The interview panel had narrowed its selection down to two candidates, a man and a woman. In my opinion, both candidates had excellent credentials, impressive track records and strong, vibrant personalities. Clearly, the panel was going to have a tough time deciding who to give the nod.
As the debate raged on, I wondered what would be the deciding factor? What would give either of these two very good candidates the edge? Eventually, the CEO signaled that he thought the discussion had gone on long enough and that he was ready to make his choice. In that decisive way that all the best CEOs seem to share, he declared that while both candidates could probably handle the role, his preference was for the female candidate. When pressed for an explanation by his colleagues he simply stated that he felt the successful candidate had asked the better questions.
To be honest, I wasn’t too surprised at the CEO’s line of reasoning. Interview panels typically give candidates an opportunity to ask questions towards the end of an interview. Unfortunately, all too few see the invitation for what it really is – a great opportunity to make a lasting impression on the panelists.
Why Candidates Don’t Ask Questions
I think there are three main reasons why candidates don’t ask questions when invited to do so:
- They haven’t prepared in advance and are afraid to sound ignorant or even silly.
- They’ve been intimidated by the panel in some way. Even the best candidates can find themselves out of sorts when faced by a powerful, knowledgeable or occasionally hostile panel.
- They are no longer interested in the job.
Asking Questions Can be Advantageous
There are a couple of reasons why asking questions will usually work to your advantage:
- Progressive employers understand that for the best candidates, the decision to consider taking up a new job is usually couched in career terms. As a result, they literally expect candidates, particularly if they are managers or executives, to show the same thoughtfulness about their own career moves as they would when making decisions on the job. So, the more questions you ask, the better you look.
- A good interview allows for the two-way exchange of information. During the interview you may have heard a few things you didn’t understand or would like to have clarified. Asking questions allows you to seek clarification on a whole host of issues. Remember, once you sign on the dotted line, its assumed that you know what you are doing. Once you’re on board, its difficult to claim ignorance of things that should have been cleared up during the interview process.
- Candidate question time is probably one of the few times during an interview when you can actually direct the discussion to areas of interest to you. Use it wisely to explore subjects that can help you arrive at a reasoned decision about the opportunity before you.
Things to Watch Out For
While asking questions is generally good for a candidate, care must be taken not to make some basic, elementary mistakes that are surprisingly common:
- Don’t ask questions that have already been answered during the course of the interview. If you do, you run the risk of creating the impression that you weren’t paying attention. Remember, rightly or wrongly, many employers use the interview as a way of estimating how a candidate is likely to behave on the job.
- Avoid asking questions that could be easily answered by a visit to the organization’s website or a review of company literature.
- Try not to ask too many questions. Most interviews are tightly scheduled and the interview panel is likely to be mindful of how long an interview is taking. Just like on television new shows, it pays to keep your questions (and answers, for that matter) as brief and to the point as possible.
Asking (the right) questions can play a big part in giving you the edge in a competitive situation. So, do your homework and make sure you take advantage of this simple success technique.
Related articles
- How to Deal With a Bad Interviewer (money.usnews.com)
- Top Three Reasons People Do not Get Hired After an Interview (workplacelit4adults.wordpress.com)
- 10 Clues to Watch for in an Interview (money.usnews.com)
- Etiquette to be kept in an interview (azzist.com)
- Questions to ask at interview (jobcontax.wordpress.com)
