Job Search: 8 Questions to Ask an Interviewer

Have you ever been stumped on what to ask an interviewer at the end of your interview? You know that awkward time when they ask if you have any questions and you say something to the effect of, "Actually, I think you answered all my questions."

That's not going to cut it if you're interviewing with an experienced interviewer (or if they read my post about Listening as an Interviewer). I touched on this topic before in How to Prep for a Virtual Interview, but thought I should expand on the topic.

I'm guessing you read the title and thought, "Great! She's going to give me a list of questions I should ask when I go for my next job interview!" Well, you're half right. I will, but I also wanted to get you thinking about what those questions mean, and what you can get out of that time with an interviewer.

  What to Think About  


Your questions of the interviewer shouldn't be "when to I start" or "how much does the job pay" or other information gathering questions. Those are fine to ask at some point, but use your time wisely to use the question portion of your interview to continue to sell yourself!

Your questions should be make the interviewer think, demonstrate understanding of the industry/market or your functional expertise, or uncover more about the job for which you're interviewing.

  7 Examples  

Thanks to everyone who contributed ideas for questions to ask interviewers. You'll see that I tagged their companies below.

1. If your interviewer will be your manager: 

Question: Describe a past manager/employee relationship that worked successfully for you.

What it Does: This question gets the interviewer to truly disclose the type of manager they are! No manager in their right mind would ever say "I micromanage my staff" but many do just that. By asking the question in this way, you get a peek into the way the prefer to operate.

2.  If the organization seems to need a change, is going through a change, or seems just hectic overall:

Question: If you could stop doing your job for 60 days and focus on one effort, what would it be and why?

What it Does: This questions serves two purposes. First, it gets the interviewer to share what they want to change or improve which shows you a window into what the team/organization is really like. Second, it gets the interviewer to think and gives them an outlet, which are both good for the impression you'll leave on them! 

3. If there is something going on in the news right now that is relevant to the industry or the functional area of the job:

Question: I've been reading about [describe the topic] in the news recently and was thinking [state your opinion]. I was hoping to get your perspective on what's going on. (or, what effect is that having on your company?)

What it Does: Three things: (a) it shows you're up on the news that's relevant to the organization, (b) it demonstrates your knowledge about that news, and (c) it gets a perspective from someone who lives and breaths that news every day (i.e., it flatters them, and shows you what they think about the situation).

4. To see what the future holds:

Question: What are you most excited about over the next 6-12 months? (submitted by Jen Dalton of Brand Mirror)

What it Does: This question will first demonstrate the interviewers passion and engagement in their job. Then it will demonstrate what is on the horizon for the organization or industry that you may not have known to ask about. As a side note, this is also a great question to ask colleagues if you feel you're getting in a rut at work. 

5. To see what challenges the company will face:

Question: What is the next big challenge you will face over the next 3-6 months? (submitted by Gail Legaspi-Gaull of Hat Trick 3C)

What it Does: It allows the interviewer to go a multitude of directions! If there is something big happening in the industry, they'll launch into something more in depth than you would have known to ask about. If something is about to occur in the company, they may share more information than if you asked a company-specific question. And finally, you may learn something more personal about the interviewer, as they may interpret the question about their career or professional growth. Essentially, the interviewer will hear that question with whatever filter is on their mind.

6. To learn what will be expected of you:

Question: If I get this job, what 3 things would you want me to have accomplished by this time next year? (submitted by Jennifer Olsen Mathissen of Catapult Marketing)

What it Does: This question is one that the interviewer has likely thought about (at least somewhat). The answer should allow you to clarify your expectations about the role.

7. If you want uncover something about the company that you wouldn't know to ask:

Question: What is the biggest difference between what you now know about your firm today, and how you perceived this firm when you were sitting in my seat interviewing for a position? (submitted by John Forsythe from Deloitte)

What it Does: This question gets the interviewer to reflect on their own past and also puts the interviewer back in the interviewee's shoes which could work in your favor (empathy). Lastly, it helps you get a glimpse into the company "behind the scenes." Hopefully, the interviewer will share something that will shed light in a way you wouldn't know otherwise.

8. To get the interviewer to level with you:

Question: What is one limiting factor in my candidacy for this position? 

What it Does: This question gives the interviewer free reign to actually mention something like "we really need someone with xx experience" or "you don't have the certification required". They may not say anything specific, but if they do, you'll walk away knowing that if you don't get the job, it may just not be the right fit for you, rather than wondering what you did wrong.

