Page 142 - John Kador - 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview-McGraw-Hill (2002)

CHAPTER 10

DEFENSIVE QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS THAT LET YOU KNOW WHAT

YOU’RE GETTING INTO AND PROTECT

YOU FROM MAKING A MISTAKE

Defensive questions are designed to make sure you want the job. By this
time, the organization has either offered you the job or expressed a strong
interest in your qualifications. Relish it. You will never be in a position
of greater strength. Now is the time to ask the tough questions that will
give you the information on which you can make the best decision for
your career.
Even if you are unemployed, resist the temptation to take the job just
because it is offered. You may be in the frying pan now, but the fire is
surely hotter if you accept a job you don’t fully understand. So ask away.
While you never want to ask questions that spoil your rapport with
the interviewer, make it clear that you expect candid answers to your
queries. Actually, there is an advantage to being real at this point. Most
interviewers expect you to look out for your interests. If you can’t speak
up for your own interests, they will figure, how can you be expected to
speak out for the best interests of the organization?
Here is where your research protects your interests. You need to
know why the company is losing money, why the prior incumbent quit,
and what are the relocation plans for the department. It is perfectly ap-
propriate to ask to speak with potential subordinates and colleagues.
They are excellent sources of information; they know what is going on

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