Land the Job You Love: Tips to Interview Questions to Ask

This continues our series on what you can do to get a great job with a great salary

Carolyn felt she interviewed well, except when asked “Do you have any questions for me?”. Unfortunately, most interviewers asked her that question. She frequently asked questions about the salary, benefits offered, or vacation leave. She sensed that interviewers chilled to her after asking those questions. She found a job shortly after learning better questions to ask.

Ask Questions to Gather More Information

Frequently, interviewers ask questions that you cannot answer without getting more information.  They design some questions to startle you. Other questions gather information from you, but require you to obtain additional information to answer.

Answering questions without sufficient information raises red flags with interviewers. They may worry that you will proceed with work without adequate information. They expect you to gather sufficient information to do your job, therefore, you should feel comfortable gathering more information before answering interview questions.

Questions that Require Questions for Answers

Here are typical questions that will require additional information to answer with possible questions you may ask the interviewer. You may find additional weird questions at About.com:

• What do you expect as a starting salary?
  • What do you normally pay someone with my experience (or for this position)?
  • How much budget (sales, profits, or assets) will I be responsible for managing?
• How could you contribute to our team or organization?
  • Before I answer, could I verify what you want me to accomplish?
  • What are the goals and results you want me achieve?
  • What problems and challenges do you want me to resolve for you?
• How many quarters would you need to reach the height of the Empire State Building?
  • American or Canadian quarters?
  • Can you lend me six inches of quarters and tell me the height of the Empire State Building?
• If selected, what would be your strategy during your first 90 days?
  • What priorities do you have for the first 90 days?
  • What do you want me to accomplish?

Wednesday we share tips for reconnecting after interviews to convince them to hire you