Page 34 - John Kador - 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview-McGraw-Hill (2002)

WHY YOU HAVE TO QUESTION

Some job seekers are uncertain about whether they should write
down their questions. If they do, should they bring them to the inter-
view? The answer to both questions is yes. Doesn’t that look, well, pre-
meditated? Of course it does. That’s the effect you want. See Chapter 5
for a fuller discussion of the issues around taking notes.
“I’ve always found that the most important thing at a job interview
is to have a list of questions prepared before going in,” says Kate Broth-
ers, director of grants administration at Keuka College in Keuka Park,
New York. “It accomplishes two things: It makes you look like you’ve
done your homework, and it fills the awkward silences when the inter-
viewer runs out of things to ask you. Also, it puts at least a portion of the
interview in your control.”
Writing down your questions accomplishes a number of useful
objectives.

It helps articulate your thoughts. Your questions should be as crisp
as your shirt or blouse. Write them down, practice reading them
aloud, and edit until the questions sing.

It helps prioritize your issues. Not every question carries equal
weight. But only when you write them all down can you decide which
question to ask first. Some candidates write questions on index cards
so they can easily order and reorder them until they have the flow
they want.

It helps you remember. In the anxiety of the interview, you can eas-
ily forget a question you meant to ask. Or worse, your brain can
vapor-lock and spill out something really dumb. If you have been in-
terviewing with a number of companies, it is easy to forget where
you are and ask a totally inappropriate question, such as asking
about manufacturing facilities at an insurance company. Protect
yourself and make yourself look professional by preparing questions
in advance.

It improves your performance. Knowing which questions you will
ask generally makes the interview go better. It breeds confidence. You
will be able to guide the interview to highlight your qualifications in
a way that your questions will underscore.

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