What questions should I ask at the end of an interview?

January 21, 2005 2:11 PM

At the end of interviews I'm often asked if I have any questions. I always think to myself "Lots, but asking about vacation time now might send the wrong message". What kind of questions are the interviews looking for or what kind of questions would be appropriate at this stage rather than at the salary negotiation stage? These are team interviews for large companies and public sector organisations. I'm in Canada.
posted by Mitheral to work & money (39 comments total)

I always try to ask questions that make it seem like I'm really interested in the position. I find it easier to do when I'm not faking it.
posted by Eamon at 2:19 PM on January 21, 2005

I do a fair amount of interviewing in my position and the Do you have any questions part is, indeed, a little test to see how interested the applicant is.

Always have a couple that demonstrate that you have done some homework on the company and not just making the motions and you'll have a leg up on the next applicant.

And no, don't ask about vacation and paid holidays. Ask about current projects or recent company successes.
posted by fenriq at 2:22 PM on January 21, 2005

From what I've read, you are supposed to ask questions about the company to show off your interest. In other words, "I understand your company does a lot of work with y company - what's the relationship like between the two of you?"

What I recommend is asking questions that show off your expertise. Ask them how they run their projects, whether they use X,Y, and Z.

Do not ask about vacation time, etc. until they offer you the position.

As an aside, my least favorite question is "Describe your weaknesses", to which I reply that something about having too broad a range of interests or something or other.

Another aside: Favorite quote from Fog of War: "Don't answer the question you were asked. Answer the question you wanted to be asked." :-)
posted by xammerboy at 2:31 PM on January 21, 2005

"I've heard X about your company, is this true?"
"Will my responsibilities include Y?"
"What is the structure of the project I'll be working on? What technology will be involved?"
"What is the makeup of the team I'll be working with?"
"I've heard Z about the marketing/products of the company. Is that true? What direction is this project group headed in?"
posted by maschnitz at 2:34 PM on January 21, 2005

Not to derail the thread, but how about interviewing for positions in the same company or organization one is already working for? I already know what we do, I just want to change positions, take on some more responsibility and maybe make more money.
posted by fixedgear at 2:36 PM on January 21, 2005

Favorite quote from Fog of War: "Don't answer the question you were asked. Answer the question you wanted to be asked." :-)

That is a great quote, and I'm sure politicians and government functionaries find it very useful, but in interviews I've given doing this would be to the detriment of your overall ranking. I can recall a number of times where the panel has noted, after a candidate left, that he really didn't answer the questions we asked him. After all, we're asking the questions because we're trying to learn something specific about a candidate. If there's something people won't answer directly, it's revealing and probably not in a good way.

That being said, it is good practice to answer an uncomfortable question directly, but follow the answer up with a related statement that has a more positive spin. As in, "No, I have no direct experience with that software program. But I'm computer-savvy and a quick learner, and was able to teach myself X program and Y program in only a few weeks at my last job using online tutorials and the program manual. I'm confident I'd be comfortable with the new program very quickly."
posted by Miko at 2:44 PM on January 21, 2005

Not to derail the thread, but how about interviewing for positions in the same company or organization one is already working for? I already know what we do, I just want to change positions, take on some more responsibility and maybe make more money.

You may know enough about the company already to not have any general questions about the company, but surely you have questions about the position you're applying for/the department you'll be joining/etc.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 2:53 PM on January 21, 2005

As an aside, my least favorite question is "Describe your weaknesses"

Mine too. Ironically, it also happens to be my favorite answer to "Do you have any questions?"
posted by mudpuppie at 2:53 PM on January 21, 2005 [1 favorite]

And how about when you're doing an interview (often a preliminary interview) with someone in HR, who pretty clearly won't know much about any of the particulars of the office you'd be working in, the nature of the work you'd be doing, and so on?
posted by redfoxtail at 3:03 PM on January 21, 2005

Some advice from an ex-hiring manager:

This is one of the most important parts of the interview – the part where you really get to make an impression. You are essentially taking control of the interview at this point, and demonstrating your understanding of the particular issues that may be involved in the position you're seeking.

