A certain way to impress a job interviewer is to turn the tables and ask them insightful, thoughtful questions.
A certain way to impress a job interviewer is to turn the tables and ask them insightful, thoughtful questions about the position, the company and the industry, said Alison Green on her Ask a Manager blog.
Green wrote that she was “mentally beaming” after a recent job candidate asked the following question: “Thinking back to people who have been in this position previously, what differentiated the ones who were good from the ones who were really great?”.
Comments to Green’s post show that readers agree, but offer some variations. Commenter “Unemployed Gal” wrote:
I’d been using the more hypothetical “How would you describe your ideal candidate for this position?” and “What are the standards of success for this position?”… I think your question is better, because it lets the manager rave about her favorite former employee. The interviewee can see how well he measures up to the manager’s standards, and if they share the same standards… I would follow up by asking why that awesome employee left the position. This will give you clues for your own career path with this employer. Was she promoted for her excellence, or did she quit because she was underpaid?
Another commenter “Paul Hebert” wrote:
A variation on that theme – I’ve asked what would cause failure in the position. What would failure look like. Just like the great question in the post it makes the interviewer think about the negatives (which of course you don’t have) and it allows the applicant to assess if they think they can do the job.
(Image by Yazigi Santo Andre Jardim via Flickr CC 3.0)
More on job interviews:
thank for your work!