Questions To Ask During An Interview

Thanks for the idea Minh Pham! Last week Minh posted some questions to ask a potential employer, I want to continue that conversation with my own post.

More often than not, especially with Entry Level positions, interviewees forget that an interview is not only for the company to decide whether you are the right fit for their team at the moment, but also for you to determine if that company is the right fit for you. Here are some questions I would suggest to help you form an opinion about your possible future with the company.

I'm going to use I and Q below; I is for the insight you should be looking to receive, while Q is for the question you ask the employer. 

I: How fast are they expecting me to be able to get up to speed?

Q: If you were to hire me, what would you expect of me after one week, one month, and three months.

I: Will I be able to grow with this company?

Q: After putting in the time and effort it takes to be considered a master in this role, what options/positions are available for career growth?

I: What's the work/life balance?

Q: As with any business, there will be times when there is more work than can fit in a typical forty-hour workweek due to deadline constraints. How often in the last year have employees been required (or opted in) to work over forty hours a week. 

Q: When working in production environments, I understand it's common to support our customers/stakeholders' emergency requests. Is there an on-call schedule for this particular position? If so, can you provide any details regarding this schedule?

I: Will this position fit in with my work style?

Q: After getting familiar with my position, can you describe what an average day and a non-average day would look like?

Q: How many hours a week will I be in meetings/planning sessions vs. doing work to progress my mastery in this position.

There are plenty more you can come up with, but the overall format I try to go with is: 

1.   What insight am I trying to gain 
2.   How can I preface my question, so it doesn't come off cynical or presumptuous
3.   What's the actual question I'll ask.