Status: 13.01.2024, 11:16 a.m.
By: Natalie Hull-Deichsel
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For the interview, many applicants prepare for potential questions and the best answers. It is also crucial to ask important questions yourself.
You have every reason to be happy, because your employer of choice has invited you to an interview! Now it's time to prepare in good time and think carefully about the best answers you should give to the common questions. But what are common questions from HR managers and potential supervisors in job interviews these days? And are there any questions that you should dare to ask yourself? One question in particular can give you information about how important your position is in the company in the long term.
Job interview: What questions you should prepare for as an applicant
As an applicant, asking critical questions in the interview can also help you to better classify your future position in the company. © AndreyPopov/Imago
It may be that you have already applied for a new job at several companies and have been invited for an interview, and yet you realize that every interview is different, even if the common questions are often asked. On the one hand, this is due to the types of people who conduct the interview on the company's side, and on the other hand, it is also due to the corporate culture and values to which the applicant should fit.
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Typical interview questions for recruiters and potential supervisors include:
- "Why do you want to work for our company?"
- "What do you bring to the table that other applicants don't?"
- "What are your strengths and weaknesses?"
- "What has been your biggest eye-opener so far in your career?"
- "If we were to ask one of your former superiors about you, what would he or she tell us?"
- "How do you deal with criticism?"
- "If a (former) colleague of yours were to describe you, what would he or she say?"
- "What has been your biggest success so far, what has been your biggest failure?"
- "Name three outstanding qualities of yours."
The range of possible questions on the part of the employer is almost endless, so it is definitely advisable to prepare good and clever answers. But what many candidates forget is that the get-to-know-you interview also serves to get the potential employee to ask questions of the HR manager and the future boss – even critical questions. This can sometimes even be seen as a positive thing.
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New job: Which interview question shows you how important your position in the company is
"Do you have any questions?" is a statement that often brings the job interview to an end. You should never answer this moment with "No, I don't have any questions", but rather use it for yourself to stake out points that are important to you. Just don't think that asking questions is a sign of weakness – quite the opposite. Questions underline your fundamental interest and may be able to provide insight into your background knowledge and value system. Of course, you should think about your points in advance: "What exactly does your company do?", certainly does not reflect well on you as an interested candidate.
See your questions and the answers to them as an opportunity to learn even more about the company and the vacancy, as kununu, the portal for independent valuation of companies, also picks up.
A selection of your questions to HR managers and employers could be:
- "What do you expect from an ideal candidate in this position?"
- "From your point of view, what is the biggest challenge in this position?"
- "How close will the role to be filled be aligned with the company's core functions, tasks, and goals, and will I work on projects that are mission-critical?"
- "Why do YOU like working for the company?"
- "What does the communication between the departments look like?"
- "Who would be my direct supervisor?"
- "How many people would my team or the team I work in consist of?"
- "How much time is allocated for the induction phase?"
- "Is there an official home office policy?"
- "Are there training programs for employees?"
In particular, the third question, "How close will the role to be filled be aligned with the company's core functions, tasks, and goals, and will I work on projects that are mission-critical?" should be asked. The answer can be crucial for your decision as to whether the job and the company are right for you at all. This should show what the company's current priorities are and how closely the advertised position aligns with these goals. If the role is embedded in a newer, experimental team or in a department that is struggling, that could be a red flag.
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What often shows up in reality is that whenever things get tough and business leaders face increased pressure to meet their revenue targets, they will do everything they can to retain the employees – who help them achieve those numbers.
Also, pay attention to how a hiring manager approaches you during the application process and interview: Does it seem like they're excited to bring you on board, or is recruiting for that position more of a chore for them? Does the recruiter get back to you in time or do you have to follow up three times before you get a response? Tendencies that can already be identified in the run-up to or during the first job interviews.
If, in the end, there are indications of a less positive development for your feelings, you will ultimately question the position and the company for yourself as well – because not only should you be a good fit for the company, but also the company as a good employer for you.