There have been several interviews recently where candidates
have fallen down during interviews on what I would refer to as ‘the basics’. This includes several candidates who have
asked questions which really should be on an interview black list* – it reminded
me of the importance of asking a) questions during interviews and b) relevant
ones.
Often candidates will have spent all their preparation time
thinking of answers to the questions that the recruiter might ask them. And of course, spending some time on this is
essential. However...
The questions that a candidate asks can be as revealing to
hiring managers as their responses. Asking
questions demonstrates engagement and interest. It shows that the candidate
wants to find out if the company and the role are a good fit for them. Being proactive with questions can allow a
more natural flow to the conversation during an interview. Ask questions that show you have a genuine
personal interest in the company and its products. Don’t fake interest – it will be
obvious. A candidate recently interviewed
for a client services role in a leading advertising agency. They were interviewing for a role on a top
retail client and prior to the first interview, the candidate had visited
several of the retailer’s stores and also reviewed what their two top
competitors were doing. They went to the
interview armed with pre-prepared questions about the in-store strategy and
their observations about what the competitors were doing. The client, faced with two candidates with
equivalent experience, took this candidate to the next stage citing their ‘intelligent
and prepared’ questions a key differentiator.
Top tips for
interview questions:
·
Do your homework – website, social media etc
·
A bit of chit chat at the start of the interview
goes a long way....but don’t go too off topic or hijack the interview.
·
Have a pre-written list of questions – you can annotate
the job description with these – it shows you have thought about the role and
the interview in advance
·
Never ask about holidays, working hours or sick
pay at first interview...
·
Don’t ask questions that highlight you’ve done
no research. Clients do not want to be asked ‘what does the company do?’
·
Always at the end of the interview ask the
interviewer if they have any doubts about your ability to do the job (you can
counter them) and what is the next step
in the process
·
Get the balance right. The interviewer should not feel that they are
being interviewed!
*Recent bloopers include, ‘do you
do background checks?’, ‘do you monitor email and internet usage?’ and ‘what is
the sick pay policy?’
f