You nailed every question the hiring manager threw your way and now it’s time to wow her with your insightful questions.
But what should you ask?
Some might argue that there is no such thing as a dumb question, but it would not be smart to ask about these topics:
1. Company perks
Yes, it would awesome to have an office bar and free scuba diving, but don’t bring up perks in the interview. Doing so makes you look focused on the wrong things. A more tactful approach would be to ask something like, “What makes this a unique place to work?”
If a certain perk is a deal-breaker for you — e.g. generous paid time off or childcare — then bring it up during negotiations after you’re offered the job.
2. Anything that makes you seem inflexible
“Do I have to work weekends?” “Can I work from home on Fridays?” “Is relocation necessary?” Don’t send the message that you need special treatment. Again, these things might be important to you, but leave them for the negotiation phase when you have more bargaining power.
3. Information that is readily available online
Don’t ask bare-bones questions that you should already know the answers to (“What does your company do?”). Whatever your reason for asking, you’ll look lazy, disinterested, or completely uneducated about the job — none of which are attractive qualities in an employee.
4. Anything that brings your character into question
“Are you going to drug test me? What about my Facebook profile — are you going to check that?” Perhaps the mother of all red flags, questions like these leave the interviewer wondering what you have to hide.
So what should you ask about in your interview? Our previous post suggests these 5 questions.
