Page 47 - John Kador - 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview-McGraw-Hill (2002)

THE RULES OF THE GAME

I understand the challenges of the job, and I believe I have the experi-
ence to take them on. I would very much like to start doing this impor-
tant work.

Before leaving the interview, thank the employer for taking the time to
talk to you about the position. Follow up with a personal thank you note
to the employer, stating once again why you’d be an asset to the com-
pany and expressing your interest in the position.

15. Don’t Ask Questions That Are Irrelevant to the Job or
Organization

Another awkward moment comes when the interviewer challenges your
question with something like, “Now, why on earth would you want to
know that?”
In the same way that you can respond to interviewer’s illegal ques-
tions with, “I fail to see what that question has to do with my ability to
do the job,” don’t give the interviewer an excuse to apply a similar
phrase to your question. To be safe, make sure that every question can
pass this test: Does the answer the question elicits shed light on the job,
the company, and its desirability as a workplace? If not, the question is
irrelevant.
Also, stay away from marginal queries about competitors, other po-
sitions that don’t relate to the position you’re interviewing for, or current
trends that have no bearing on the organization.
While asking about the interviewer’s individual experience at the
company is okay (see Chapter 2), try not to interrogate the interviewer
about his or her career history. It’s okay, for example, to ask specific
questions about what the interviewer likes best and least about working
at the organization, but don’t go beyond that. If the interviewer chooses
to share some in-depth information about his or her career path or ex-
periences at the organization, then feel free to ask follow-up questions.
Just keep them open-ended and don’t push it.

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