Why and How to ask Questions on an Interview

In this issue, we go over both the why and the how to ask questions during an interview as a job seeker.

March 25, 2023

Intro

I’m fortunate enough to have a good amount of hiring managers in the tech space that work with me exclusively. It took almost 9 years to build this trust.

What comes along with this trust is building genuine relationships with these managers to the point where I get some candid feedback from them. I’m able to use this feedback to help educate not only my candidates, but you guys by writing these stories in my newsletter as well as posting on LinkedIn & Twitter.

Last week we had an exclusive devops role with one of our managers at a large consumer bank. We submitted 2 great candidates. Both passed the first round interview with flying colors. Final round was a behavioral round with the direct hiring manager, the person they’d report right into if they got the job.

The manager hired the 2nd candidate and she said it was a pretty easy decision. We asked her why it was “easy” if both candidates did well on the technical portion. We would have thought they would have a tough choice picking between the two.

The differentiating factor: the second candidate asked thoughtful questions. The first candidate didn’t ask any.

Analysis

If you’ve followed me long enough, you know by know I tweet about this topic a lot. It’s extremely important, and based off this feedback I figured it’s important to dive deep into again.

It’s not the first time I’ve heard a manager make a decision based off this, and it won’t be the last.

It’s straight from the horses mouth. Asking questions makes a difference.

Here’s why:

1: Demonstrating interest in the position

Let’s go back in time to when we were in grade school. There was always that one kid who was the teacher’s pet. The teachers always favored them because they always raised their hand to participate in class and ask questions.

That makes much more sense these days as a recruiter. They were favored because when they asked questions, they were more engaged in class. The same thing goes with interviews. Asking questions shows you’re engaged in a meaningful conversation with the interviewer, thus showing interest in the role.

If you don’t ask questions, you pose a risk (like candidate 1 above) that they flat out think you don’t really want the job.

2: Clarifying Expectations for the job

How else do you know what exactly they expect out of you up front unless you ask?

The difference between a top performer, a good employee, and someone who doesn’t make it? Baseline milestones 30-60-90 days out? The type of problems the group is facing and if you’re up to the task to help fix them?

3: Culture Fit

“Culture” is very subjective. Culture can vary even within the same company. From different offices, groups, managers, and the makeup of a team.

Are they going to be more lax, or is it pedal to the metal? Are they overachievers or do they go with the flow? Is it a regular 9-5 or do they expect you to go above and beyond?

4: Qualifications

The more questions you ask, the more you’ll be able to find out what they are looking for in a candidate. You will uncover the real requirements (not just a list of bullet points you read in the job description) as well as the pain points they are experiencing.

From there, you can tailor your responses for the rest of the interview and bounce back with some good STAR stories to create the narrative that you’re the exact person they’re looking for.

5: Next Steps

There’s just something about a candidate that shows they want the job and takes initiative.

Asking about the timeline, what the next steps are moving forward, when can you hear back, and just flat out telling them you’re interested in the position.

Call To Action

Here are some great questions to ask to make sure you end up like candidate 2 above and get yourself a job offer next time around.

  1. Can you tell me more about the day-to-day responsibilities of this role?

  2. What are the biggest challenges facing this team/company right now?

  3. How does this position/team fit into the overall strategy and goals of the company?

  4. What separates your top performers from someone you think is an average performer?

  5. What are the baseline expectations 30-60-90 days? What about 6-12 months?

  6. Why is this position open? (extra work taken on, overworked team, backfilling someone who left, budget for a new opening, new projects won, etc)

  7. What skills/experience would make someone successful in this position?

  8. How would you describe the company culture and what type of person tends to thrive here?

  9. What are the opportunities for growth and professional development within the company?

  10. What’s the company’s take on work/life balance?

  11. What are the biggest priorities for this role in the first 6 months to a year, and how would you measure success in this position?

So get to it! Ask some great questions and land yourself a job offer!

BONUS

If you made it this far, here are some discounts on my ebooks for taking the time to read through.

Half off the Job Seeker’s ebook, where I look to arm you with as much leverage as possible to help you win your job search.

Half off the Recruiting Ebook, the exact process to how I built my book-of-business to over $3.5M in profit.

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