Your interviewer will be interested in your comments, aspirations and doubts regarding the job offer as well. Interviews are the ideal occasion to bring up your concerns and show interest in how that job is going to help you thrive in the future. That’s why we have compiled 10 questions to ask during a job interview that will help you stay focused and interested, while giving you the chance to know the benefits of your new job in detail.
Questions for a perfect job interview
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How will the selection process be like?
As we mentioned before, getting your desired job position can be reduced to a personal interview with your future direct superior or company’s HR team, or even a test: technical and computer knowledge, languages… Showing interest from the beginning in going through all stages of the selection process will prepare you for the rest of tests.
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What would be my everyday routine in that position?
A simple question a priori, since you will be already told about your potential duties during the job interview, but you can ask your interviewer to be more specific if required. This way you will be able to list what kind of needs you’re going to meet. This is crucial for both your current and future training, since you’ll see for yourself whether you’ll be able to deal with your professional routine. What does this mean? That even if you feel prepared to hold a certain position, it’s advisable to go through some prior tasks or knowledge that may be currently a bit rusty.
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What’s the biggest challenge I might face?
If you’re aware of limitations, of the busiest peak of activity your predecessor or somebody with a similar position has faced, you’ll be able to get an idea of the professional profile sought after regarding that position in particular. It’s also useful for assessing your own skills or seeking help in the future. As a practical advice, we recommend you to contrast that challenge with others you might have faced in the past professionally, and see if you will be able to make the most out of your potential or be overwhelmed by the situation instead.
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What kind of knowledge am I going to need for the job?
Following what was discussed in point number three, simultaneous additional training and working shouldn’t be considered as a taboo subject during the job interview. It can help you be more efficient in your duties, thanks to theoretical process models that can be put to practice. This question can be also related to another one: do you offer additional training for staffers?
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What do you expect from the person filling the position?
Managers, colleagues and HR team members would ideally have drawn up something similar to a check list regarding features of future employees. Being aware of some of them helps you know what they expect from you. We all have both strengths and areas of improvement, but you must see if these weaknesses are surmountable (not mastering a given computer program, for instance), and if your strengths or soft skills are indispensable (a decisive individual capable of managing crisis, for example).
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What are the prospects regarding career advancement for the person filling the job?
Imagine the positions you aspire to in the long term. This question is going to help you ascertain whether your professional path should cross ways with that job, the degree of difficulty some of your goals may entail, or if it’s going to provide you with the necessary tools to make your journey easier, even if it’s not exactly what you’re looking for.
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Who will I be working with in the team? In what department?
Learning about your future colleagues during the job interview involves willing to be part of a team, to contribute with new ideas and added value. Having an understanding of the different positions, knowledge and skills of your colleagues is a great way to anticipate in what ways they could contribute to your career.
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Which are the values of the company?
If you attended the job interview, you surely know what image they project: it can be innovative, sustainable, concerned about talent retention… But, are you aware of their corporate values and ethos? Do they align with what they try to portray eventually? The answer to this question shows another side of the same coin: which are the true colours of our future company.
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How do they expect me to contribute to the dynamics of my team and the organization as a whole?
Current companies, at least the most innovative, take the opinions and ideas of the whole team into account. If your future job is within a company betting on innovation, this concept should be patent. They don’t expect you to act like an automated machine: they seek a way of thinking that can provide a unique, alternative point of view.
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Prepare some questions as the job interview goes
There’s nothing more rewarding than feeling listened to and having other people paying attention, even more so during a job interview. If you’ve been told some details about the position and its conditions, don’t hesitate to ask about any notion that you need to be made clear. Thus, you get the conversation flowing towards the topics you want to delve into.
Sources: ElMundo, Universia, BusinessInsider