Making a job move is a life changing event. It has to be right for everyone. You need to make sure it’s exactly where you want to be – from a job role perspective, to know there are progression opportunities, to work in a team that fits the culture that you want to be a part of and to be sure that you will enjoy your work life. You have to be clear that you will be taking on a job as part of a business that you are happy with and excited to join.

Being inquisitive is becoming a vital part of the recruitment process – and more than ever the candidate who is being interviewed needs to be prepared with well thought out questions to put to the interviewer during and at the end of the interview. Gone are the days where an interview is a series of quick fire questions coming at you – it’s much more of a 2 way discussion – both parties sussing each other out for skills, culture & team fit and proof of experience if required. Most interviews are about gauging whether each party can support the growth and development of the company and person, no matter what the level of job.

Getting your next job move right is important. You need to be very clear on the key reasons why you’re looking at changing jobs or moving your career to another level. When you attend an interview, it’s crucial that you leave the meeting with all the answers to the questions you may have, so you are in a position to make an informed decision.

How can you take control of the interview and get all the information that you need? How can you leave with no questions unanswered? What kind of questions are useful to ask your interviewers?

Here are 9 excellent examples of questions to ask in your interview:

  1. What is a typical day at work like?
  2. Who will I be working closely with? What are their main attributes?
  3. To be highly successful in this role – what would the most valuable attributes be?
  4. What is the biggest opportunity for the company at the moment?
  5. What would be the most important thing I could accomplish in the 1st month, 6 months, year?
  6. Who are your top 5 competitors in the market at the moment and why?
  7. What are the most challenging aspects of the job?
  8. What are the biggest challenges for the business as a whole at the moment? How has that changed?
  9. What do you enjoy most about your job?