You should always prepare at least three questions before an interview, specific to the industry, the company, and the role of the position you are seeking. You should tailor these questions as much as possible to the company in question, so you will need to do a bit of research first. Choose questions that demonstrate your expertise, and choose questions that the interviewer can answer in a positive light. Here are a few examples to use as a starting point:

1) What tools do the [insert job title here]s use here at [company x]? (Do the PMs use MS Project or Product X?) Some of this will probably come up in the earlier stages of the interview, so if you know going in that expertise in a given system/application/technology is a requirement, you'll need to go a little deeper with this question, perhaps asking about development lifecycles, configuration management tools, databases, networking, etc. Make sure the questions are related to the job, and that you appear both knowledgeable and agnostic about the subject. Be prepared to respond positively no matter what their answer is. They should get the impression that you understand the options, but that you're flexible, not limited.

2) Can you tell me a little bit about how the teams/departments/work groups are organized? But you're just curious about the environment – you're perfectly comfortable working in the [x] style of organization.

3) I’ve read/heard that your company is starting to develop/work toward [new product/technology/methodology] – can you tell me more about that?

If you've heard anything negative about the company, DON’T bring it up. Let them. If they don’t, and you decide it’s important, save it for the follow-up interview.

Remember – keep it positive. But make sure to ask real questions that the interviewers will feel invested in following up on. At this point, the objective is to get them to start selling the company to you. If you can get excited enough about the job to be genuinely curious about the details, it will show.

-and on preview, what they all said. Also, on the "Describe your weaknesses" question: the most obvious thing to do is take a strength and talk about it like it's a weakness (I tend to be a bit of a workaholic, etc.). Sure, we know what you're doing; but we knew it was a bullshit question to begin with (but don't do it unless you can sell it).
posted by Man O' Straw at 3:11 PM on January 21, 2005 [1 favorite]

A leader doesn't only answer questions, he/she asks them. Those who excel can easily be seen in a mater of minutes, an interview becomes more of a conversation. It's not your duty to dump questions on them when they ask, but slide them in when they are pausing. Be respectful, but also show that you have initiative to pick up and direct.

With that in mind, knock them off their balance. If you ever hear, "oh, that's a good question," then moments of silence you most likely have the job. Don't ask for vacation, ask for compensation. Time is money. Imply that you will work your ass off, providing it's a fair and even playing field. Set your tempo at the interview, if it's one sided I can guarantee you'll be that individuals underling for life.

A few I've heard and liked:

"I always wish to excel. Could you list some ways that I could excel in my current position and be promoted through it?"

"I've been asking myself this question many times, what is happiness. Work to me requires the best of all I can give. What is your opinion of the happiness and the balance as related to work?" [be careful with this one and play it right]

"I want to mold with your company, is there anything you can suggest I do for the first day so that I can fit perfectly with my coworkers?"

"What do you consider leadership and how should one display it in your organization?"

"I don't want to be another worker to you, what can I do on day one, on day one hundred, and day one thousand to make you see me as different."

"Are your comfortable working for this company?" [don't give this one to a "self confident" 'WHAT STOCK TICKER DO YOU BLEED' manager]
posted by sled at 3:14 PM on January 21, 2005

Interesting thread.... every time I've ever been interviewed, it always seems like I ask 5 times as many questions as the interviewer does. Never thought about it much, never had a strategy, just curious I guess. I figure if I'm gonna be there every day, I want to know as much as I can going in. Once I asked if I could work for two weeks on a temporary basis just to make sure we all really liked each other. They were suprised by the question, said 'yes,' I did the two weeks, ended up taking the job and it was the best full-time gig I ever had.
posted by spilon at 3:29 PM on January 21, 2005

The "do you have questions" bit was definitely the clincher in my last interview, as I do not possess the correct degree for my current field. I have equivalent training, but my degree was initially seen as a blackspot; I asked quite a few questions about methodology and made it a point to allow my experience and enthusiasm to shine through.
posted by Sangre Azul at 3:30 PM on January 21, 2005

My most favourite one (and the one that got me my current software engineering job) is to ask "at this stage do you have any reservations about my application?" this gives you the chance to address any issues the interviewer may have. Often in the interview process it's easy to give a wrong impression and not to even realise until you get told the reasons for not being offered the job.
posted by cantthinkofone at 3:30 PM on January 21, 2005

A friend of mine takes a notepad into interviews (as an applicant), and writes potential questions down during the interview. Not only is it a useful tool, if you can manage the presence of mind to use it under pressure, it also is a physical sign of interest, and plays a little with the power relationship in the interview. I can't wait until I'm jobhunting to try it out.
posted by cogat at 4:09 PM on January 21, 2005

I know this is a stupid title, but I have found the book 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview very helpful.
posted by matildaben at 4:17 PM on January 21, 2005

In my recent interviews (as an applicant) some interesting questions have come up:

- If you're interviewing for a position that has been vacated, ask why that person left

- In a similar vein, I was told that the following question was one of the best questions any applicant (for this type of position, which would have been a horizontal career jump for me) had ever asked. Something along the lines of "How can people fail/not succeed at this job? I feel that I have a pretty good idea of what this job requires, in pretty intimate detail, and it's something I'm naturally interested in, and I think I'd be really good at it. But it occurs to me that there could be pitfalls that I'm not seeing, and I'm wondering what, in your experience with people that haven't worked out, has been the thing that hasn't worked out, or has caused them to fail?"

