Killer Questions for Candidates to Ask in an Interview

 As with any question asked of the employer, use these with forethought.

Company/Hiring Manager Expectations

When this process is complete, what are the 2-3 key criteria that are going to drive your hiring decision?

 What are the key competencies of someone who will excel in this job?

 What specific goals and objectives that you have set for your department/region/district/company during the next 12 months?

 What would I be expected to accomplish during my first 90 days?

 What is your "learning plan" for me for my first six months?

Job Content

If I asked the incumbent about the "wows!" of this job, what would he or she say?  What about the worst parts?  Do you agree?

Based on your review of my background, what makes this assignment a great opportunity for me at this particular point in my career?

 Can you give me a feel for the degree of autonomy I will have in this position?

 Are there significant peaks and valleys in workload?  If so, what drives that?

What is the first assignment you might give me? Where does that assignment rank in the department's priorities?

 What are the biggest problems facing this department over the next six months to a year?

 What is the best/toughest question I could ask you about this role?  How would you answer it?

If you were my best friend, what would you tell me about this job that we haven't already discussed?

Performance Evaluation/Training

How would you rate yourself as a mentor and developer of talent?

 As someone reporting to you, what method of evaluation would you use to determine my progress? What criteria will you use?  If I do a great/bad job in the first 90 days, how specifically will you let me know? 

 What would be the time frame for promotion for a person who excels in this position?

 Which individual in the department can I learn the most from? What can he or she teach me? Can I meet them?

 Do you have a structured training program for newly hired employees?

 What percent of my compensation is based on my performance?

 If an employee is not meeting your expectations, what steps do you take to help them improve?  Does this type of circumstance easily frustrate you?

Company Culture/Management Style

Can you give me some examples of the best and worst aspects of the company's culture?

 When top performers leave the company why do they leave and where do they usually go?

What were the primary reasons that resulted in your decision to come to work for ABC Company?

What makes this company a great place to work? Is there any outside evidence (rankings or awards) supporting that this is a great place to work?

What style of management should I expect from the person I will be reporting to?

How much supervision/direction is normal for a newly hired employee during the first year?

Do you consider yourself pretty accessible to your people?  How often will we interact on a weekly basis?

What is the company going to do in the next year to make itself better?

 When was the last significant layoff? What criteria were used to select those to stay?

General Business/”Big Picture”

What differentiates you from your competition?

Tell me how the company’s mission statement or strategic goals translates to your performance.

If you were to prioritize the top three goals to stay ahead of competition, what would they be?

How do your goals this year differ from your goals last year?  What do you personally see as the most challenging part of achieving these goals?

What would be the worst-case scenario if these goals weren’t achieved?

What are the challenges to improving your position in the marketplace?

With the challenges you face, what provisions have you put in place to help you accomplish goals? 

How much pressure are you under to increase efficiency?

Are you meeting your corporate earning initiatives?

Wildcard

What would I see if I stood outside the front door at 5 o'clock? Would everyone be smiling? Staying late or leaving early? Would they be taking work home?

Does the company have a program to significantly reward individuals that develop patents/ great products? Is there a program to help individuals "start" their own firms or subsidiary? Will I be required to fill out non-compete agreements?

Closing

Is there anything in my background that could keep us from proceeding to the next step in the interview process?

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From May 2010