A Job interview is not a one-way street, i.e. the interviewer is not the only one who gets to ask the questions. As a candidate, you will also get your opportunity to present your questions.
So, take the opportunity to clear all the confusion, before making your decision.
Here are 20 questions you can ask the interviewer:
1. Could you help to describe about the working environment here?
2. What would be my immediate task once I am on board?
3. What are the challenges that I need to foresee as the Head of the Department? Is there any issue that requires more attention than others?
4. May I know how the position is made vacant? Did somebody moves on to a new organization? Is this a newly created position?
5. How long the position has been vacant?
6. Since you mentioned to me that the hiring decision will not be made based on this interview alone, could you explain more details about the hiring process, up until the final decision?
7. In your opinion, what do you consider the organization’s weaknesses and strengths?
8. If you don’t mind, can you describe, based on your own experience, the attributes of employees that would make them successful executives in this company?
9. Perhaps you can share with me about the career path and the succession planning for this position? In terms of job rotation, how flexible the system is? Do you give opportunity for employees in different department to interchange their roles?
10. If I do well, what would be the additional opportunities that may await me in the immediate term? How about long term?
11. How does each of your branch nationwide work? Do they operate independently from each other? How close the relationship with other offices? If there is opportunity for the workers to be transferred to different states or even region, how would the process work?
12. My 5 year professional goal, if possible, is to expose myself with your regional operation. Could this be a reality?
13. Can you explain to me more details about the team members that I would be working with? Who they are, and what are their roles in the team?
14. Would you be able to explain about the company’s commitment to equal opportunity?
15. From my own research, I saw that the company has evolved into diverse range of other businesses for the past 5 years. Do you have knowledge about the company’s direction for the next, say 5 years more?
16. What are the important areas that you feel I can grow fastest in?
17. Can I know how my performance, leadership and results will be measured? How does the performance system works, and how frequent it is done?
18. What are the weaknesses in this current project that you’re particularly looking forward to improve?
19. Can you describe about the organizational and the reporting structure in the division? Does one executive report to only one supervisor, or is it a mixed system where one can have a few different bosses at one time, depending on the project?
20. I remember you saying that the person who left this position vacant was a high performer. Would you be able to describe some specific actions that made him considered so?
