How to Interview a Potential Employer: Questions to ask in your interview

Written by Chane da Costa

Ever wondered how some of your interviews last 30 minutes and others go onto an hour or more. This is because majority of the time, you have already decided on your first impressions of the interviewer and company if it is the job for you. This being said, I have many friends and candidates who get extremely nervous for interviews and end up blowing their chances of landing the position. An interview means you have been short-listed for the position and provides you and the company with an opportunity to meet personally. By meeting on a personal basis you get to hear more about the position and decide if you can see yourself at that specific company. The interviewer gets a feel of your personality and determines whether you are a right fit for their organisation.

From the latter, there is no need to get nervous for an interview as both you and the company are in the spot light. You are not the only party in the process that can be rejected and therefore it is important to be yourself and be comfortable. Once the interviewer has discussed and asked the necessary questions he/she needed to, they allow you to ask any questions that you might have. This will normally be towards the end of the interview session. By asking questions about the position and company, you show your interest and enthusiasm for wanting to be there. Avoid simple yes and no questions, and try keep the questions focused and open-ended, allowing an opportunity to create conversation.

Time to turn the tables

Always try and ask at least four questions in the interview, and never ask questions that have been answered within the interview process. If you are struggling to think of questions that would be appropriate in an interview, I have created a list of good questions to ask the interview.

•  What are the day-to-day duties and responsibilities of the position?
• What is the company’s management style?
• How many people are there in the office?
• What would be the most important accomplishments in the first 30, 60 and 90 days of the position?
• What does the company value most?
• What is the company’s corporate culture like?
• What are the most important qualities that the person for this position needs?
• What are opportunities for growth within the position and company?
• Where is the company headed in the next 5 years?
• What are the companies plan for growth?
• What are the biggest opportunities facing the company?
• What are the next steps in the recruitment process?
• Will I be provided with training if I land the position?
• Is there training and future learning programmes and opportunities available for professional development?
• Will I be representing the company at business conferences and expos?
• What is the working environment like, independent or collaborative?
• What are the performance expectations and review process for this position?

No go questions

It has also come to my attention that some candidates who ask questions in the interview ruin their chances of landing the job, because they ask the wrong questions. It is sometimes difficult to determine whether or not the question is appropriate for the interview. Most recruitment processes have more than one interview, with this being said the remuneration package is always a difficult topic to bring up. I say difficult because you should be more interested in the position than what you are going to get out of it at the end of the month.  What I advise you do when it comes to the remuneration topic is to not mention it in the first interview unless they mention it. Normally the interviewer mentions the package you are going to receive in the final interview you will be attending.

I have also listed a number of questions which you should not ask an interviewer when the floor opens up to you.

•  What does the company do?
• Can I do this job from home?
• How soon can I take my leave/ go on vacation?
• Will I have to take a drug test?
• Never ask questions that involve the interviewers personal life?
•  Don’t ask questions about gossip/rumours you have heard about the company?
• Did I get the job?
• Never ask to what degree the company monitors your email and social media platforms?