"Do you have any questions?" "You bet I do!"

What questions should you ask at the end of a job interview?

Wow, it's been a while since my last article and many things have happened since - like taking on a sales leadership role in the United States. Moving the family across the Atlantic. And, a few other things here and there that have happened since.

So let's get to it. With the new role came the mandate to grow the team from 9 to 20 sellers, which we accomplished within Q1 of this year. A task only possible with the amazing help by our TA team and the hiring managers' screening efforts on the front line. Needless to say, with our ambitious recruitment drive came along MANY MANY interviews. And I love interviews (as in - really, I love them). Per our usual routine, we worked the candidates through a funnel which included multiple steps, that eventually lead to a presentation in front of a panel. Pretty much the last step upon which we then made a quick ?? or ?? decision.

In a nutshell, the candidates were given an assignment to prepare a presentation and +/- 30 minutes to present their assignment and more importantly themselves. It's the latter that we're measuring.

But..... before I continue, I'll just take the opportunity to re-state my favourite topic when it comes to interviews. PREPARATION !!! In some few too many instances I was (still) really surprised by the lack of preparation on some of these presentations. Some of them making it blatantly obvious that it was a rushed, last minute or a simple cut & paste job. Like, why bother showing up. It's just wasting everybody's time. Had to throw that one in, just because it's so annoying.

Moving right along..... and back to the purpose of this article.

In the past, I've written a few articles on questions during the interview process, be it a FRESH approach to answering stale interview questions or Give Good Answers to Bad Questions.

Today, I wanted to focus on the questions at the END of the interview process - especially from the candidate's perspective, that is. The questions you (the candidate) should ask and the one question you need to ask. But, let me first rewind and set the scene.

After the presentation we generally set aside 15-20 minutes for a Q&A. This is where the hiring manager(s) and I get to ask the candidates a few questions - on their presentation, their motivations, why they're looking for a new opp, why they love sales, why they want to join our company etc. etc. More importantly, at some point we flip things around and give the candidates the floor to ask us questions.

And, this is where either all the candidate's efforts to get to this point go down the drain or give us the validation as to why the candidate made it this far.

Let's start with the #1 deal stopper,...

"Thanks for your time dear candidate, do you have any questions for us, your responsibilities or on the company you will be working for?" If you answer this question with a "NO, I'm fine. You've answered all my questions in the previous conversations and I have all the information I need", then you might as well apologize for wasting everybody's time, pack your bags, and say good-bye.

IMO, this only means that you don't care and more importantly you failed (like epically failed) the opportunity to close the deal in getting hired. I'm amazed as to how many times this still happens. You're applying for a sales job. You need to close!

To drive this home and to make sure you understand the importance: "Do you have any questions for us" is probably the most important question you will be asked during the entire interview process.

Next point of potential failure....

There's a reason why the title of the article states question"s" - plural. Simply put, if you rely on one killer question, there is a super high risk that the interviewer will have supplied the information earlier in the meeting. Not only that, but asking a question about a topic that has already been discussed will give the impression that you are not paying attention. It always pays to have a few options ready. Again, preparation is the key to success.

So, what questions should you ask at the end of a job interview?

This is it. Crunch time. You've gone through all steps to get to this point. It now all boils down to your last chance to impress the hiring manager(s) or to give this opportunity a ?? or ??.

But now, you're at the end of your job interview and you better have questions for them. The tricky part is the change from answering questions to asking questions, which can leave you floundering if unprepared. You can avoid the infamous "brain freeze" at this point in the interview by having three or four questions in your back pocket. Ideally, you want to tie in any points discussed during the interview into the questions you prepared. So, make sure your questions are adaptable to various contexts and that you don't box yourself in.

Asking relevant questions will not just impress the interviewer. They can also help you decide if this is the right job for you. You are more likely to be successful and satisfied at work if you are a good fit for the role and the company culture. If you are in any doubt, this is a great time to explore key areas. For example, ...

Development Opportunities

Asking questions about training opportunities shows that you are keen to learn. Companies are looking for adaptable employees who can learn new skills to keep up with changing technology and customer expectations. You may also want to ask about possible career paths, which would indicate that you want to commit yourself to the company over the long term. No matter how senior you are, you still want to make sure that your interview ends with the perception that you're coachable.

Company Culture

The interview process is an opportunity for you to learn about the organization's culture.

You are more likely to be happy in your new job if the company culture is a good fit with your values. You can gain an insight into the company's culture by asking the interviewer to tell you their favorite thing about working in their current role. You may gain more understanding by personalizing the question rather than simply asking the interviewer to describe the culture. ?

How the hiring process was conducted should give you a good indication on the culture, e.g. how was their responsiveness with updates, etc. Most telling is the interaction between the hiring managers or between the colleagues during the panel interview. Look out for negative body language or if they tend to cut each other off mid sentence. This is always a good culture barometer on team dynamics. Another one - how excited are the individuals when describing their role, the company, etc. Are they sarcastic or cynical? These are all small red flags that you should not ignore, but are hard to pick up on when you're in that interview tunnel.

