Questions you can Ask at the End of Your Interview

You have attended your interview, it has gone well so far.   You have discussed and answered a range of questions, found out about the company and the role and the interview has reached a natural conclusion. But there is a moment at the end when the interviewer asks that dreaded question…… “Is there anything you would like to ask us?”

Striking the balance right at this stage of the interview process is key.  To ask no questions at all could make you appear uninterested and unprepared, however getting out a pad and reeling off a list of 20 questions would be slightly extreme!

Asking planned and thorough questions at the end of an interview can be the deciding factor in getting you the job, so it is important to prepare this before you attend.

Naturally there maybe information that you are unaware of at this point that you would like to know to confirm whether this is a role you are interested in.  These could include questions around salary, bonus, package, benefits, holiday entitlement etc.  Ideally before the interview you will have clarity on some of this information but at this stage it is completely acceptable to ask questions to fill in any gaps in your knowledge.  If however you only ask questions like this it could appear that you are only interested in things the company can offer you, potentially creating the wrong impression.

You may also want to know more information about the interview process itself, will there be a second stage? When will this be? When will a final decision be reached?  Again although it is acceptable to ask these questions as it shows you are clearly interested in the role, it is advisable to ask other smart questions too.

Using the research you have carried out into the company can you ask a specific question linked to this?  For example “I noticed on your website that you have recently won a contract with ABC company, will this affect the growth of the company this year ?“  This type of question will make you stand out from other candidates who are being interviewed, as it shows not only the research and preparation you have made for the interview, but the interest you have in the company generally.

Using your knowledge of the job and transferable skills you have, ask a specific question linked to this. For example “ I noticed on the job description is says you use SAP as your system to process all sales orders, I have used SAP in my previous role at ABC company and wondered what version of SAP you use?”

Using your understanding of the business you can also ask specific questions about the internal infrastructure.  For example “I know you mentioned earlier that there are 20 people in the team, I wondered if you could tell me more about the structure within the team?  How does this affect progression opportunities?”

Preparing five questions before you attend the interview is a great suggestion.  Ultimately throughout the interview questions will be asked and information gathered, hopefully meaning some of your questions will be answered.  It could come across that you haven’t listened properly if you ask the same questions, but by preparing five you will have a couple left up your sleeve to achieve interview success!