Over the years I have always been given once piece of advice when interviewing: Have questions you ask the interviewer.  As I have moved on in life and now I am the interviewers I realize how important this process is to the hiring manager.  However I still struggle to come up with quality questions to ask in a interview. So what so do say when asked: “So, do you have any questions?” at the end of the interview?  Think it through and have a few questions in your back pocket.  If your answer is, “No, I don’t think so,” it may leave you at the bottom of the list.

Companies are seeking candidates who have critical thinking skills; they are looking for people who are knowledgeable and interested in the job. Any questions you might ask will demonstrate that interest. The thing to do is NOT leave them hanging with no response to the question “do you have any questions”?   

General Questions:

What you are looking for in a candidate?

What qualities did the last person you hired have?

Why is this position open?

What was it that you think kept that person from being successful?

What are the tasks in this job that will make someone in this position successful?

How do I rank among the other candidates?

Can you tell me about the company’s culture/mission/philosophy?

What do you like best about working for this company?

What are the next steps?

When do you expect to make a decision?

Do you have any reason why you would not consider moving me forward during the (hiring) process?

Are there any other folks who will be interviewing me later?

What’s a typical day like?

What stops most employees from being successful?

Are there any more questions you have for me?

Do you see how my past experience translates well for this position?

Questions for sales jobs:

Which product line of yours is your lead line? (i.e. the one that everyone should buy)

Which product line should they probably not buy?

How does the travel program work?

Remember the questions you ask will allow you stay long after the interview and defiantly make an impression. Your questions also do the critical job of uncovering any issues the hiring manager might have with you, so that you can correct any problems before you leave.

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Make your resume appealing

Write a resume that would appeal to you if you were hiring for a job. Would you want to read your resume?  Include areas that you have excelled, your relevant skills, additional skills that you feel are essential to the company, education and volunteer projects you may have participated in.

Tip: Providing as much relevant information in the most concise nature. This will increase the number of interview requests you receive.

Job category title

The title of your career categories is important. It’s the eye catcher part of your resume because it serves as the headline of your skills. It must capture the recruiter’s attention. Your skills title should be compelling, but most importantly, relevant, so that recruiter picks up your resume over others. Choose skills categories that fit you; here are just a few examples: Customer Service Manager, Administrative, and Hospitality.  

Sell your resume opportunity

Give your prospective recruiter a reason to pick you out of all the other job seekers.

Tip: To help you sell your career opportunity, answer these questions: What made you decide to accept the position you’re in now? What attracted you to your position when you first applied?

Over the last few weeks I have spoken with many people who have found themselves caught on one particular question during the interview process. So many in fact that I ‘m taking a moment to explore this jaw dropping, conversation stopping question. So you ask…..what is this elusive question that has left many wondering if their answer or lack of answer blew the interview for them?  Tell me something thing about you that you would like to change, or Name one weakness you have. 

Let’s start with WHY this question stumps so many… it’s the most basic reason we are taught from a very early age to focus on the positive; to highlight what we excel at. I can’t once remember my parents teaching me to talk about the fact that I couldn’t clean my room to save my life. My mother in fact would be mortified if I had gone around telling people that I was a slob, she is just thankful I have grown up and keep a clean house. So it’s not surprising that when we ask people what they are not good at we are greeted with a deer in the headlights expression.

Okay so we know this question is going to come up; so get prepared! Have an answer formulated before your next interview because how you answer it shows something about your character. Remember its okay to have weakness we all do we just aren’t conditioned to talk about it.  BOTTOM LINE: We all have something we could like to change or get better at, the key is to have a plan lines out how you overcome that weakness. 

For instance I’m the queen of procrastination because I procrastinate; I know that I need to plan and then leave myself extra time. I keep my schedule online, carry it with me and I set reminders.  I try to block my time with specific goals in mind for that time. This helps me be more effective because I am aware of this weakness and I take steps to overcome it. Okay here’s another not so secret about me….I am a terrible speller so I try to always have someone proof my written work or re-read it myself.

The rule to remember is this: when someone asks me what my weakness is I cannot only tell them my weakness I can tell them how I can prevent it from affected their company.  That’s what they care about…..IF your weakness will prevent you from doing the job you are applying for.  

See it’s not so scary….if you know its coming and what to do with it.  I hope that you can take this information and form your own answer that fits you so when you are asked this question you don’t find yourself speechless.

A couple of times a year I participate in a forum panel for a local community college that has a program for people who are entering the work force after a few years of not having to interview for a job. One of the suggestions I have for the students is to interview the company as they are interviewing you. In todays fast pace world no one seems to have the time to tell you about their company or the details of the job you will be performing.

Before you go for an interview, how much do you know about the company you are interviewing with?

All too often we are so excited that any company called us to come and interview that we don’t take the time to research the company, it products or services and what might possibly be the job we are interviewing for. Too many times I have people who come to interview with me, and when I ask “how much do you know about Comfort Keepers?” I get a blank stare and the proverbial, “not much or nothing.”

Why would anyone want to waste gas money to drive to a place to feel like a nervous wreck and be disappointed to hear that the job they are applying for is something they have no interest in?

Pre-Interview Research

Before you go to the interview learn a little bit about the company and the job you are applying for. If you are not familiar with the industry you might be quite surprised to learn what the job entails. For example I applied for a marketing job that advertised as marketing but when I arrived I was told by the interviewer the job was for the marketing/admissions position. This means that during the interview I was told that I would be responsible for marketing as well as admitting clients. If I had not been in the industry for several years and well aware that most settings have a full time marketing person and a full time admissions person I would not have realized that this particular company was expecting me to do the work of two full time people until after I started. As a result of being in the industry for awhile I also knew that admissions is a 24/7 business, which means that I could have been called to do an admission at 4pm and been stuck with paperwork until late into the evening.

If you are not familiar with the job you are applying for you should ask some basic questions such as:

How long on average does the task take?

How many hours am I expected to be here on site and is overtime required or voluntary?

What is the reason the person who had the position I am interviewing for is no longer here?

Some individuals might say asking such questions will guarantee you are not hired. Well if you are hired and you didn’t ask the questions you will be miserable and quit. Companies would rather you ask the questions and know what the responsibilities are before they spend the money to hire, train and orient you. Again in our fast paced world people are always in a hurry and may not explain everything about the job to you. Nowadays companies are not scared of the fact that you have children or may need to leave to get to the babysitter. They are more focused on their bottom line and how many individuals they hire and cannot retain.

This blog written by Melody McHugh of Comfort Keepers, an international provider of assisted living services in the private home to anyone over the age of 18 who is sick, disabled or elderly. Comfort Keepers serves many seniors in their homes and is an equal opportunity employer. Many retired nurses, teachers and other retired individuals work for this non-medical in-home provider. For more information, go to our website www.comfortkeepers.com