Interview: Show Your Interest - What Questions to Ask? What to React To?
6 October 2011
Read by 1784 persons
An interview is about answering questions, but also asking them. Stepstone.fr advises you on the right questions to prepare.
Like the "tell me about yourself" at the beginning of the interview, the "do you have any questions?" is a classic at the end of a job interview. This is not the time to clam up; you risk not being selected!
Answering negatively to this question is not the best way to land your dream job. You would show your interviewer a certain lack of interest in their company, and it might sound like carelessness.
You are not uninterested or careless! If you answered this job posting, it's because you're motivated. This is the time to show it by asking relevant questions, bouncing off certain aspects. A job interview is not a monologue or an interrogation; it's an exchange. Luckily, StepStone is here to give you some (good) tips.
Questions about the company
Before any questions about the job itself, it is almost imperative to focus your questions on the company offering the job. For all your interviews, this should be essential. But be careful, improvisation will not be your best friend. Keep in mind that the HR manager knows all about your background from your CV and even has some personal information from your cover letter. Play the same game by gathering information about their company before your interview. Professional logic dictates that you should already know the company before even answering the job offer.
Armed with this information, you will be able to better target your questions during the interview and make them more relevant. Questions about the group's evolution and results will be welcome and will help you move up a few places on the list of successful candidates! The company culture, its positioning in the national and/or international market, the launch of new projects or products, the company's development strategy, are all subjects for questions. Avoid overly general questions; you would come across as a candidate not very aware of the stakes of this job offer.
Questions about the job
The description of a job posting is often brief. The interview allows the applicant to get a more precise idea of the position and determine if it matches their career goals. Many themes can be discussed: Is it a new position or a replacement? What will be my responsibilities? What will be my place in the company? These points will enlighten you about the position and indicate whether this job is right for you.
Questions about salary
Have you applied for a job in France? Then, discussing the salary amount will be more delicate than in many other countries! But you can still bring it up. Of course, not head-on, like: "how much will I be paid?", but rather delicately, and at the very end of the interview: "now that we've covered the questions about the position, could you give me an idea of the expected salary level?" A small nuance.
Stepstone.fr
Posted October 6, 2011.
Like the "tell me about yourself" at the beginning of the interview, the "do you have any questions?" is a classic at the end of a job interview. This is not the time to clam up; you risk not being selected!
Answering negatively to this question is not the best way to land your dream job. You would show your interviewer a certain lack of interest in their company, and it might sound like carelessness.
You are not uninterested or careless! If you answered this job posting, it's because you're motivated. This is the time to show it by asking relevant questions, bouncing off certain aspects. A job interview is not a monologue or an interrogation; it's an exchange. Luckily, StepStone is here to give you some (good) tips.
Questions about the company
Before any questions about the job itself, it is almost imperative to focus your questions on the company offering the job. For all your interviews, this should be essential. But be careful, improvisation will not be your best friend. Keep in mind that the HR manager knows all about your background from your CV and even has some personal information from your cover letter. Play the same game by gathering information about their company before your interview. Professional logic dictates that you should already know the company before even answering the job offer.
Armed with this information, you will be able to better target your questions during the interview and make them more relevant. Questions about the group's evolution and results will be welcome and will help you move up a few places on the list of successful candidates! The company culture, its positioning in the national and/or international market, the launch of new projects or products, the company's development strategy, are all subjects for questions. Avoid overly general questions; you would come across as a candidate not very aware of the stakes of this job offer.
Questions about the job
The description of a job posting is often brief. The interview allows the applicant to get a more precise idea of the position and determine if it matches their career goals. Many themes can be discussed: Is it a new position or a replacement? What will be my responsibilities? What will be my place in the company? These points will enlighten you about the position and indicate whether this job is right for you.
Questions about salary
Have you applied for a job in France? Then, discussing the salary amount will be more delicate than in many other countries! But you can still bring it up. Of course, not head-on, like: "how much will I be paid?", but rather delicately, and at the very end of the interview: "now that we've covered the questions about the position, could you give me an idea of the expected salary level?" A small nuance.
Stepstone.fr
Posted October 6, 2011.