Team Working

Questions about the team dynamic can provide insight into where the job fits in the hierarchy. It could be helpful to ask whom the role will report to if you are not already aware through the advert or job description. By asking about the team, you will also gain information on the other roles you will be working alongside.

Here you should ascertain if the response is run of the mill or if it's genuine and honest. But, most importantly it will help you get a feel for their leadership style.

The Hiring Process

Technically speaking, you should have asked about the hiring process at the very beginning. And, have it confirmed after each step of the hiring process.

But now, we're at the end of the interview process. You can always ask about the next steps. It's always a good way to {almost} round off the interview.

Understanding the interview process is critical; especially when you're mid-way in the process and still have a few steps ahead of you. The chances that you will be running multiple interview processes with different companies at the same time will be high.

So, you will want to make sure you can make a judgement call (even if you haven't gone through all the steps) when the right opportunity presents itself or if you need to manage expectations for yourself as well as for the hiring manager. Also, don't be shy to ask this question at each step of the interview process. Ideally, you will repeat them at the next meeting and gain confirmation that this is your understanding. This shows empathy and that you're listening. Just like when speaking to clients when working on a deal.

Why the {almost} last question? Well, this better not be your last question. Because, you'll need one more question to ...

Close the Deal

It's super critical to manage your time carefully throughout the conversation. Stay within the allotted time. Time management will be even more critical towards the end of the conversation. Ask if there's a hard stop. Double check how much time you have left. Don't forget to factor in the final 60-90 seconds for the "thank you for giving me the opportunity to present myself and looking forward to finalizing this process in the coming X days".

Every minute is precious and can't not be wasted.

In nutshell, make sure you plan things so that YOU own the last few minutes of the conversation. If the interviewer(s) keep(s) talking, then demand the time: "Dear X, looking at the time I would like to throw in one last question". This has to happen latest 4-5 minutes before the call ends. Again, it's all about time management now. And, believe me, in most cases it will not go unnoticed. To be clear, this applies both ways - it will be noticed if you are or are not managing your time correctly.

The reason for doing all of this? It's to make sure that you give yourself room to ask the ultimate & final question! Which, should be something in the lines of "based on the multiple conversations we've had to date and today's presentation {or final conversation or whatever it is} is there any reason why you would NOT hire me?" This is a deliberate closed ended question to ascertain status quo. Just like what you would do when you're closing a deal. If it's a NO - booyah - take it home, baby! Show me the money! Congratulations! Mission Accomplished!

If it's anything else than a NO or even a half-baked YES - then ask as many whys as you need to understand what's holding them back. Do they have another candidate on the backfire? Do they have reservations because of X, Y or Z? (Re-location needs. Lack of skills. Not enough experience. Too small of a network. Are they afraid that you're too expensive? Does your availability not meet their needs? Or the classic, they believe you're over qualified? The list could go on.

What ever the reason is, you need to know it and handle the objection(s) accordingly. If you handled the objection(s) successfully, then re-state that in your follow up email "happy that I was able to convince you.... and looking forward to the next steps". Make it's an assumptive close.

If you weren't able to successfully manage the objection (e.g. for timing reasons), then you must definitely include the reasons why in your the follow up email. Provide them the confidence that whatever the reason is, you're the right person for the job.

This is your sole last chance to fight for the deal. You have nothing to lose. Go as far as asking for another 30 minutes of their time. How much you're willing to fight for this gig is an indication as to what you will be doing in your job; especially in sales. It's a proof-point of your skills. On your determination. And, most of the times there's a good chance that your determination will fill the perceived gap your bringing along to the table.

But, much of the above hassles can be avoided with proper preparation and time management. If you believe there's still some doubt, then you need to factor in more time to work through that last question you asked. If you're confident and believe it's a slam dunk, then you can plan in less time. But, do not forget to ask the question. You may believe it's a slam dunk, but you don't want to assume that. And, you still need to show that you can close.

Questions to Avoid

It is best to avoid asking about starting salary or paid leave during the interview. You could come across as unprepared if your research should have already uncovered most of this information before you reach this stage in the application process. You may project a lack of enthusiasm for the role, appearing to be only interested in the money. The best time to negotiate your package is once you have convinced the hiring manager that you are the best person for the job.

Your goal should be to get the hiring manager to recognize your value. Get them to the point where they want you and then talk about the price! Just like closing a deal. Also, this gives you the ability to set your salary expectations after the getting the full story on the opportunity. Maybe you'll be willing to go in lower knowing that your earning potentials will be higher. It's tricky thing to go below your initial asking price - makes you look desperate.

Conclusion

Prepare yourself. This is still the #1 thing you must do in order to leave a positive impression. The second priority is to manage the final 5 minutes. You want to be in charge for that part of the conversation. Candidates have the tendency to drop their guard and to forget all the key (selling) skills they've acquired when it comes to selling themselves. You got this far for a reason, so don't screw it up just before the finish line.

Asking relevant questions of the interviewer gives you a final opportunity to demonstrate your enthusiasm and interest in the job. Go for it! Close that deal!