Interviewing: How to answer “Do you have any questions for us?”
So the interview’s going well.
You’ve had a few laughs, built some solid rapport and the interview has felt like less of a grilling and more like an informative chat with like-minded people. The conversation comes to a close and you’re feeling pretty proud of how you’ve answered the questions as you had hoped given the amount of preparation you’ve done. Until…
They hit you with it.
Out of nowhere.
How did you know plan for this?
How can the brain freeze be kicking in now?
They ask:
“Do you have any questions for us?”
So what do you do? You stop and think.
You re-hash everything they’ve told you about the company, the role, themselves, the industry and then whilst all of this is going on in your brain, your body language tightens. Your palms are sweating. That easy-going rapport you built up becomes less of a friendly back and forth and suddenly you feel awkward. You want to ask a good question but your mind’s blank so you respond with:
“Erm no, no I think you covered everything thanks…”
It’s not necessarily a bad thing to not have any questions for the interviewers at the end of an interview but having a question that gets them thinking can really make all the difference. This is your last chance, whilst you have their valuable time, to blow the interview out of the water and leave a lasting impression. Seize the opportunity and secure yourself the job. Don’t make it easy for the next interviewee to come in and leave a better impression than you did, no matter how thorough the interviewers were at giving you all the details. Be ready.
Want to stand out? Leave them massively impressed with your thoughtfulness? Your enthusiasm? Want to ask an absolute winner of a question? Then try one of these:
What challenges are you/the department/the company facing right now that I could make a positive impact on in this position?
Why did you join this company? And stay for as long as you have?
What did the last person in this position do well at and how could I be better?
How will I be measured? And once I have accomplished the set goals/objectives, what would I need to do to progress further within the company?
*drops mic*
*aces job interview*
*gets job offer*
*calls The Agency to thank them for their sound advice*
You’re welcome!