Seeking or Changing a Job, How Do You Respond When Asked: "Do You Have Any Questions For Us?"

In my role as a HR consultant, I am often saddled with the responsibility of conducting recruitment exercises to fill a role or more for clients. In our typical way, we will always give the interviewee an opportunity to ask us questions. I realise that more prospective employees restrain themselves from asking questions. They think their questions may be considered stupid, rude and self-seeking. They conclude that asking questions might reduce their chances of getting the job. There are a few who take the opportunity to ask questions and truly goof by asking questions whose answers are either obvious or not required for the stage of interaction they are at. I have heard someone ask for salaries even when the job ad he responded to had the details of the pay.

My goal in this piece is to give you a framework for asking questions during interviews. It doesn't matter what stage of your career you are at, this framework will guide you in determining the type of questions that will reveal your readiness for the role. Asking good questions has a lot of benefits during the interviews. There are a few of them I can signpost:

1. It shows your level of preparedness for the role. When you ask good questions, it is proof that you are committed to the process and are willing to explore all the needed areas.
2. It brings clarity. Assumption is the least level of knowledge. Questions enable you to clarify expectations and reinforce perceptions.
3. It reveals your level of intelligence. The kinds of questions you ask reveal your ability to take and use information. It expresses your level of comprehension of the demands for the role you are being interviewed for.
4. It can redeem the perception of interviewees. Good questions can change the perception of the interviewee about your fitness for the role. Peradventure you haven't done well during the cross examination, your questions will serve as a redemption pathway to validating your competence.

Guidelines for Asking Good Questions

Here are a few guiding principles that will help you know what kinds of questions to ask during interviews when you are prompted to do so. The suggested questions are by no means an exhaustive list, they only serve as a guide to thinking of the kinds of questions you should be looking to ask under each category.

1. Certifications and Licenses. A good question will be an inquiry into the knowledge of the licenses the company has to conduct their business. Do your homework well by knowing what licenses the company you are applying to requires to render their service and simply ask during the interview: "Does this company have the required licenses to operate in this industry?", "Will you be requiring my professional license and certification to enable you provide this service to customers?"
2. Regulatory Requirements. The future of your career with any organization is dependent on how compliant they are with laws and regulations. There are mandatory requirements expected of organizations. Questions such as "Do you have an existing practice on contributory pension scheme?", "What is the status of this company with tax authorities?"
3. Culture. The culture of the organization typifies their values and philosophy. It also spells out their degree of toxicity. When seeking a job, a list of core values on the wall says a bit about the company but not enough to validate their culture. You may wish to find out "How were the core values of this company derived?", "What socio-cultural events are observed here", "How diverse is the workforce?"
4. Diversity of skill on the team. Seeing that you are coming to work on a team, it is only fair to know the diversity of skills on the team. This speaks to your intention to know the value you are likely to add to them upon joining the organization. Your inquiries may include "What's the rate of certification on this team?"
5. Participation in Industry/Professional Activities. Your desire for industry relevance may prompt questions in this category. You really want to find out if the organization is involved in a way that can promote your visibility. You may want to find out things such as "What professional associations does this company belong to?", "What is the level of participation in industry related events?".
6. Historical information about the role you are filling. Many a time, interviewees shy away from asking questions in this regard. They are ignorant of the fact that employers want to know how you have traversed during your career life and as such you have a right to know about the history of the role you are about to fill. Questions such as "How many people have occupied this role in the past 5years?", "What is the attrition rate in the department housing this role?" "Where have previous holders from this job moved on to within the organization?"
7. Work Arrangements. Let there be no assumption when it comes to the type of work arrangements your prospective job offers. Every question brings clarity of expectations. You should ask "Is this a full time role or contract?", "Is this role remote, physical, or hybrid?"
8. Role Status. Where it is not clearly stated, you want to know where your role sits in the hierarchy of the organization. This helps you to know how easily your influence and impact will be felt in the organization. You might want to know "Is this a leadership role of any sort?", "What level of decision making will I be involved in?"
9. Learning and Development. The support you'll get as you develop your career is important to your career success. You should not shy away from making inquiries such as "What forms of learning interventions are there in this organization?", "Is there a prevailing policy on learning or is it executed on a need basis?"
10. Flipping Questions. Another way to think about setting questions for interviewers is to always flip the questions they ask you. For example, if they ask, "why have you worked in 5 places in five years?" you may flip the question to ask "what is the attrition rate on this role and why is it so?"

Caution

These categories are not exhaustive. They serve to guide you in knowing how to find questions to ask during interviews. You should also note that inasmuch as these categories apply to all levels of roles, the questions to be asked at each level will differ. An entry level staff may not need to inquire about decision making opportunities.

Final Word

If you keep quiet when given the opportunity to ask a question, you may just have deprived yourself the opportunity to let the recruiters see what you are made up of.

OAO