"Do You Have Any Questions ?"

A well planned interview should allow a reasonable amount of time at the end for the candidate to be able to ask all of their questions too.

At the end of the day, this is a 2 way process and typically the candidate has a LOT riding on a decision to move companies or roles.

If you are approaching an interview correctly, you will have already taken the time to research the company and the role as best you can.

Don't waste this precious interview opportunity to advance your candidate process due diligence!

Your questions should of course be tailored to the interviewer and process. It's a very different situation being interviewed by an external recruiter vs the person who will be your boss or even a peer or internal HR.

A good recruiter should be able to provide you insights and answer questions that you may not want to ask the prospective employer directly.

What attracted you to my resume?

I would encourage you to start with this question. Even better if you can weave it into the interview earlier than the question period at the end.

Why? You are looking for that handful of things in your whole resume that made you stand out over hundreds or thousands of others. Listen carefully to the answers and then try to showcase those factors in the remainder of the interview and in subsequent interviews or follow up emails.

In most cases 90% of your resume will be "table stakes" that many other people who didn't even get to an interview stage also had.

Ask clarifying questions to be sure you get those Unicorn factors right, and it can also be an immediate chance to show off those skills.

Example : "So when you say making tough decisions with compassion, you are referring to the fact that I am a coach and mentor by nature and will always try to provide my people with the tools and training to succeed, BUT I also have several examples of having to change the people out for the good of the team?"

How would you define an outstanding performance in this role after 6, 12 and 24 months ?

Why? Once again you are gathering facts to fine tune your Unicorn pitch!

At the same time you are learning a more about whether the goals and direction of the company and role align with what YOU are looking for in your next career move.

Take notes for when you accept the role. You already have a first pass understanding of what you will need to do. I have had proactive candidates who, after accepting the role, ask for various things to read and prepare to hit the ground running on day one. Great first impressions count !

The questions are also pitched in a positive, success oriented way. If you're not as rah-rah , winner, winner as some, then you can adjust your pitch. I would still encourage you to keep this "what does it take to knock the ball out of the park?" flow as it keeps conscious and subconscious thoughts that success is almost certain ;)

And on that note, on to the third question .......

If you think of the absolute top performers in the company, do they share common qualities or do they stand out for different reasons ?

Why ? Once again keeping the mind on top performances. This question has differing merits depending on who is in the interview, and it's yet another opportunity to learn more about that handful of Unicorn factors that may get you the gold medal.

The answer can often give you insights about the company culture.

Example: The way answers about commonality and/or differences are phrased can sometimes tell you if success is or is not related to common values and/or if diversity of thought, culture, style, viewpoints etc... is an ingredient in high impact team results.

What do people like best about working here?

Last but not least.

Why? This is a final cross reference on the checks and balances.

Listen to see if the answer fits with things that you have heard so far.

This is a great opportunity for you to consider if this is a place you want to work, is this an environment that would motivate you too ?

Happiness isn't a destination it's a journey, and feeling fulfilled and successful is a GIANT & KEY part of any book you will read on the subject. Believe me because I have read about twenty on the topic this year alone. I guess there is a personal reveal in there somewhere :)

If the person is your future boss and they answer in a first person way about what they love and can also relay genuine stories about others, then that's not a bad start.

Lastly, a more general piece of advice. Focus on winning every role that you are interviewed for and then it is YOUR CHOICE to accept it or not.

Don't let half baked doubts or concerns creep into your process in a negative way, you are really only looking for solid red lights, if they are orange then keep going with a winners attitude.

It is perhaps surprisingly common that a front runner candidate in early interviews does not end up being the gold medalist by the end. Some candidates do a nice job fine tuning their Unicorn pitch.

I have also witnessed candidates who took some doubts into client interview stages resulting in lack luster performances only to realize later in the process that they REALLY wanted the role, by which time they have already missed a few occasions to have pitched their Unicorn factors!

If you have any other questions please reach out or ask in the comments, and I hope this is of some value.

Andy Taylor.

Search Excellence Partners.

Recruiting for IMPACT!

www.searchexcellencepartners.com