I Want to Hear From You  

What questions has someone asked you? Or what question did you get a good response from when you interviewed?

Recruiting: How to Listen as an Interviewer

I've posted a number of times on finding a job (Non-Traditional Resumes, Evaluating an Offer, and Virtual Interviewing), but I was thinking there are many of you out there who serve in the role of interviewer rather than interviewee. In my first post on this topic, I thought I would focus on something basic rather than get too specific, so we'll discuss "listening" as an interviewer.

Before we get into what listening skills you should exhibit, we should address why it's so important:

• Truly listening to the candidate with your whole person will allow you to pick up on cues you may otherwise miss.
• Listening rather than talking will give the candidate more time to demonstrate if they are a fit for your position.
• Allowing your candidate to demonstrate their fit could potentially save you money from hiring unsuitable employees.

With all that said, I must note that there is something called a "stress interview." It's rarely used, but is useful in situations where you're hiring, for example, an Investment Banker and need to determine how well they handle stressful situations. In that case, all this advice goes out the window!!!

Now, back to a typical interview, let's get into what good listening means for this situation. I believe there are three components:

1. Open Communication
2. Candidate-Focused
3. Whole Person Listening

  Open Communication  

The first component is to establish and maintain open communication. Not only will this model what you desire if the candidate is hired, but will also allow the candidate to feel at ease enough to fully communicate their potential value to your organization.

First, you should conduct the interview in private and ensure it is free from distractions. This will make you both more comfortable and will allow you to listen more closely to the candidate and observe the behaviors (which we'll get to in the third component).

You should start off the conversation with what's known as an "ice breaker" in the recruiting world. I'm not talking about the silly games people sometimes play at the beginning of a conference or an off-site. I simply mean that you should break the ice by talking about the weather, traffic, or news. However, be careful not to talk about family, religion, or politics to avoid potential areas of discrimination -- that gives me an idea for a future blog post!

Another useful side effect from an ice breaker is that it allows the candidate to be him/herself. I don't mean that you should trick them and catch them off guard, but if you set them at ease with an ice breaker, the candidate will be less likely to be rehearsed or keep up a facade. If you mention "How was your drive in? My commute was horrible!" you may get a response that shows the person has severe road rage and wonder where else that behavior shows up!

One mistake interviewers often make is to look at the resume first before starting any conversation. My advice is that you first break the ice, then if you must, review their resume. If you shut them down first by asking for a minute to review the resume, you give them the impression that it's all about you, when you should be giving the candidate the impression that it's all about them. It's their job to win or lose - make the candidate work for it!

  Candidate-Focused  

A candidate's job (at least when I'm coaching them) is to get the interviewer to talk as much as possible because people like to talk about themselves and an interviewer will then walk away feeling positive about the interview....even if the candidate barely spoke!

As an interviewer, you need to prevent that from happening. You need to make the candidate do the work, which is similar to what we do in leadership coaching. You're not up for the job. You don't need to prove yourself. Again, I reiterate, make the candidate work for it! This may be partially a "sales pitch" for the job, but before you sell the candidate on the job you need to determine their aptitude, competency and fit for the job.

Some quick strategies to help:

Avoid interrupting

• Don't put words in the candidate's mouth.
• Don't finish their sentences because you may not finish them the way they would and then you won't truly know their answers.
• Avoid being overbearing or controlling. Have your list of questions ready but also be ready to go where the candidate takes you if there seems to be something of interest and relevant to the job.

Allow for pauses

• Make the candidate fill the space with a response.
• Don't over clarify your questions unless they ask.
• Don't ask too many questions in rapid succession so you give the candidate time to answer.
• Remember, introverts need time to think rather than thinking out loud, so it is even more important to allow for a pause if you NEED an introverted type for the job!

Avoid talking about yourself

• Don't follow up their story with your story
• Don't correct them and then begin explaining why
• If you feel you want to talk about yourself, save that for after they have the job, perhaps during a "sales pitch" to get them to accept the job
• When they ask you questions, pay attention to the questions they asked! Were they thought provoking? Did they demonstrate their competencies or capabilities? Then keep your answers concise so they have more time to ask questions or answer yours.

  Whole Person Listening  

In many circles, there are 3-4 "levels" of listening that really get to the point that the listener must listen with their whole self. I like using four levels because that fourth level helps you go even deeper into understanding the other person.

