SIPVS Knowledge is Power
If you’ve ever been on the market for a car or a house, have you ever went to view it and then left without asking any questions? Well of course not, because it’s a key investment decision and you want to find out information that will inform you to make the right choice going forward.
So how come so many jobseekers fail to grasp the opportunity to ask the interview panel relevant questions? After all you’ve already invested time and effort to put together your application or your CV, research the company, find out who’s on the panel, understand the job description and put together answers for the questions that they might ask you. Surely you view your career as an investment decision as well? And ultimately you want to get the best return from you effort to date.
It is our view that the opportunity to ask interview panel relevant questions is the most undervalued element of every recruitment exercise. Now asking questions is one thing, but asking these questions in the right way is another. So let’s have a look at a
few examples. … Another way of asking that question would be,
“How to my abilities fit the job description and how do I compare against other candidates that you are interviewing?”
In one sense that puts the interview panel on the spot. They are ultimately going to outline some strengths and weaknesses you might have, so seize upon this opportunity to add further information. … That’s quite a specific question, so another way of doing that would be,
“Can you outline the complete set of benefits that are available for this role, and does it increase with length of service?” …
I think a better way to ask this question is, “I’ve done some research on your company” – then provide a specific example –
“Can you expand on this, or tell me something about the company or the department?”
The second approach outlines your interest in the opportunity and any information gained will undoubtedly help to sway your decision if an offer is made later on down the line.
… An alternate way of asking this question is to ask the panel directly
“What is your experience of working for this company?
“In this instance the panel would possibly outline how the team bonds and indicate any social aspects of working for this organisation. It also displays if they enjoy working for the company which is very important for you making you decision. … If you ask that question there’s a risk that the panel would take the view that you haven’t read or don’t fully understand the job description. An alternate way to ask that question would be,
“What are the expectations of the role, other than those outlined in the job description?” This question shows you are very interested in the opportunity and particularly keen to find out information that may not be outlined in the job description.
… I would instead ask “Does the company support ongoing training and personal development?
“This question is very important because it provides you with an insight if this is the right company for you. You want to try and establish if the company has won any awards for personal and professional development, if they have Investors in People and also if they can indicate how long staff have been working at the company, for example what is the average duration for employment.
This is a very important question in today’s economy. A better way of asking it however would be, “How has the company developed in the last 2 to 3 years? How will the company and the department and this role progress in the 2 or 3 years going forward?” … So let’s quickly recap on the key benefits of asking interview panels relevant questions.
First of all ‘Personal Skills’.
This is an opportunity for you to display your communication and organizational skills and indicate a strong level of confidence and assertiveness and these are all key attribute that every interview panel will want to assess.
The second important benefit would be ‘Desire’. Asking relevant questions about the role, the department and the organization, and indeed how things will progress int he future, indicates a strong aspiration to belong to this organization. When you consider that many other interviewees may not be asking relevant questions, this surely gives you a competitive advantage.
The third and final benefit is ‘Influence’. You’re there to ultimately gain a connection and make the right impression and by asking relevant questions you’ll get information about the company and opportunity that’ll help inform you to make the right choice…
SIPVS contribution
Sriram Institute of Professional and Vocational Studies (SIPVS) Established in 2014 for giving Basic and Higher education to the society. SIPVS aim to grow rapidly by establishing a strong tradition of high quality. So start your training with SIPVS. Learn all the tricks from clearing the exam to getting the job.
