Interview questions

DCFC79

Ive managed to bag myself 2 interviews next week but 1 of the things i dont think i do to well on is asking questions, some of the questions i can think off the top of my head are, the 2 interviews are for IT jobs if it helps:

what chance is there for training ?
Was there much interest in the position ?


and this is where i get stuck, im not keen on asking about pay and holidays at this stage or would asking about holidays be a question to ask ?

appreciate any advice

appearence wise im fine with as i wear a suit and polished black shoes

456789

DO NOT ASK ABOUT PAY/HOLIDAYS!

What training will be given to the the successful applicant?
I have read X about the company and would be interested to know more
What is the culture of the company like?
Who would be my supervisor?

Anihilator

DCFC79 wrote: »

Ive managed to bag myself 2 interviews next week but 1 of the things i dont think i do to well on is asking questions, some of the questions i can think off the top of my head are, the 2 interviews are for IT jobs if it helps:

what chance is there for training ?
Was there much interest in the position ?


and this is where i get stuck, im not keen on asking about pay and holidays at this stage or would asking abotu holidays be a question to ask ?

appreciate any advice

appearence wise im fine with as i wear a suit and polished black shoes

Ask what a typical day involves?
Ask about the ethos of the organisation and your immediate colleagues?
Ask how the vacancy exists?
Ask about expansion/restructuring plans?
How long has this existing team/structure etc been in place?
What sort of in house training do they offer?
What sort of training do they like to promote in their staff?
What is the typical level of staff turnover?
When is a decision being made and when will the sucessful applicant be notified?
Do they have an anticipated start date?


Tbh asking about the details of applications is pointless and clearly a filler?

jadziad

Think of how previous jobs have handled things badly. Use them as examples [without naming companies] and ask whether they would have the same problems, while at the same time suggesting how you would do them.

Or ask in-depth questions related to comments you've heard about them on their site or comments in peoples' blogs etc.

DCFC79

Thanks, some good questions there, ill write them down and try and memorise them

cassie55

I always ask how the success of the role will be measured.

If you can find out if the company is making a profit or loss at the moment, ask how they are being affected by the current economic climate based on their good/bad (be specific) results. It shows you have researched the company.

alunharford

I'd expect questions to specific to the job being advertised. If you're in a job interview for a software developer I'd expect questions about software methodology - if you're in a job interview for an infrastructure job I'd expect questions about how the server farm in managed, what difficulties you have with users, how well the system is working, etc.

Asking about training is tricky... Many people will read that as 'I don't know how to do the job'. This can either be bad (if they were expecting that you did) or good (it's an essential attitude if the company is trying to hire somebody to train up).

bristol_pilot

I would also be wary about asking about training, for the reason given by the above poster.

I always ask how the organisation measures its success, which is similar to cassie55's suggestion.

Fluffi

I agree with the previous two posters about being careful about asking about training ... you don't want to come across as someone who wants to be sent on courses if they are the type of company that doesn't believe on sending people on courses or training.

alunharford

Fluffi wrote: »

I agree with the previous two posters about being careful about asking about training ... you don't want to come across as someone who wants to be sent on courses if they are the type of company that doesn't believe on sending people on courses or training.

On the other hand, you might not want the job if that isn't the case. If training is appropriate, it's probably good to ask (and talk about it, to work out of the job is right for you). If it's not appropriate, you really shouldn't ask 'just for something to talk about in the interview'.

Obviously, if the job title has 'trainee' in it, you need to talk about training. The same probably applies to 'junior'.

jackomdj

Write your questions down in a nice notebook & refer to them if you need to. A prospective employer would not be put off by you refering to some things you have thought about asking before the interview.

As it is IT depending on what you will be doing it may be worth asking if there are any bespoke systems that you will need to be responsible for/have input with. If they do not cover it ask what systems/programmes they use & it they have anything new coming onboard in the future.