Best Questions Asked by Applicants
What have been some of the best questions asked of you during your experiences with interviewing prospective job applicants? When listing some of the best questions asked of them by job applicants, employers provided several excellent examples. Their questions are categorized into the following groups: general topics, career motivation, anticipated job responsibilities, work environment, affirmative action, quality of work, personality factors, products and services, employment trends, measures of work performance, salary and benefits, and interview closure items. When graduating students are preparing for interviews with prospective employers, this list could be very helpful. 2 h2 m, Q7 O! ~) ]5 {$ c
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GENERAL TOPICS
3 K( E) r# p5 w' {9 o* Y# x# kWhat is the financial stability of this company? 8 Q. Q8 E w1 u
What future changes do you see for this company? ) [5 W8 m+ B, e2 f8 u5 S- b: k
What direction do you see your company going in the future?
6 `3 j* B1 I4 P' }% K9 gWho are your competitors? 6 Y t$ t3 }4 j4 |- Q% g4 c! r/ {
How successful have you been with marketing your company's products? " `+ t. P0 Y$ \! h; T! s
What plans does the company have for becoming more competitive in this industry?
# U' \9 G% c: B7 Q% R1 QWhat is the biggest negative about your company?
2 S7 d5 h1 |' T( E1 Y; o, OWhat makes your company different from others?
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2 v" f0 C" Y x8 _, i4 H4 l u: iCAREER MOTIVATION
! x" B0 ~6 ]7 N' o5 JWhy did you accept work with this company?
B+ `: @/ ]7 S: c* [How long have you been employed with this company?
. I8 ^3 f$ w. h" N$ Z {9 YWhy do you continue to work for XYZ organization? ( [, I6 C: _6 ]( e0 |2 ?3 a5 m0 e6 E
What do you like most (or least) about your company?
( q" m2 W+ J, q6 ^% G; eWould you want your son/daughter to work for this company too? ' ~* r. _! G" M% T) p
What makes your association with this employer enjoyable?
8 N' @; I" }7 ^What are you really hiring me to accomplish? g% G& ~6 j& N/ M. j' j
Graduating students are really wanting to get past the recruiting jargon to learn what is truly expected of them. Why should I take this job for (or . . . work for your company)? & B/ D5 p& L. U8 l
, N- d+ k7 }9 d- T CANTICIPATED JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
+ V8 p3 @$ |) p" ]+ m* [' rIf I were hired by your organization for this position, what duties would I be performing?
9 {2 g z2 C( [9 W. G7 C* e9 yWhat will be expected of me in this position?
. ~+ S' x$ _5 n2 t, ^How does my job fit with the mission of the organization, company performance, or profitability?
' n3 e- `( t) |+ EHow do you know when to hire additional staff?
& I, A# Y! ~) d0 @, v+ T! n- oHow much responsibility will I have? 1 L8 @# L- C7 i4 ^ J& B l; h$ C, [
Why is this job important to you? & z# a, {4 Y/ [* A& R
What will I be contributing to the organization? 9 F5 d( ~$ ^ N& @" P6 n
What do you wish you knew about the company before you started?
]9 w! j- ?, }9 j# |* R+ HWhat would you change about this position, if you could?
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WORK ENVIRONMENT
$ W4 h# C1 V5 W3 ], N* G+ fWhat is your corporate culture? - W1 C$ @* }$ `+ c) Q: m- M
How would top management describe the corporate culture, and how does this compare with things in the organization as they really are at the lower levels? " y3 h/ f& g, X0 F
What were your personal experiences on this job? ) j- {, n8 q. X" [
Will I be on a team, or in a group?
9 k1 o$ d {+ m+ m# l3 }How much freedom am I given to solve problems with my own methods?
4 V- @ Q. Y, W, _9 J. qWhat help is available to me when my methods fail? & F- h4 R4 W$ h. ?
Is this a new position? 1 V; A$ x$ n' Q0 x6 U: \
Why did the other person leave?
; l) h; C+ \3 D9 h3 e4 ^What is your company really like? E2 ]5 T% y$ g2 q/ E A1 E
& m# P) g. h; n }& f( h P6 i7 cAFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES & D% W- Q) G& ?# }
What is the standard of living among minorities in your local community?
