Career Coach: Interviewing your interviewer

"I saw on your website that you are planning to open an office in New York. What impact will that have on your sales figures next year?"

If you are applying for a role in finance then you might ask:

"I noticed from your annual report that your EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation] increased by 25pc last year. Do you think you will be able to sustain that level of growth in the current market?"

For an administrative role an important question might be:

"I see that you have recently moved to larger premises. What challenges has the move presented to the administrative department?"

Questions that demonstrate your commitment

"What kind of training is available?"

"How will you measure my success in the job after 12 months?"

"What are my long-term prospects with the business?"

The first two questions demonstrate that you are genuinely interested in the job. You want to obtain further training and you are interested in how your performance will be measured.

The third question clearly shows that you expect to stay with the company for an extended period of time. Of course, the actual questions that you ask need to be tailored to each interview. Don’t make the mistake of inadvertently revealing your lack of preparation. For example, don’t ask questions about topics that are clearly explained in the job advertisement or on the company website.

Questions about the culture of the organisation

"What kind of people succeed in your business?"

"Do members of the team mix socially after work?"

"Would I be free to manage my own work in this position?"

Each of these questions again demonstrates your interest and commitment to the job but also suggests that the organisation may need to sell the job to you as well. The third question in particular implies that you might not be interested in the job if you don’t have an element of autonomy. If the interviewer starts extolling the virtues of working for their organisation then you’ve probably got the job.

Try to prepare approximately 10 good questions before the interview. Some of them will probably be answered during the interview but you will still have some further questions to ask.

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