Five Questions to Ask During a Job Interview
Posted on Tuesday, June 20th, 2017
You’ve prepared for your interview. You’ve figured out your skills and found good examples to back them up. You’ve printed out an extra copy of your resume and references. You’ve practiced answering all the kinds of questions that your interviewer could ask.
Except for one: near the end of your interviewer, the employer turns to you and asks, “Do you have any questions for me?”
It can be easy to forget that an interview is a two-way street. Answering the interviewer’s questions only goes so far to show the employer what kind of person you are: the missing link is in what kinds of questions you ask them.
So whatever you do, don’t say, “Um, no, I’m good” (we’ve all done it). Instead, here are 5 questions to ask your interviewer during your interview.
What are the biggest challenges of this position?
This is a brave one to ask, but it also sets you up to assess what kind of environment you’ll be working in. You get a head’s up about what kind of challenges you’ll need to deal with, and set yourself up to be prepared for it once your placement starts. It also opens a door for you to discuss your soft skills—those skills that aren’t industry specific, but still vitally important.
For example, the employer could tell you that it’s a busy environment with multiple priorities. There might be an opportunity here for you to talk about how awesome your time management skills are, and back that up with an example of the time you had to juggle multiple large-scale projects at school while holding a part-time job.
This is why it’s so important to figure out your skills early in your job hunt. When the opportunity arises for you to share them, you’ll be ready.
What are the day-to-day responsibilities of this position?
There are a few benefits to asking this question. First, like the question before, you may create an opportunity to show the employer just how perfect of a fit you are.
But you will also get an idea of what a day in the life in your industry is like. Even if you don’t get the job, you’ll gain valuable information about the kind of work you’ll be doing in any organization.
How does this position connect with your organization’s overall mission?
This question will help you identify the direction that the company is going in, and what role you can play in that. Knowing what the goals of the company are gives you an idea of how your skills and abilities will connect with the organization’s overall goals.
It also gives you an idea of openings that may be coming up in the future. If one of the organization’s goals is to continue growing in the Ottawa market, for example, there may very well be job openings for you once your co-op term is done.
What upcoming projects do you have?
Similarly, asking this question gives you an idea of what opportunities could exist for you in the company. Hopefully, your interviewer will have a good idea of upcoming initiatives in the organization that they’ll share with you.
If something piques your interest, tell the interviewer. Showing excitement and interest in what the organization does is excellent for you. And again, if you know about projects are upcoming, you can position yourself to be the logical person to work on one of them when your co-op is done. Improving your skills, learning more on the side, and excelling at your co-op position are all ways of showing the company your value.
What do you enjoy most about working here?
This is a fantastic question to ask. Not only is it personable and gives the employer a chance to talk about their experiences, it gives you a great glimpse into company culture.
Company culture is important because it will set the tone for your experiences with the organization. Are they formal or laid back? Do people work individually or in teams? What feeling do you get about employee satisfaction? All of these factors will help you identify what kind of workplace this is.
Asking questions of your interviewer is an important step to any interview. It gives you an opportunity to further your good impressions with the interviewer, and lets you catch a glimpse of what kind of environment and expectations you’ll have if you get the job.
It also shows that you’re committed to the company. By asking about the organization, instead of questions about how much you’ll get paid or what vacation time is like, you show that you’re interested in the organization itself and could become a valuable team player.
If you’re interested in co-op at Algonquin, or have questions of any sort for us, get in touch! You can follow us on Twitter @AlgonquinCoop, email us at coop@algonquincollege.com, or call us at 613-727-4723 Ext 7623.
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