… THE QUALITY OF THE QUESTIONS ASKED BY THE CANDIDATE … January is the time of year when lots of people are looking for jobs. So in that spirit... There is one part of an interview that has consistently been the most reliable for me in terms of evaluating and distinguishing candidates. It is also a part of interviewing that is systematically overlooked by job-seekers, and that is …. … THE QUALITY OF THE QUESTIONS ASKED BY THE CANDIDATE … Most questions from candidates are very generic and shallow. They sound more like the obvious questions that even a casual observer of the company would ask at a cocktail party: Where do you see the company in 5 years? Or, what do you think of fill-in-the-blank-widely-reported-competitor? Interviewers themselves even under-emphasize candidate questions. Typically, they raise it at the tail end of the interview: Any questions for us? - posed almost like a rhetorical line suggesting that no, youve actually really covered the things I wanted to know is the appropriate reply. Candidates questions are the most revealing part of an interview - and it’s good to always solicit them early. GREAT QUESTIONS DEMONSTRATE • Intellect, • Depth of Knowledge about the company, • Sincerity of Interest in the job. • Insights • Shows how much time youve spent preparing for the interview • Great questions will set you apart. Believe me. In this time of New Years resolutions, resolve to never come to an interview without 2-3 Killer Questions prepared. AS A RULE OF THUMB, dont ask anything you couldnt have answered yourself with some research on your own. And make sure you ask them early enough in the conversation to give you time to show off your work. Heres the difference between a Forgettable Question and a Great Question (this is a real example): FIRST EXAMPLE; Whats the transition been like with the new CEO? Mediocre question. SECOND EXAMPLE; I noticed you took 9 months to find a new CEO, and you picked someone who has been a VC for the last 5 years. Im curious about the criteria you used. Why did it take so long? Great question.
Posted on: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 05:37:12 +0000
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