As I go through these levels, please realize that (a) each level is important in it's own right and (b) you should constantly be switching the levels at which you are listening depending on the situation. All four levels are important, but there is a time and a place in each conversation for each level.

Level 1: Self-Centered Listening

This form of listening is when you hear what someone is saying and simultaneously think about your own story, or your response to what they're saying. As a result it might look like:

Interviewer: Tell me about your experience with Excel.

Candidate: In my previous job, I utilized Excel to build financial models and run scenarios to determine what impacts specific factors and decisions would have on our EBITDA.

Interviewer: Interesting. I used to build financial models and it really helped me understand how our budgeting and financial statements work here.

The interviewer drew focus away from the candidate and didn't add much insight for the candidate either. That said, there is a use for Level 1 Listening! In an interview, it could be useful when breaking the ice so the candidate can identify with you on some level. A good use would be:

Interviewer: Did you enjoy your weekend?

Candidate: Yes, we went to a block party and got to meet a few new neighbors.

Interviewer: I always love going to block parties because you get a chance to connect with neighbors you only see in passing.

This tactic was useful because now the candidate and interviewer have something small in common. Now that they have broken the ice, the candidate is more likely to show their true self during the remainder of the interview.

Level 2: Informative Listening

Level 2 could also be titled "listening for information" because it's just that. When you hear a candidate speak, you're collecting information. You're answer questions like "what" and "where" and "when."

This type of listening is important for an interview because you need to answer those questions! You need to know if they have done the tasks before, if they're capable of doing them now, and how much experience they've had doing those tasks.

However, if you focus solely on "what" they did and now "how" or "why" they did them, you're missing half the picture. You do need to make sure they can do the job, technically speaking, but you also need to make sure they will do it in a manner fitting with your company and with that role.

A good example of an information gathering question could be:

Interviewer: Tell me about a time when you used Excel as a tool to make a decision.

You are seeking specific information about their use of Excel, and their decision making ability.

Level 3: Empathetic Listening

I believe Level 3 is where everyone should try to maintain for a good portion of every conversation, including interviews. Level 3 gets you away from listening only for information, and elevates your listening to look for tone, body language, eye contact, and word choice.

Bottom Line of Level 3 Listening: Don't listen to what they say, listen to how they say it.

Does the candidate sound sincere? When you ask if they have a particular skill or experience, is the answer a strong "yes" or do they waver when they say "yes" or follow it up with a "but..." And when you're trying to illicit responses that give you these empathetic cues, ask questions that start with "How" if you can. "How" will open doors where as the natural questions to ask will likely end up giving you more information and practiced, canned responses. 

Interviewer: Tell me about your experience with Excel.

Candidate: In my previous job, I was required to Excel to build financial models.

Interviewer: So you do have experience in financial modeling. I noticed you said "required to." How do you feel about using Excel?

Candidate: Actually, before that job, I developed a tool that does financial modeling differently so using Excel was a bit mundane.

Now on the one hand, you learned that the candidate can develop tools, and that he/she understands financial modeling well enough to develop a tool to conduct the modeling. That's all great information you wouldn't have known otherwise.

On the other hand, the candidate said "Excel was a bit mundane" which you may want to dig deeper into, to find out if he/she has a sense that they are better than others. 

Level 4: Contextual Listening

Contextual listening is a bit more difficult to grasp and to execute. Perhaps it's best to give an example of how context matters.


Let's say the candidate states they had to present to a group in his old job and explain a financial model he'd created. Context is needed here because you need to know if he briefed other financial analysts, peers at his level. Or perhaps, did he brief the C-suite? Those take very different presentation and relationship building skills.


  I Want to Hear from You  

What are some ways you listen as an interviewer?

Did you have a situation where you couldn't get the candidate to open up?

Or if you're a candidate, what are some things you've seen interviewers do that demonstrated they were not truly listening to you?

Job Search: Update to Evaluating an Offer

Something I didn't really think about the first time I posted about Evaluating a Job Offer on May 29, 2014, was the indirect benefits related to medical insurance in a new job.

  Imagine This Scenario  

Your old job has a high deductible medical insurance plan. Your new job has a normal deductible medical insurance plan.