- I think mudpuppie's "What do you see as your strengths and weaknesses as an organization?" and cantthinkofone's "Do you have any reservations about my applications" are really great questions and I wish I had a couple more interviews coming up so I could ask it.
posted by xueexueg at 4:23 PM on January 21, 2005

For a lot of people, the default when interviewing for a position is "I want a job, pretty much any job, so please hire me." A much better approach (better in several ways, including increasing the chance of being hired at a good organization) is "I want to know if there is a good fit between me (skills, interests, capabilities, values, etc.) and this organization (expectations, norms, etc.).

If you're interested in how good the fit is, some questions should follow from that: software tools that you are provided; amount of training; work-life balance; whatever.

And no, asking about compensation before the organization raises the issue (someone else's suggestion) is almost to guarantee that you won't be hired.
posted by WestCoaster at 4:25 PM on January 21, 2005

"Is this a newly created position, or are you filling a vacancy?"

"Describe your management style."

"Are the people here happy? How long have workers would be my peers been in their jobs?"

"Is there chance for advancement?"

"Why did the person who held this position previously leave the position?"

You should also ask about what you really want to know about the job. An interview is a two-way process.
posted by Fat Guy at 4:31 PM on January 21, 2005

The last interview I had, I asked questions throughout, at the points at which they seemed most relevant or when they occurred to me, if they were relevant at that point. So when we got to the end, and I was asked if I had any more questions, I was all out. Drat!
posted by kenko at 4:45 PM on January 21, 2005

Favorite quote from Fog of War: "Don't answer the question you were asked. Answer the question you wanted to be asked." :-)
Didn't we all just see how well this worked for Condi Rice?
She not only evaded Senator Boxer's review of Condi's dishonesty, she attacked Boxer for asking!
(This strategy may be advisable only if you already have the job.)
posted by Cranberry at 4:45 PM on January 21, 2005

My standard response was: "What do you think of this company? Do you like working here?"

This seemed to catch the manager/HR person off-guard, and I know whatever answer they gave me was sugar-coated, but they seemed to like it.
posted by falconred at 4:46 PM on January 21, 2005

If you feel comfortable, ask questions back at the interview throughout. For example, if they ask you, "Do you work well in a fast-paced environment?" answer, then ask back, "How does the pace of work vary throughout your fiscal year?" If they ask you, "Where would you like to be in five years?" ask back, "Where do you see this department going in the next few years?"

If you can be confident, really listen to their answers, and not sound like you're parroting them, it's a great technique.
posted by Coffeemate at 4:54 PM on January 21, 2005

I'm pretty much in the position described above by WestCoaster and so I thank you all for this advice! (In addition to the other threads on job hunting tips since I'm fairly inexperienced at it--at least the parts beyond sending a resume to a generic [e-mail] address).
posted by MikeKD at 5:05 PM on January 21, 2005

There are a lot of good suggestions here. I'm sure it depends a great deal on the industry as well as the kind of person doing the interviewing, so this isn't meant to be a dismissal of sled's advice, but just another data point to keep in mind: When I've been in a position to interview people, if I heard any of the questions sled lists above, especially phrased as they are, I would be strongly put off. They have a very canned, business-speak sound to them that I would consider a mark against the applicant.

I think Coffeemate's suggested strategy is particularly good. It works to give you a way to avoid canned questions while acknowledging that even if you are really engaged and interested, it can be hard to think of good questions on the spot. It would also combine well with cogat's suggestion about taking notes over the course of the interview. I like falconred's "Do you like working here?" too. A possibly more useful variation, since you know they aren't going to feel comfortable dishing dirt, would be "What do you especially like about working here?"
posted by redfoxtail at 5:26 PM on January 21, 2005

I think asking questions about vacation, policies, advancement, and compensation is appropriate when you are doing an HR interview if you have one. During an interview with people who are actually the people you'll be working with, I like Coffeemate's suggestion.

