9 Smart Questions to Give You a Competitive Edge At Your Interview

How You Can Standout At Your Interview

If you want to deliver a dynamite interview it’s important not to think of an interview as a one-way street, where you’re asked a lot of questions (and maybe requested to demonstrate certain skills) to see if you’re a good fit for the company.

Equally important is to know that the organisation, its vision, its values and its culture are a good fit for you as well.

And the most effective way of doing this is by asking smart questions during your interview.

 

 

You Asking Questions at Your Interview Has Multiple Benefits:

 

• You get to understand the business, the problems it needs to solve and get clear on whether or not it will be able to offer you the next stretching career opportunity that you’re looking for.

 

• Knowing it’s a good cultural fit will mean you’ll settle in quickly, feel at home and be more engaged by your work.

 

• Asking your own questions will also demonstrate certain skills to the interviewer, such as critical thinking. And, the fact that you’re clearly being selective and not simply leaping at just any old opportunity that comes your way, shows you to be a responsible candidate, capable of weighing up risk and making well-considered decisions.

 

• Asking smart questions will set you apart from your competition which will also make your interview more memorable.

 

Have I convinced you that you need to have a handful of smart questions up your sleeve?

 

 

Great! Let’s get straight into it…

Here Are 9 Smart Questions You Could Ask At Your Next Interview to Give You That Competitive Edge:

 

Q1. What kind of personalities do well in this team?

This kind of question is digging to find out more about the culture of the team currently and whether or not you would be a good fit. It is also a clever way of asking which kinds of personalities don’t gel well with this team. Whatever you learn here is useful – you could even start to demonstrate the kind of desirable character traits the interviewer has mentioned during the interview!

                  

Q2. What skills does this team need right now?

Asking about skills will likely set you apart from your competition because instantly, you are asking how you can help the company. Do you have the right skills? What skills could you develop to plug their skills gap? What kind of candidate (and skillset) are they really looking for here?

 

 

Q3. How long has the company been looking to hire for this role?

This is an unusual question to ask and implies you’re interested to know if they’ve been struggling to fill the role or perhaps can’t find the right candidate. It will give you an insight into their processes and how they are filtering to find the right candidate.

 

Q4. What would the candidate need to demonstrate to be successful in this role?

This is a gem of  a question! It really shows that you are thinking about how you can benefit them rather than the other way round. This question demonstrates that you are results-orientated and already thinking about how you would be expected to perform and deliver results for the company. This one should put a smile on your interviewer’s face (and at the very least, put a tick in their head that you’re a solid candidate)!

 

Q5. How do the organisation’s values translate into the daily experience of working here?

When you are researching the company, make sure you have a look at their vision and mission statements and organisational values.  You’ll find these on their website. Find a value that particularly resonates with you and ask how that value permeates the culture. How do leadership walk their talk and bring these values to life within the team? How is the vision meaningful in real terms? How might you be expected to bring these values into your daily work?

                           

 

Q6. How would you describe the style of leadership that is most respected within the organisation?

There are multiple leadership styles out there of course but it’s valuable to ask about the general approach to leadership in the organisation. Is it inclusive? Are people encouraged to share and explore ideas? Are autonomy and ownership-thinking applauded? Do you have regular access to the Executive? Are there Town Hall meetings where organisational strategy is regularly shared?

 

Q7. What is the company’s policy on furthering employees’ professional development?

It’s always great to have your professional education paid for right? It is sensible to ask what investment is made into employees’ ongoing education and to demonstrate your commitment to your own professional development.

 

 

Q8. What do you (the interviewer) enjoy most about working here?

Are people encouraged to be authentic? Are multiple experiences and backgrounds valued? Is there a good team culture? Are there perks? What is the engagement and energy like? Are people generally highly motivated? Is there a strong social aspect?

 

Q9. How has the recent merger impacted the culture of the organisation?

If the company has recently merged with another business, or gone through a big change of some sort, it is important to ask about the impact it has had/is still having. There might be some positives and negatives to share, or issues that are still being ironed out that are important to know about.

 

And that’s it!

What smart questions have you asked that gave you the edge in your interview? We’d love to hear from you!

Rebecca

 

BIO: Rebecca Allen is a Career Success Coach and has coached hundreds of female managers and early leaders over the last decade to help them own their value, get promoted and get paid their worth. 

 

 

© Rebecca Allen, Illuminate Personal Growth. All rights reserved. To replicate part or all of this article please seek written permission first.