At the end of every interview, candidates are usually presented with an opportunity. When the interviewer asks, “Do you have any questions for me?” you get a chance to learn more about the position, the company’s culture, or any other topic that wasn’t covered during the meeting.
Asking your interviewer a few questions when this moment arrives is essential. It will make you come across as an engaged, enthusiastic, and curious candidate, and that inevitably works in your favor.
Ideally, you want to have a few questions in your back pocket. That way, if nothing specific comes to mind during the interview. You still have a few options ready. With that in mind. Here are the top three questions to ask your interviewer when the opportunity arises.
1. Can You Describe a Typical Day in this Position?
In many cases, hiring managers spend most of their time focused on describing major projects and other large tasks a role may handle. At times, this approach is meant to increase candidate excitement, making the job look more enticing than it may be in a day-to-day sense.
By asking this question, you can learn more about what a typical day is like in the position. Not every day is going to be brimming with engaging challenges. Instead, most will be fairly routine. Knowing what that routine looks like is crucial. It lets you gauge whether you’ll enjoy the role in the form it most often takes, ensuring that the job is actually right for you.
2. What Is the Most Challenging Aspect of This Role?
While the first question lets you learn more about the day-to-day, this question is designed to give you insights into the obstacles or frustrating situations you may encounter if hired. It ensures you don’t view the job through rose-tinted glasses, giving you a glimpse into any hardships or challenges that may come with the position if you accept it.
Learning about the difficulties also lets you determine whether a job is a good fit. You can decide if the issues are something you’re opening to shouldering. Additionally, if they are particularly challenging, it may give you some leverage when salary negotiations roll around.
3. Is There Anything Preventing Me from Being Your Top-Choice Candidate?
With this question, you’re creating an opportunity to address any concerns the hiring manager may have but hasn’t openly expressed. The idea is to learn about anything that’s causing them to hesitate about hiring you, allowing you to respond to those doubts and, hopefully, eliminate them.
In some cases, this question will also let you estimate where you may stand in comparison to other candidates or, at least, your odds of moving forward into the next stage in the hiring process. Ultimately, that makes this question incredibly powerful, easily qualifying it as a must-ask.
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