Questions to Ask During an Interview

Interviews are part of the hiring process and touch every career field. As humans, we are trained to realize we have to answer questions in an interview and please the interviewer enough to either send us into the next round or hire us. What many people forget is there is a point where you can ask questions. I know a lot of people who have no questions to ask, which is okay, but I think those that ask questions look just a bit better. I ask really creative questions, at least three of these per interview, and have been told several times how good they are. Interviewers tend to hear the standards questions like: "When will I hear back?" or "Is this a paid opportunity? If so, how much?".

1. What about my cover letter or letter of interest and/or resume stood out enough for you to want to bring me in for an interview? 

This is my first question, almost always. Hearing feedback on your cover letter and resume from those you are looking to work with is important. Keep in mind it is all subjective and will change from person to person but hearing similar things like they like the layout or certain keywords allows to see what you are doing right. This is also gives you a bit of insight as to what they are looking for and what they identify with. Knowledge is power, remember that!

2. What three qualities make the "perfect" employee/intern? Why? 

This question is another one that allows you to further flesh out what they find important and to see where you fall in their opinion. This also is a bit creative because most people don't ask these types of questions. I have found many people say this is such a great question and they've never heard it before. That is a point to me, or you if you use this question. 

3. What are duties and responsibilities that are expected of me no matter the day? Can you explain the average day when working as a part of this team?

This question is only useful when the interviewer is vague in what the position entails, same for the job listing. Some companies just offer to send in your resume and you don't really even know what they are looking for so this allows you to have a better grasp on the position. 

4. Can you explain how you ended up here? Did you always want to be in this field, work for this company? Or did you stumble upon this and kind of take off running?

I love this question because it tends to make the person or people interviewing me laugh and think. I don't think many people ask about this kind of thing but I find it important. Everyone's path can give you a insight into the person they are along with showing you how you can grow and change. This question also goes to give you a point since it is pretty creative and not something most people ask. 

5. If you had to pick an animal you relate to most, what animal would it be and why?

I know some of you are thinking, "What does this have to do with anything?", but this is really a good question. This allows for you to get a bit personal and see more about who is interviewing, the person you most likely would be working with. This is good for you to understand the person on a more personal level which makes interacting a lot easier. Also, this is another really creative question that I doubt most people ask. 

6. What about this interview or speaking with me impressed you or interested you the most?

This question is all strategy! We all want to know how we did during the interview but can't ask that outright so this question is a creative strategic approach. This allows you to see what the interviewer thought of you. Personally, I have found this question to gauge whether or not I'll be offered a position or moved into the next round of the hiring process.