The interviewer doesn’t get to ask all the questions in a job interview! We always recommend you prepare questions to ask an interviewer in advance so you don’t walk out thinking ‘I should have asked…’  Generally, we suggest asking questions from the following themes:

The cause of the recruitment

How did this role come about?

By understanding how the role came about, you can better understand some of the business dynamics and underlying causes of why this role is vacant.  Perhaps the person in the role was promoted to a different role (this is a great sign as it indicates internal mobility and promotion from within – win win!).  If the business is expanding, that’s also great news because with growth comes opportunity.  If the previous person in the role left, it’s important to understand that as well (this can also be a positive thing).  All these inputs will give you a stronger understanding of what’s happening in the business and whether it is a good fit.

Culture

What is your workplace culture like?

You could ask this question in a number of ways.  One of these might be: What do people like about working here?  If you think you can do the job and you don’t have any red flags about how the role came about; understanding if the culture of the business resonates with you could be the next important factor.  Consider what’s important to you as an employee and ensure that this is reflected in your workplace – whether that’s Friday drinks, a strong inclusive culture and DE & I policies and agendas or ‘bring your pet to work’ Fridays.  Other questions to ask that align to this theme are: how do you manage staff conflicts?

Role success

What does success look like in this role?  

It’s important to understand what your Employer values and how they view success (this will mean different things to different people).  Also considering their responses, you can better understand if you are in position to deliver on their expectations.  Building on this theme, you could ask: what would you expect someone in this role to deliver in their first 6 months in the role?  You could also ask: how do you help your staff grow professionally? This will help you understand the value that the business puts on Professional Development.

If you’d like to understand more about the interview experience, speak to the Recruitment team at Flexi Personnel.