Asking uncommon interview questions can make you stand out as a highly qualified candidate, especially when facing stiff competition. Hiring managers are impressed by candidates who understand the job thoroughly enough to delve deeper into issues that have a significant impact on daily operations. If you want to sway the hiring manager and edge past your competition, present these thought-provoking questions during your next interview.
1. Why Should I Work Here?
After being probed for every detail of your professional experience, interviewing the interviewer gives you a chance to find out what makes the company different from other organizations. The hiring manager may discuss benefits or incompatibilities that aren't obvious from the job posting, helping you determine if the work environment is best suited to your personality and goals.
2. What Are the Top Three Job Priorities?
Clarifying the job priorities is the easiest way to set yourself up for success. The broadness of the question prompts the hiring manager to flesh out the expectations and pain points of the job while enabling you to tailor your responses to the company's needs. More importantly, if different interviewers disagree about the goals of the job, the company could have major communication or operational issues.
3. How Can I Do An Amazing Job?
Develop a plan of action for your first six months on the job by finding out how the hiring manager measures exceptional performance. This interview question tells you what qualities the company values and how to focus your efforts to achieve the best results.
4. What Makes Your Team Successful?
Most hiring managers want employees who seamlessly fit with their existing teams, so this question provides insight into the qualities and strengths that help the team work well together. By listening to what the hiring manager values, you can also draw conclusions about the boss's management style and which personality types clash with the company culture.
5. How Does the Company Optimize Employee Performance?
If innovation and operational efficiency are important to you, look for companies that care about optimizing the workflow to improve results for employees and customers. Passionate hiring managers are excited to discuss tools and resources that set the company part, so beware of interviewers who have no clue how to answer this question.
6. What Are Your Biggest Obstacles?
Problems are always a sensitive subject, but every company has them. Asking the interviewer to be upfront about pain points helps you identify problems you can tackle to make yourself indispensable to the boss; or you can determine whether you want to avoid the company altogether.
7. Are There Any Questions I Should Have Asked?
Give yourself every opportunity to stand out by making sure you haven't left any important questions unanswered. You have nothing to lose, and the hiring manager may introduce a topic you overlooked, offering one last chance to make a great impression.
Never waste the Q&A portion of an interview on fluff questions that tell you nothing about the company or work environment. Hiring managers want to know how carefully you think about employment decisions, so choose compelling questions that provide mutual clarity about your ability to advance the company.
Photo courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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