Your interview is wrapping up, and the interviewer asks; “Do you have any questions?”

Some candidates have no qualms about this – they can think on their feet after a long, nerve-wracking hour of interrogation. Others struggle greatly.

The purpose of this post is to help the latter with this final question.

1) Preparation is key.

Sit down the night before your interview and put some thought into the initial list of questions that you’d like to ask during your interview. To get started, think about what questions you need answered to know if this is the right opportunity.

Some examples might be:

• How do you measure success in your company? Tell me about the best person you have ever had in this position and what made that person
• What are some of the common denominators that exist with the more successful employees of this company?
• What are the biggest challenges one will face in this role?
• What are the two most important problems that need to be addressed/corrected in the first six months by the person in this position?
• What are the key responsibilities for this position and which are most important?
• What results are expected of this position? What are examples of the best results produced by people in this role?
• Why did my predecessor leave this position?
• Tell me about your background and what attracted you
• What advancement can a person expect, in this company and in the industry at large, after doing this job well?
• What are some of the company’s short and long range objectives?
• In what areas does this company excel? In what areas does this company have some limitations?
• What are the company or department goals for this year and next?
• How will I be evaluated, and how often?

2) Never just say “No”.

Never reply with a “No” – even if all of your prepared questions have been answered. (If you prepared thoroughly and your interviewer doesn’t just happen to be a mind reader, you should have at least one question left!)

You can come up with new questions throughout the interviewing process as others on your list get answered. Instead of asking a question during the interview, write it down and wait until the end.

If you feel that thinking of questions while trying to answer questions during your interview would distract you, you can reiterate the questions you had with the answers already given by your interviewer. This will assure him or her that you are in fact interested in the opportunity and the company, that you were listening, and that you were prepared. The more you can extend your face-time with the interviewer, the more likely you are to stumble upon a shared subject of interest, a sought after skill, or some other common ground. Your last impression is often just as important as your first. Ending on an abrupt note will leave a lasting, negative impression on the interviewer.

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So, do you have any questions?

Written by Faith Drew