How Questionable Are Your Interview Questions?

Most interviewees sit down across from their interviewers prepared to play defense. They have memorized their resumes, can list their skills sets without hesitation and even explain their way out of absurd hypothetical situations their prospective employers invent to test their creativity, grace under pressure and ability to navigate a challenging situation.

However, many interviewees fail to play offense during the precious minutes of a job interview. Interviewees must successfully answer the questions aimed at them, and then respond with their own questions. The relationship shouldn’t be adversarial however. Don’t think of interviews as a combative boxing match but a civilized game of chess. Matching your partner’s moves and responding with a strategy of your own is a sign of respect. And in interviews this is done in the form of questions.

This article explains, "’If you talk to recruiters and executives who are actively hiring, they will tell you they get three types of questions: no questions, bad questions, and -- very rarely -- memorable questions,’ says Andrew Sobel [author of Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, Influence Others]. ‘The candidates asking the memorable questions are usually the ones who get job offers.’”

So make sure you put just as much time into preparing asking questions as you do into answering them. You haven’t worked this hard to arrive at this point in your career just to lose the opportunity because you didn’t prepare sufficiently. Do your research, and more importantly: listen carefully. Asking an intelligent question within the context of a conversation is much more impressive than simply lobbing a canned question where it doesn’t make sense. Your questions count more than you may think.

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