Page 36 - John Kador - 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview-McGraw-Hill (2002)

WHY YOU HAVE TO QUESTION

tions—which usually begin with “how,” “when,” and “who”—create op-
portunities for a conversation and a much richer exchange of informa-
tion. This is a closed-ended question:

CANDIDATE: Does the company have a child-care center on-site?
INTERVIEWER: Yes.

Here is an open-ended question:

CANDIDATE: How does the company support working parents?
INTERVIEWER: Let me show you a brochure about our award-winning
day-care center located right here in the building. Working Woman re-
cently rated it one of the top ten corporate day-care centers in the
United States . . .

“Why” questions also start open-ended questions, but they often
come off as too challenging in a job interview. See rule 8, below.

2. Keep It Short
Nothing is as disconcerting as a candidate spewing out a long, compli-
cated question only to have the interviewer look confused and say, “I’m
sorry. I don’t understand your question.” Restrict every question to one
point. Resist mouthfuls like this:
I know that international sales are important, so how much of the com-
pany’s revenues are derived from overseas, is that percentage growing,
declining, or stable, do international tariffs present difficulties, and how
will currency fluctuations impact the mix?
No interviewer should be expected to take on such a complicated ques-
tion. If you really think a conversation about these points is in your in-
terest, indicate your interest in the issue and then break the question into
separate queries.

3. Don’t Interrupt
Wait for the interviewer to finish the question. In other words, listen.
Many candidates get anxious or impatient and jump in before the inter-

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