0 ~4 F4 a5 O: |+ K O! mWhat minority programs do you have? 6 X# K1 Z; T* N; T
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QUALITY OF WORK
, g7 s- V9 |1 A6 P4 `2 mWhat differentiates your company from your competition? $ H$ `. _. A; e: Q% f
Do you get repeat business from your customers? ! {* J( ^6 Z- I/ y4 t, `0 u5 ^
What are the ethical and environmental philosophies of your company? + T Z3 S/ V( z j6 a- b
What has been the history of turnover among recent hires in the company? 1 `5 u3 D5 M1 E" Q6 E
What is this company's philosophy towards their employees? 5 w3 Y" l! \0 e$ G
What is the relationship of this organization to the local community? ; n$ x& L1 }0 v2 ]" K
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PERSONALITY FACTORS, _3 B m# Y; [# i! F# Y
What can I do with my education and training for your company? / t5 {. z& l, W, h+ Z
What values are sacred to this company? - p8 S' p- {+ M
What would cause me to leave the company? 9 h/ n+ N7 U. G C# D+ Z7 ?
How mobile can I be?
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PRODUCTS AND SERVICES - {6 @5 q& `( l- H) B2 E& x* B
Has the company thought of going in the direction of xxx?
/ T# y) P* K. q9 E* X0 eWhat impact will the clean air legislation (or other current topic) have on the company?
) ^* m5 x8 u- H3 o' ~What impact did your recent service (or logo, product, market blitz, etc.) change have on your business? 3 N! R$ {6 A( i# D* N
What do you see as the biggest areas of needed improvement within the company? {, M1 j B' J x
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EMPLOYMENT TRENDS
+ j! x9 d4 n; f. W- qWhat significant changes has the company experienced in the past year?
9 j# D- j' g/ RWhat are short- and long-term strategic directions of the company? 2 L' t* J$ {- m* ~5 U
What have been the successes (or failures) of the company?
+ }5 E7 C$ R7 D; u( I8 W* M4 HWhat is the company doing to change for success in this changing global economy? ) n. L: D( b; N
What are the company's goals for the future?
; Q& X, @' z C5 i8 N* IWhat is the greatest challenge, from your perspective, that the organization faces during the next year? ) ~+ }$ O# G( ]7 `" W/ _. b
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MEASURES OF WORK PERFORMANCE
2 V( U% O& n7 oHow would you describe the most successful employees in your company?
5 x& X6 M0 T/ g/ w( ?" u5 C8 KCan I expect opportunities for advancement with the company, if I work hard to prove myself?
' \3 w: r0 {2 V+ dIf I do well, what will I be doing in five years? : c% i Z0 K) _8 O+ L& j" d3 K
How will I be evaluated in my job? # r# l& f. B' S L8 _
How often will I be evaluated?
. Q" z# q# ^% H# _& lWho supervises this positions?
! G& |7 i3 f, W& d* cWhat is the chain of command for this position?
7 n. \4 o5 p. Q1 t* FWhere would my career progress from my first assignment? 9 J7 Z, F7 }0 D- q- ?+ Z
How does your company encourage their new hires to keep pace with advancing technologies?
+ U5 F- A4 m7 _# |8 TWhat characteristics do you possess that have made you so successful? 3 F" c2 d x) C
What can I do within my first five years to help ensure my success within the company?
/ g9 v+ ]" a6 t" h0 XWhat was your career path within the company?
7 m* p6 c% `7 r1 t/ S! y, n! uWhat feedback has been given to your company by recent new hires? 1 X# b' z+ W# T4 L: ]4 Z. U4 V
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SALARY AND BENEFITS 8 Q8 D7 U* A4 I# E* {( `; p- `
What is the pay for this position?
5 D, ~ I; H" q$ j! |0 HWhat are advanced educational opportunities with XYZ organization (MS, MBA, etc.)? 8 \( e- I$ L0 E l
May I someday invest in the company? ) m, ]1 f7 }7 U6 |0 i, F- W7 q y
What training would I receive if hired? 9 S2 d$ ^* Y4 k$ `3 [- _, N
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INTERVIEW CLOSURE " b# B2 w) N5 p/ T/ R: u# O
How did I do?
0 D! I5 F8 ^% mDo I get the job? . u- ~. K; e+ X/ v' s& B
How soon will I hear from you?
9 E$ L a+ l1 Q/ T' j6 n% oWhat does your company want from successful candidates for this job?
' p: @& G% k! n! c" m$ v' N1 zWhat would distinguish one candidate over another for this job?
* l5 y* j. M: R0 u/ C( wHow do I prove myself and my commitment to the company?
4 A6 t5 J5 \, M: v4 A% F: `: p% ]When would you want me to start in this position?
