manager):

1. How do you describe the culture of the company?

2. What do you like best about working for this company?

3. Is this a new role that’s been created?

4. What are the next steps in the interview process?

5. How would you describe the workplace environment?

Final Thoughts

When you are preparing your questions to ask the interviewer or the functional manager during a job interview, it is important to appear like someone who is enthusiastic about the position, and eager to get started.

You can ask about the benefits, salary …etc once you receive an official offer from the recruiter. So wait until you are in the final steps of the interview process to negotiate your compensation package. Last but not least, don’t forget to practice.