Job interviews aren’t only about impressing the interviewer; they’re about sparking a new relationship with your future employer.
The key to a successful interview is to keep the interviewer talking. Sure, while you want to share why you’re the best candidate for the position, you also don’t want to dominate the interview. On the other hand, if it seems like there’s a lull in the conversation, you also want to keep the conversation going.
Maintaining conversation during a job interview can be hard to do. Even if you write a list of five or 10 questions, the interviewer may not have much to say. As you prepare questions for the interviewer, make sure they’re relevant to the position. It’s also important to keep them interesting and open-ended. This will make it possible for the interviewer to talk more during the interviewer.
If you’re stumped on what questions you should ask, here are five questions that will keep your interview going:
1. What do you enjoy most about working here?
This is a great question to ask to learn more about the interviewer on a personal level. You’ll pick up on the interviewer’s feelings toward the job and give them the opportunity to talk about themselves during the interview.
When asking this question, you’ll also determine whether this job is the right fit for you. If the interviewer is hesitant about answering, it might be a sign they don’t not enjoy their job.
2. Where do you hope the company will be in five years?
This is another question that has the potential to get the interviewer excited about their job. You’ll also learn about any upcoming changes the company might experience and the goals the interviewer has for their position within company. Learning this information will give you a better idea of how you’d fit as a potential employee.
3. Can you tell me about the team I’ll be working with?
Not only will this question show your confidence in landing the job during the interview, but also it will teach you about the type of people you’d work with at the company.
Learning about your future coworkers is a great way to learn more about the position. With this question, you can also find out about the types of project’s you’ll work on and what’s expected of you as an employee.
4. How would you describe the work environment here?
If you want to learn more about the company culture, this is an excellent question to ask. You’ll find out whether the culture is more collaborative or if employees are expected to work independently. This question will also help you determine whether you’d make a good fit for the position.
5. What’s the next step of this process?
This is a good question to ask as the interview begins wrapping up. If you feel like conversation has been dying down, this would be a great way to find out the rest of the information you need to for the interview process.
There are just a few of the questions you can ask to keep a job interview going. Remember, you want to ask positive and open-ended questions that will get the interviewer excited about the interview and position you as a likeable candidate. By following this advice, you’ll show the interviewer that you care about their answers and are genuinely interested in learning about the job.
What questions do you ask during interviews to keep the conversation going?