The end result is that every time you go to the doctor, or fill a prescription, you're paying less! Sometimes a significant amount less. A friend had an allergy prescription that, on the old plan, cost $120 every time. On the new plan, he's paying $35 each time. That's just one prescription, saving $85 about 4-6 times per year. Multiply that out, times the number of prescriptions you fill in a year, and the number of times you go to the doctor.

	Old Price	New Price	Savings Per Time Filled	Times Filled Per Year	Annual Savings
Prescriptions
#1 Allergy	$120	$35	$85	5	$425
#2 Other	$50	$10	$40	7	$280
Total Prescription Savings					$705
Doctor’s Appointment Co-Pay
Annual Check-up	$50	$10	$40	1	$40
Specialist	$50	$10	$40	1	$40
Total Doctor’s Appointment Co-Pay Savings					$80
TOTAL PROJECTED SAVINGS					$785 / year

You're easily saving almost $800 a year, just because of the type of medical insurance the new job offers. You should do the same analysis for any insurance offered by one or both companies including dental and vision insurance plans.

Job Search: Evaluating An Offer

Let's say you know you're potentially receiving an offer for employment. Most people wait until they receive the offer to start thinking about what to expect. Or at best, they think through their base salary plus an annual performance bonus.

In reality, there are a number of factors that could or should be included in an offer letter. Particularly as you move up in the ranks, there are more factors that are negotiable. Having an understanding of your current position on all these factors will help you better understand what you're looking for in your next position.

  Monetary Compensation   

• Base Salary - Also, note if it's paid bi-weekly or monthly.
• Annual Performance Bonus Potential
• Signing Bonus - Understand if there's a payback period - in other words will you have to pay it back if you leave within a specified period of time.
• Retention Bonus - If your signing bonus doesn't have a payback period, you may be able to negotiate a retention bonus (e.g., if I stay for 1 year, I get an additional bonus).

  Job Information  

• Job Title
• Grade Level - This isn't relevant for everyone, but is particularly relevant in federal government, or in some very large organizations.
• Supervisor
• Supervisory/Management responsibilities
• Budgetary responsibilities
• Office Location

  Non-Working Days  

• Holidays
• Leave Days
• Sick Days - This is only relevant if sick days are separate from leave
• Comp Time - This is time that you accrue based on extra worked hours outside normal working hours. Usually this category is no longer relevant as you move into managerial positions.
• Alternative Work Schedule Options

  Timeline  

• Start date
• Date that benefits kick in - Sometimes it's on day 1, and sometimes it's not until 30 days later.
• Contract length - If this is relevant, you'll need to include it in the offer letter. This could be relevant if you're in a temporary position that could turn permanent as well.

  Equipment   

• Desktop vs. Laptop
• Cell Phone - Do they provide one? Do they pay for the plan? Are there limits on the data and phone usage?
• Car - Rare, but some firms do have cars for executives.

  Additional Details  

• Performance Review Cycle
• Performance Review Criteria
• Training Opportunities / Expectations
• Travel/Commuting Reimbursement
• Tuition Assistance Program

And here's one that you'll need to think about the first time you enter into the ranks of around a Vice President position. You'll need to inquire about a guarantee of a severance package. If you haven't been a VP before, you may not even know to ask to have this in your offer letter.

I usually recommend creating a spreadsheet with all of these factors in rows. The next column should have information about your current position, and then subsequent columns can be used to evaluate one or more offers. That way you'll have a true picture of the components of an offer.

Here's a scenario to think about. Let's say you currently make $100,000, with a 10% performance bonus option. The new offer is for $110,000 plus a 5% performance bonus. Sounds better, right?

Now think about this. What if your current job has 9 holidays and 5 weeks vacation, and the new offer only has 7 holidays with 3 weeks vacation. In order to truly know if you're getting a better deal with the new offer, you need to monetize the days off that you're no longer getting.

If you monetize the days you work, assuming you take all your days off available, you can calculate your true earnings including: Base, Performance Bonus Potential, First Year Signing Bonus, and Monetized Value of Days Off. The total shows you're ahead by about $5k.

However, keep in mind this shows you a bottom line including your signing bonus that you'll only get that first year. Even if you took out that $5000, you would still be ahead, though by very little. Additionally, you'll want to add in how much you currently pay for various benefits, and how much the new offer would have you pay. If the new medical plan options are much more expensive, keep that in mind as you make your decision.

After all this analysis, don't forget to think about the intangibles! Work environment, type of work, clients you'd get to work with, etc. Sometimes that'll help you make the decision better than all the analysis in the world.