What questions should I ask at interview?
"What questions should I ask at interview?"
A common question we hear from jobseekers as they prepare for interviews.
A quick search online will help fuel the misconception that this part of the interview is nothing more than your chance to impress with the questions you ask.
But should that be the case?
We ran a LinkedIn poll a little while back asking how you chose which questions to ask in an interview. 29% prioritised asking an intelligent question ahead of finding out need-to-know information.
Admittedly, we’ve no doubt there will still be employers and hiring managers who see this stage of the interview as part of the assessment process, but if you’re to be judged negatively for seeking answers to simple questions, is this a firm you want to be joining?
Interviews are a two-way street after all – shouldn’t this be your time to find out what you genuinely want to know about them? We all have different priorities and markers of job satisfaction after all.
Our advice; rather than focusing on which questions sound the most impressive, spend more time thinking about what's most important to you. It matters and this information won’t always be offered up during an interview.
- What are your core motivations to move currently and will this opportunity satisfy them?
- What are the must-haves?
- What are the red flags?
- Will you have the tools/team/resources necessary to be able to do what's being asked of you?
- In what type of environment do you perform to your best?
From this you can help build appropriate questions to help fact-find and assess whether or not this opportunity would be right for you. Most firms will appreciate it. It shows you’re being thorough and that you take your career seriously.
Asked in the right way these questions can still impress, whilst also providing you with vital information that you need to know to avoid a wrong move.
If you’re working in legal finance and would like to get some help with your approach to interviews, please get in touch and we’d love to offer some guidance.
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