As the interview draws to a close, the interviewer will usually ask if you have any questions. Being prepared ahead of time for this opportunity will further impress the interviewer.
Your questions should show a sincere interest in this particular employer, an awareness of the employer's needs, and an indication of how you can fulfill those needs. What is a good question? In general, good questions are those which are concrete but not so basic that they lead the interviewer to assume that you have not researched the company. Ask the most important questions first as the employer might be on a tight time schedule. The lesser questions can be dealt with in the follow-up interview.
An inappropriate question in the first interview is one that deals with salary or fringe benefits. Remember, this is a screening interview. Both you and the interviewer are trying to determine if there is any interest. If there is, and a follow-up interview does take place, there will be ample time to discuss salary and fringe benefits.
The questions you ask might cover the following areas:
- The employer's management philosophy
- The nature of the training program and supervision given in the early years
of employment - Procedure for annual reviews
- Opportunities within the company after a few years of service
- The average age of a first level supervisor
- The strengths of the individual formerly in this position
- Amount of travel involved
