Interview the Interviewing Team - Turn the Tables!

Intro

Let’s take a trip back to memory lane and go all the way back to grade school.

I’m not sure about you, but I struggled in school. I couldn’t pay attention, nothing about school interested me.

Then you had that one kid who would always raise his hand to ask questions, answer questions, and engage with the teacher and the lesson. It always seemed they were always the favorite kid in class, aka the teacher’s pet.

But now looking back, as a recruiter, it makes total sense.

Asking questions and engaging with the teacher (and today with the recruiter & hiring manager) shows curiosity, preparedness, and an interest level into the job.

Whether you are asking questions for your personal knowledge, making sure the role is the right fit, or trying to showcase your interest in the role, asking questions can provide you with immense value and help take a peek behind the curtains.

So let’s get into it, 5 of the top reasons you need to ask questions on your interviews.

1: Interest Level

The more questions you ask the team, the more it shows your interest level in the company and the position at hand. It show’s you’ve done your research and shows your curiosity about the role.

Extra points for asking thought-provoking questions, these will really help you stand out. Take a look at recent events online, earnings calls (if a public company), or any content the company posted on LinkedIn.

You can also research the interviewing team on LinkedIn to get a general sense of their background, their skills & experience, how they got to where they are, and ask questions around those topics.

2: Clarify Expectations

It’s your right to interview the company as much as they can interview you.

Remember that.

The more questions you ask, the better understand you get around the job & their expectations out of you assuming you move forward. The more questions you ask, the more answers you’ll get, thus helping you determine if this is the right role for you.

The last thing you want to do is spend all this time interviewing, quitting your current job just to quit for this new company, and find yourself experiencing the same exact pain points you did previously.

3: Highlight Your Skills

Keep an open ear and listen carefully to their responses as you ask questions. When they respond, pay attention to what they are saying, because they can be giving you clues on what to highlight when it’s your turn to speak.

From there, you’ll be able to tailor your responses on future questions & discussions to showcase the proper skills and experience that can solve the pain points they’re experiencing, and to showcase the growth in the role they’re expecting.

4: Build Rapport

An interview is supposed to be a conversation, not an interrogation.

Asking questions can help turn it into a conversation, giving the interview more back and forth.

It will help build rapport with the other party so it shows you’re engaged with what they have to say, giving a more positive experience for all parties.

5: Providing Insights

As much as you can look stuff up online, what’s even better is getting information direct from the source.

Asking questions can provide insights on the company culture, team dynamics, growth potential, and more.

BONUS

If you made it this far, here’s an extra bonus for you all.

Here’s a code for 50% off to my job seekers ebook that outlines all the steps I’ve taken with my candidates, placing 600+ of them at reputable F500 companies. Here, we aim to give you as much leverage as possible to win the job you want.

Job Seeker's Ebook

If you made it this far and you’re a recruiter, here’s a code for 50% off for my recruiting ebook to help level up your game. The process, system, and mindset I’ve used to bill $3.6M in profit this year.

Recruiting Ebook

See you next week!