what are good questions to ask an employer at the end of an interview?

Answer 1

One good one that a professional interview-prep person told me is to ask them "Is there anything else I can clear up about myself before I leave?" oh, and "Can I have your business card for my files?" Something about the company that shows that you've done your homework and researched a little is always impressive, too.
Oh, and she also says NOT to ask about upward mobility during an interview--they're trying to hire for THAT job, not for a higher ranking one. They want to think you're going to stay put for a while so they won't have to go through the whole process again.

Answer 2

The problem I find with asking questions is that it shows gaps in your knowledge. If the company has a website, you should know it fairly well before the interview. If you ask a question which is in the information on the site, it makes you look stupid or lazy. Good questions I have asked at interviews are about why the interviewer joined the company, the social side, the promotion prospects, whether the company has a high staff turnover and if yes, why.

I didn't ask questions after one interview because I didn't want to seem like an idiot. I made it down to the final two people for the job, but the guy who got the job had asked more questions!

Answer 3

Apart from asking about pension schemes holidays etc end the interview with a friendly handshake and If appropriate consider the follow or a variation on a theme:-

"Thank you for inviting me along to the interview and I hope that you will consider me for the post as I feel that I have a great deal to offer in the way of experience and given the opporutnity I will be only too keen to learn new skills if required to do so".

It shows that you can coomunicate effectively and that you are not backwards in coming forwards after all what employer wants a shrinking violet as an employee.

You don't have to be brashed but pleasant and articulate.

All the best and you can do it.

One word of advice though don't go and make it seem that you have rehearsed everything off pat...as you will always have to be prepared for the unsuspecting question and you will have to think on your feet PDW.

Answer 4

The best one by a mile is

"Is there anything I have said or done that has given you cause for concern"

If they say yes, dont be dejected, jump on it and turn it to your advantage.

If they say they're concerned about your lack of experience, tell them that you're a quick learner etc. If they have concerns over your qualifications, reassure them that you have received experience in the workplace which is equally as beneficial.

The key here is to take all of their concerns and turn them into bonuses. That way, they leave the interview with no if's or buts, just solid, positive responses.

It's rare for an interviewer not to have any concerns about an individual, if they have none, they're either too busy or they have someone better in mind.

Always leave potentially negative things to a second interview, such as wages, holiday, sick pay. Concentrate on making sure the interviewer is convinced that you will be an asset to their company.

Answer 5

I always ask what the departments short term objectives are, say for the next six months. Tends to impress them and put them on the spot which makes them remember you!

Also, ask when you will find out about the job (shows you are keen) and maybe ask what happened to the former postholder, this will give you a good idea of whether they promote from within and whether people tend to stay with the organisation.

At the end of the day, your questions are to help you, use the time to ask about anything you may have missed or any points you want to clarify.

Hope this helps!

xx

Answer 6

I've got an interview this Friday so I know about this !

- How did this vacancy become available?
- What types of training are on offer?
- Where is the organisation heading?
- What progression is possible in the company?
- Is there scope for homeworking?(depending on the job)
- Is a medical clearance required?

THEN you can ask about things like pay rises / holidays etc

Also ask 'When will I hear if I have been successful' so you will get an idea when you will hear back from them.

Good luck !!!

Answer 7

When ever the interviewer asks "is there anything you would like to ask" then ask about:
WHAT COMPANY BENEFITS ARE IN PLACE.
ie... pensions (if not already talked about)
HEALTH SCHEMES (most companies have one in place)
ssp(statuary sick pay) quite a lot of companies don't pay sick pay so ask what you would be entitled too.
ALSO ASK ABOUT CLIMBING THE LADDER HOW EASY IS IT TO PROGRESS IN THIS LINE OF BUSINESS.
never say you don't have anything to ask. its insulting to the interviewer.
If any advice i can give is be your self. build a Ra pour with the interviewer. Turn the interview around to a discus ion rather that him/her doing all the work and you just saying yes and no.
Believe me... I left school with 3 exam Results not very good i know... however for putting in to practise all of the above i have been very success full
i worked for BT for 7 years starting off with an agency. always be seen to be pushing yourself forward.. within & weeks i was offered a contract and 4 months later i was made a Manager. at 18 years old i was earning £21.000
then i furthered my career in to the health cash plan market and now i earn around £35.000 a year and have a company car and work from home.
I'm also in the middle of setting my own business up, a clothing line, i go to my first catwalk show in London 4 weeks time to see what new trends are coming out for the summer.
REMEMBER ALWAYS PUSH YOURSELF TO THE LIMITS. ALL WAYS WANT A 110% FROM YOURSELF

Answer 8

I used to work in recruitment and still work in sales. An interview is your oppurtunity to sell yourself. You need to leave there with them having no doubts that you are the best person for the job.
Always finish with open ended questions such as:
-What reasons would there be that you wouldn't hire me

Once you ask that they will give you 1 of 2 answers:

There is nothing

or

I feel you may not have.....

if it is the latter then it is up to you to give them examples of how you could overcome this concern(s)

GOOD LUCK:)

Answer 9

I wouldn't go with the obvious, pay, holidays etc these are things that show you are only interested in what you can get out of the job.

As others have said, it's much more impressive to them if you have done some specific research about the company, and to ask questions about them. It shows that you are interested, have taken time to think about what you want to ask..... Also don't be afraid to write down your questions, and when asked, take out your list.....

I've done this on numerous occasions, and most interviewers are impressed by the fact I was prepared. If the interview has gone well and you have built up a rapport, it can also act as a point when humour can be injected into things....... you could say something on the lines of "I didn't want to feel left out and be the only one without a list of questions", or laugh and say "don't worry, I haven't got many".... obviously to do that you will have to judge how well this will go down with the people present.

The other thing to remember is, that if they have answered all the questions you thought of, it's ok to read your list and then say....... "thanks, but I think you have covered everything".

Other questions could be:

How quickly are you hoping to recruit into this post?

Will you be shortlisting and will there be a second interview?

Have you already taken up references?

When will you decide, and let me know if I have been successful?

Will you provide feedback if I haven't been successful?

In my case the last job I went for involved having a CRB (Criminal Records Check) so I had specific questions about that

How long will it take for my CRB check to come back?

Will I be able to start the job before you get it back?

I like the suggestions some other people have made about asking if there is anything that you can clear up for them, or that you haven't given enough information about. It's one I will remember for the future!

One I really always want to ask, but don't always is

How do you feel about humour in the workplace?
or
How would you say that staff morale was in this team?

This comes from working for a previous boss who needed everyone to be really quiet, and didn't think it was appropriate to have the occasional chat, or joke.

Good luck and hope it goes well.

Believe me it is worth taking the extra time and effort to be well prepared.

Answer 10

ask what a typical day working there will be like.
pay attention to their answer. you may find what you think you will be doing, or what the job duties are described as is totally different from what the job truly is.
also, that shows real interest in the job.
and you may find you have further questions from what answers you are given. the interview is about whether you and the employer will match up, not just about what they are looking for as they've stated.

Answer 11

Do they have a mission statement.
What is their staff turnover like.
What Opportunities are there for advancements.
You can also ask what time scale you should expect to wait for confirmation of whether you have the job.
If they can give you feed back in the event of not getting the job as to how you can improve your future chances of employment.
Theres bound to be many more questions that you could ask which would be relevant to each particular job. You just need to do your research.