What to Ask at the End of the Interview

Published June 17, 2009 @ 08:56AM PT

In last week's discussion of job interviews, Evie Romero Montoya mentioned that she never knows what to ask when they say "Do you have any questions for us?" Since having some follow-up questions proves your interest in the position, you need to be ready with something. These are my standard questions. I have a lot of them, because I look at the interview as a chance to decide if the job is right for me.

1. What do you think that [organization name] could be doing better?

2. Why are you hiring externally for this job instead of promoting internally? (This one can sound combative, so only use it if you're sure the situation is right.)

3. What does [organization] do that you're most proud of?

4. [if you're being interviewed by a program person] What do you like most about working here? (I really like asking this question, because sometimes the answers are really surprising. I also once got an answer so good it convinced me to take a job I wasn't sure about, and that was a good decision.)

5. Mention a recent news article/blog post/press release about the organization, and ask for more details. Sample "So, I just saw that the World Food Programme has a new blog written by its field staff. Is that a brand new social media initiative, or an extension of existing work?"

6. How long have you worked for [organization]. How long do you plan to stay?

7. What major challenges do you think [organization] is facing?

8. How would you describe the organizational culture here?

9. How long does an average employee stay here? (This can be a very revealing question. If the answer is "a year or two," that's a bad sign.)

10. What does [organization] value in its employees? (Good answers are things like initiative and commitment. Bad answers are things like loyalty and good judgment.)

What do you think? Are these useful? Does anyone else have favorite questions they ask in interviews?

Share this Post

Comments (2)

I've found that asking of your interviewer, “So, how did you get involved in this work?” can be very effective. Everybody likes to talk about themselves, and it’s never a bad thing to show that you’re interested in others and that you recognize the work you will potentially be doing is not just about your skills and contributions but also about being able to work within a team. And you might learn something interesting about your interviewer’s career path or career decision-making process that you find helpful down the road.

Posted by Mark Overmann on 06/24/2009 @ 05:05AM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Mark
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
I've asked "do you have any concerns about my candidacy that I can use this opportunity to address?" In my case, I think it really made the difference - I stiffen up during interviews and had come across as overly formal, so that allowed me to persuade them that yes, I would be a good personality fit.

One quibble: for Washington-based policy positions, it's definitely standard for junior staff to stay 1-2 years at most (at least for their first job). In really small nonprofits or think tanks, there is just limited room for internal advancement; moreover, many young people move on to grad school around that point in their career. So in those situations, a more appropriate follow-up question would be "what types of positions/grad programs are typical of your junior staff 'alumni'?"

Posted by Jessica Pickett on 07/15/2009 @ 09:17AM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Jessica
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply

Add a Comment

For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

Comment

Check Spelling

Email me when there are new posts to this thread
Comment Policy

Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.

Author

Alanna Shaikh has spent the last ten years immersed in global health; she has worked for NGOs, companies, universities, and the US government on projects that ranged from preventing antibacterial resistance to improving maternal and child health.