50 Killer Questions For Job Seekers To Ask On Interviews

From what I’ve seen in my experience, job seekers that ask thought provoking questions raise their chance of making it to the next step of the interview process.  Trust me… it’s science.

It makes sense though, doesn’t it?  When job seekers push the recruiter/interviewer to think hard and respond with a thoughtful answer, respect is the result.

Many of my career coaching clients have recently been asking for advice on this subject.  To make it easier on them, you, and myself, here are 50 Killer Questions for YOU to ask on interviews:

Questions About The Company

1.  Is the company financially stable?

2.  On average, how many new employees does the company hire each year?

3.  Can you tell me about the turnover rate at the company?

4.  Has the company received any major awards or recognition recently?

5.  What needs to happen for the company to be successful?

6.  What are the current and long-term goals for the company?

7.  Can you name some of the competing companies?

8.  Can you talk about the current morale at the company?  Why is it good/bad?

9.  What do you think is the future of the industry?

10.  How many people are currently employed by the company?

11.   Are any positions or functions at this company outsourced?

12.  Can you explain a typical successful employee at this company?

Questions About The Position

13.  How would you describe the responsibilities of this specific position?

14.  Are there any job tasks for this position that aren’t on the job description?

15.  What would be expected of me in the first 90 days?

16.  What would be expected of me in my first year?

17.  Would I be working with a specific or multiple product(s) that the company produces?

18.  How does this specific position fit into the company’s current and long-term plans?

19.  Who are the major internal and external customers that I would interact with?

20.  How would you describe a typical week/day in this position?

21.  Can you break down the job tasks in percentage of time spent?

22.  How much travel is expected for this position?

23.  How can I be successful in this role?

24.  What is the most important responsibility for this position?

25.  How many hours should I expect to work?  Is overtime expected?

Questions About The Manager

26.  Who would be my manager?

27.  Was my manager promoted from within the company or was he/she an external hire?

28.  Can you tell me about my supervisor’s management style?

29.  How long has the manager been in his/her current role?

30.  How many years of experience do they have in management?

31.  What are some characteristics of people that perform well under this manager?

32.  Would my manager work in the same location as I do?

Questions About The Department

33.  What are some of the other position titles in the department?

34.  What are some of the current goals for the department?

35.  Where does the department need to improve?

36.  What are some recent successes for the department?

37.  What is the departments morale like?

38.  How is communication between this department and others?

Questions About Who You’re Replacing

39.  Is this a new position?  If not, where did the previous employee in this role go?

40.  When people decide to leave this company or position on their own, what is the most reoccurring reason for their departure?

Questions About Career Path and Advancing

41.  Have any of the executives at the company worked their way up into their current role from entry level or mid-career positions?

42.  Can you tell me about potential career paths that are available to a successful employee in this role?

43.  What process is used and how often does the company measure performance?

44.  When would the company like the successful candidate to be promoted from this position?

Questions About Next Steps

45.  If I’m extended a job offer, when would the company like me to start?

46.  What are the next steps from here?

47.  When can I expect to hear back about the position?

48.  How would you like me to follow up if I don’t hear from you?

49.  Are there any other questions that I can answer for you?

50.  If you find that I’m not a fit for this role, are there other positions here that I may be better suited for?