Great questions can prompt great insight – What should you ask?

More often than not how you convey your value and abilities can determine whether you end up at the top of the consideration set of a job interview.  If you are prepared, can tell compelling stories of your career and chemically connect with the hiring managers, more than likely you have struck a resonant tone for a positive outcome.  

To cement that connection and fully bond with your job suitor, what you ask can also contribute greatly to the interview and a positive reaction to your candidacy.  One of the many young brilliant folks with whom I have connected, Ethan Wilson, has done some great due diligence and come up with a list of questions that are both smart and savvy.  Often what you ask can directly communicate to the hiring executives what are your critical thinking skills, how you strategize about issues and what are your interests and passions.

Bottom line is the quality of the questions asked may make the difference in whether you get an offer.  And what is learned from the answers will also give you great clues to whether it is a good fit.  So consider these:

• What is an example of a client challenge you have recently faced? 

 

• Where do you see the company going in the next year? 10 years?

 

• Can I watch the other departments work so I can get a sense of their needs?

 

• What is the question you really want to ask me but haven't?

 

• What impact would I have on the team if I get hired?

 

• Looking at your social media presence, I can see that your brands have been more active over the past few months. Has your strategy changed?

 

• What would make someone really successful in this role?

 

• What has been the most difficult part of filling this position?

 

• Can you describe a typical day in this type of role?

 

• How long have you been at the company and what makes you stay?

 

• How would you describe the work environment and corporate culture?

 

• What are some of the goals for the company in the short and longer term?

 

• How would my performance be measured?

 

• What types of career opportunities may open up down the road for a person starting out in this type of position, assuming they perform well?

 

• What are some of the company's initiatives regarding learning and development?