I've been on a hiring committee recently, and the best interviewees were ones who engaged us in conversation. Pay close attention to who you are talking to, and ask questions about their work and how it relates to what you'd be doing in the position you're interviewing for. Taking notes is totally acceptable and a great idea.

As for the end of the interview, the "where do you see this department headed" or the company/institution is a great question, too.
posted by daveadams at 6:19 PM on January 21, 2005

I like to ask "How did do?" followed by "What could I have done better in this interview?"

If they give you answers you can work with, you can respond by answering their concerns and if they don't you've impressed them with your frankness and embrace of accountability.
posted by mwhybark at 6:24 PM on January 21, 2005

"Do you like working here?" I tend to think that's going to get a BS response. They're recruiting, so they're not likely to be too candid. Not a bad question, but it's not going to make you stand out and it's not going to garner any useful info in most cases.

As others do, I like to ask questions throughout, using a notepad as a cheat sheet and to jot down info. I always get the "any other questions," at the end, though, so I try to reserve a couple for then. One good generic one is, "what kind of characteristics will it take for a candidate to succeed in this position," and then use the answer to discuss how those happen to be your exact strengths (always use examples). The failure version of that one is good, too, but I like to focus on success. Another is to ask about metrics for success, often they don't have formalized metrics worked out, but would like to, and that's a good opportunity for you to show how important benchmarking and quantifying success is to you, and how you would definitely build that into the position should you get it.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 6:26 PM on January 21, 2005

on the "Describe your weaknesses" question: the most obvious thing to do is take a strength and talk about it like it's a weakness (I tend to be a bit of a workaholic, etc.)

I'm surprised to see so many people advocating this approach. I've been told by colleagues who do interviews that this is a bad way to answer that question: it's just so transparent. Everyone's immediate impulse is to avoid saying anything bad about themselves ("I work too hard," "I'm a perfectionist"), which makes it a complete waste of a question for the interviewer. When interviewers ask the question, they are testing your ability to recognize your areas of improvement. Don't say something totally inflammatory ("I'm a bit of a cleptomaniac."), but do give a legitimate weakness of yours and tell a story about how you have beat it in the past. ("Sometimes I have a hard time working when I don't have much structure. When I face an undirected project, I try to... etc..."). The best response you can get is, "That was honest! He now has a real personality! And if that's his biggest weakness, then he must be an excellent candidate."

My standard response was: "What do you think of this company? Do you like working here?"

One of my friends was hit hard after asking someone this question. I think he must have been having a rough time and been unhappy with his life, because he slammed back at her, asking what business it was of hers and calling it a highly presumptuous question. It might work well sometimes, but it's also a dangerous question.
posted by painquale at 7:11 PM on January 21, 2005

cleptomaniac

or kleptomaniac, rather. Sigh....
posted by painquale at 7:13 PM on January 21, 2005

Thanks for the suggestions all. It's been a while since I've had to job search and I'm hoping to expend less time than the last go around. If I can talk the tech I'm fine but some of these professional interviewers bring out the worst of the introvert in me. The last interview I was on the team didn't know their butt from their elbow as far as the tech went. I try to get into back and forth conversation mode as much as possible however it seems many of these team style interviews are rigidly scripted.

On the upside painquale your friend probably didn't want to work there if the HR guy is so unhappy.
posted by Mitheral at 7:42 PM on January 21, 2005

I'm surprised to see so many people advocating this approach. I've been told by colleagues who do interviews that this is a bad way to answer that question...

I completely agree with painquale about this being a BAD approach. As an interviewer for my company, we put a lot of focus on "people growth", and are totally turned off by candidates who don't appear to need to learn more or improve upon themselves. A good company recognizes that you constantly need to grow and stretch yourself. This is usually accomplished by improving upon your weak areas. If you can't admit to any in the first place, why would we hire you? You obviously won't gain anything by working for us.....
posted by clpage at 8:22 PM on January 21, 2005

This thread couldn't have been more timely for me. Fantastic responses.
posted by Witty at 8:39 PM on January 21, 2005

When I've gotten the "what is your biggest weakness" question, I've said that my biggest weaknesses are my biggest strengths, and vice versa, it just depends on how I'm managed. And then go on to give a few specific examples of how past bosses have effectively managed me.

