How many times have you felt confident and ready for an interview - only to feel like a deer in the headlights when the interviewer asks you about something you hadn’t prepared for? It happens to the best of us. There is nothing more disappointing than putting your heart and soul into an interview and then failing to get the job because you weren’t prepared. That’s why it’s important to think ahead and ask yourself some key questions before that next interview. When we prepare for an interview, we not only feel more confident but also avoid any awkward silences that can make or break our chances of getting the job. It may seem a little strange but asking questions in an interview helps you sell yourself as well as see if this is somewhere you want to work. Therefore, before your next interview, ask yourself these few questions:
What are your company’s biggest challenges right now?
Every company is going to have challenges, especially ones that are growing quickly. What is important is that you get a clear understanding of what the biggest challenges are and how you plan to help solve them. You don’t want to go into an interview and have the interviewer spend the whole time talking about their challenges and not get a chance to show what you can do for them. Interviewers often use big challenges as a way to test candidates and see how they think under pressure. Knowing what the challenges are will also help you to understand the company culture better. If a company is already struggling, you may want to think twice about joining them. On the other hand, if they are facing challenges, you may have an opportunity to help turn things around and make a real difference.
Where do you see the company in 3 years?
This is a great conversation starter. Interviewers often ask this question to see how well you understand the company’s business and how globally aware you are. They also want to know if you have a clear vision for the company’s future success. This is a question you can’t just brush past. You need to think about it carefully and have an answer ready. If you don’t know what the company does, you’ve got some work to do before the interview. If you know what they do but don’t understand the company’s vision, you need to do more research. If you know what they do and understand their vision, you just need to be ready to talk about it. Your goal is to make the interviewer see that you know your stuff and are a good fit for the company.
How does this position contribute to that?
This is where you start to sell yourself. You want to make sure you sell yourself to the company before they sell you to themselves. This is a great question to ask once you’ve had a chance to talk about the company’s vision and challenges and understand the role you’re interviewing for. This is where you get to talk about how you can help the company grow, reach their goals, and solve their biggest challenges. You want to avoid sounding like you are reading a script. You want to sound genuine - like you are genuinely interested in the company and this particular role. You also want to be careful not to go on too long. You don’t want your interviewer to tune you out.
Why is now the right time to hire?
This is one of the questions you should ask your interviewer. You may not get a chance to ask it but it’s important to know why they feel now is the right time to hire. This will help you understand not only the role but the company as well. If you can’t get a clear answer to this question, you may want to think twice about accepting the job. It’s perfectly normal to want to hire when the company is growing but you want to be sure it’s not a knee-jerk reaction and the interviewer isn’t just hiring because they can. If you can’t get a clear answer to this question, follow up with a question like this: “What are some of the factors that have led you to decide now is the right time to hire?”
Data dodania: 04-09-22