Do you have any questions?

A few blog postings around job interviews have come my way recently.

Some questions to ask when asked if you have any questions:

1. Why is this position open? Are there any key changes since the last person held the role? – This will give you information about the position, the company and anything that might have taken place upon the absence of the previous employee. It gives you a feel for what role you would be possibly stepping into.
2. Why did the last person move on? (wait for answer) Is this a trend over the recent few years? – This puts the ball in your court, shows you are confident and gives you important information about the position you are considering stepping into.
3. If I were the person to take this role, how would you like me to perform in the role as compared to the previous person?
4. What are the main objectives of this role?
5. Of those objectives, what is most pressing? What would you like to have done in the next 3 months?
6. How would you describe your management style? (If you are feeling really confident ask: How would your colleagues describe your style of management?)
7. Of the people that you’ve seen join the company at my level, can you name a few reasons why they failed?
8. Do you think the culture here is similar to X (name rival company)? What are the strengths of this culture?

And a good question to ask if you’re the one doing the interviewing:

1. Tell me the last time you made a mistake.

Expect to hear that it was their fault, otherwise they may have a “victim” personality, trying to deflect blame to others for their screw-ups.