It has worked well, even when interviewing with a psychologist who'd sold his soul to management. I suspect this is because of the specific followup examples.
posted by QIbHom at 10:55 PM on January 21, 2005

I was one of the (many) interviewers for the posisiton of head coach at my university this past week. I noticed that the stronger canidates talked as if they had the position. ("When I get here I'll...") I think this was good because it helped the interviewers visualize the canidate in the position.
posted by Monday at 2:51 AM on January 22, 2005

Another good question to ask might be something like "What are the future plans of this company?" If you get puzzled looks, specify e.g. "Is your primary goal to grow as much as possible?" "Do you have plans to expand in China [or whereever]?" Adjust to suit circumstances.

It's a bit of turning the tables on the "where do you see yourself in 5 years" question, but it may show that you have a long-term interest in the company. This may be particularly important for small or medium sized firms for which every new hire is a considerable investment and which stand to lose real money if you quit already after half a year or a year. (Obviously won't work if you're interviewing with a huge multinational firm.)

Personally, I don't think I would be very impressed by "Do you like working here?" And you're never likely to get any interesting answers anyway.
posted by sour cream at 5:25 AM on January 22, 2005

Excellent thread. I speak as someone who hasn't interviewed in 18 years, but will likely need to in the very near future.
posted by pmurray63 at 8:43 AM on January 22, 2005

painquale: “I'm surprised to see so many people advocating this approach. I've been told by colleagues who do interviews that this is a bad way to answer that question: it's just so transparent. Everyone's immediate impulse is to avoid saying anything bad about themselves ("I work too hard," "I'm a perfectionist"), which makes it a complete waste of a question for the interviewer.”

“Describe your biggest weakness” is the Kobayashi Maru of interview questions. The reason so many people recommend sidestepping it – skillfully – is that you will get dinged in the debrief for any weaknesses you reveal here. Yes, avoidance is transparent – which is why I said don’t do it if you can’t sell it – but since this is designed to be a lose, lose question anyway, and you’re going to get tagged for something, better to look confident than to give the interviewers amunition. As you say, “Everyone's immediate impulse is to avoid saying anything bad about themselves.” Doing so, therefore, however skillfully, will not likely stand out. But if you don’t manage to find a way to spin this question to your advantage – that will be remembered.

painquale: “When interviewers ask the question, they are testing your ability to recognize your areas of improvement.”

I honestly don’t mean this as an insult, but I have never witnessed anyone asking this question with such altruistic motives. Most of the times I’ve seen people use this question it was because they were managers or subject matter experts with no HR training and someone gave them a list of questions to ask. This was their big “gotcha” question. The question boils down to “Tell me why I shouldn’t hire you.” If you don’t turn this into “a complete waste of question for the interviewer” then you may have just turned the entire interview into a waste for yourself. Again: They will ding you a little for obvious sidestepping, but they will ding you a lot for showing actual weakness.

clpage: “As an interviewer for my company, we put a lot of focus on "people growth", and are totally turned off by candidates who don't appear to need to learn more or improve upon themselves. A good company recognizes that you constantly need to grow and stretch yourself. This is usually accomplished by improving upon your weak areas. If you can't admit to any in the first place, why would we hire you? You obviously won't gain anything by working for us.....”

Sounds like a great place to work. Very nurturing. Bears no resemblance to any company I have ever worked in, however. Your company may be “totally turned off by candidates who don't appear to need to learn more or improve upon themselves,” but in the companies I’ve hired for, those are the people called “experts.” They are exactly the people we are normally looking for. I’m not trying to be snarky, here. We’ve always taken things like team fit and personal and professional development seriously. Which means we aren’t aiming for arrogant meatheads, either. But we are generally looking for the best possible candidates. Who, frankly, almost by definition, have very little of substance to say when asked this question.

Bottom line: Although I have heard interviewers complain about canned responses to this question, I have never witnessed anyone losing an opportunity for sidestepping it. But I have seen people lose opportunities by reinforcing interviewer’s reservations about them by confessing too much.

On the other hand, painquale and clpage’s responses suggest that the proper strategy may depend somewhat on the industry, company, and job in question, so if you get the impression during the interview that the company really stresses personal and professional development, it may be better to lean more towards painquale and clpage’s advice.

Final tangential note: Never lie in an interview. Don’t even try to mislead your interviewers. If there are serious issues that could potentially impact your performance, best to get them out in the open up front. Avoidance will only make matters worse down the road.
posted by Man O' Straw at 10:29 PM on January 22, 2005

When asked what your weakness is, respond "We're here to discuss strengths."
posted by joeclark at 3:44 PM on January 23, 2005