Best Questions To Ask During An Job Interview
A job interview can be the most nerve-racking experience in a young adult’s life. When you are straight out of college and you have not yet had your first “real” job yet, it can be really overwhelming. College does prepare you for most aspects of the real world but not all of them. In college, you learn about responsibility, time management, the importance of organizational skills, and networking. Though being in college does refine your professional skills, the experience of a job interview is a whole another thing in and of itself.
The first thing someone who is being interviewed has is their resume. This sheet of paper, your presentation of yourself, and how you do during your interview really determines whether you get a job or not. This means everything from how well you answer questions to how well you are about to talk about your professional experience is very important.
Interviews are tough because you never know how to reply to the interviewer or in what way to answer questions. It is always good to know that interviews need to be formal but you also have to sell yourself and demonstrate part of your personality. All these things seem like a real impossibility because you have to know what exactly is required of you.
Regardless of how you present yourself whether it’s serious or bubbly demeanor, one thing is for sure you must always show interest. Interest is the one thing that shows to the interviewer that you care and will make you stand out from other candidates.
To help you through your interview here are some of the best questions to ask.
1. What is a day to day workday like?
During an interview, you need to know as much as possible about the person that is interviewing you. This is for your own benefit that you know what the position you are applying for asks of you. If you ask your interviewer what an average day to day is like at work, you will show that you are envisioning yourself working for the company. You will be showing interest for the job position itself as well as getting information on the tasks you will need to accomplish.
2. What is the company’s/organization’s culture?
Knowing what a company’s culture is like will help you know if it is a place where you would want to work. The company’s culture is something that is pretty much the source of energy and life in the workplace. It is how people communicate with one another, what is celebrated, appreciated, values, and are things everyone strives towards.
Culture is meant to keep people together. You would not want to be in a workplace where you are not comfortable or do not feel open to. A workplace culture can really make or break you. You can have an incredible work ethic and knowledge but if the company’s culture is not helping you then you will not perform as well. Choose a company whose values reflect yours and that you know you will be appreciated.
3. Ask about opportunities for career advancements.
This is one of the tougher questions to ask. We are all concerned about our professional advancement which is why is it important to know what a career has to offer. It is important to first give the company you are applying for a personal reason or genuine interest other than to make money.
A good tip would be to word this question differently so that it does not sound like you are only interested in money. A good way to ask is by inquiring what are some positions people who have applied for this job title been move to. This way you can get an idea of how the company moves its employees up in the company.
4. What is the company’s/organization’s mission or purpose?
Knowing a company’s mission can see if the job position is ideal for you. Do you agree with the company’s mission? Will you find this work gratifying? The best job in the world is that which bring you satisfaction where you feel like you have made a difference.
A good way to get to know what the organization’s mission is by asking why the company was founded. Simply knowing more of the blueprints of why the company does the work that it does will help you get a better understanding of its mission.
5. What do you enjoy most about working for this company?
By asking the interviewer what they enjoy most about working for their company will give you a more subjective perspective of working for the company is like. You will get first hand feedback from someone who works for the company. Listen to the interviewer’s respond for anything that gives you an idea as to what your work will be like.
