Page 33 - 201 Best Questions To Ask On Your Interview

THE RULES OF THE GAME

Your questions steer the interview the way you want it to go. Ques-
tions are a form of control. You can also use questions to divert an in-
terviewer’s line of questioning. If you sense the interviewer is leading up
to a subject that you’d rather avoid—your job hopping, for example—
ask a question about another topic. After a lengthy exchange, the inter-
viewer might not return to her original line of questioning.
The more senior the position you are seeking, the more important it is
to ask sophisticated and tough questions. Such questions demonstrate your
understanding of the subtext and context of the position, as well as your
confidence in challenging the interviewer. Hiring managers will judge you
as much on the inquiries you make as on the responses you provide. If
you don’t ask sufficiently detailed questions, it will demonstrate lack of
initiative and leadership qualities that a senior-level position demands.

CAN’T I JUST WING IT?

Imagine that tomorrow you are giving the senior decision makers in your
organization the most important presentation of your career. Your future at
the company literally depends on the outcome. Would you wing it?
Well, the situation I’ve just described is your next job interview. It’s
a presentation. The agenda: your future at the company. In the audience:
the senior decision makers required to authorize offering you a position.
Everyone is looking at you to shine. Now, given the stakes, are you will-
ing to wing it? If you’re comfortable with working like that, there’s lit-
tle need to read further.
Some applicants believe that spontaneity can make up for lack of
strategic planning. But spontaneity, in cases such as this, can be indis-
tinguishable from laziness and lack of preparation. Interviewers, pro-
fessionals themselves, really want you to prepare for the interview as
they did. Preparation is professionalism in action. It’s common sense.
It’s courtesy. It works.

WRITE YOUR QUESTIONS DOWN
You’ve secured a job interview. Great. The first thing you do is home-
work (see Chapter 4 for a discussion on researching the company). The
second thing you do is write down the questions you will ask.

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