“Do you have any questions for us?”
If you have given job interviews then you must have encountered this question after the completion of the interview. This is the only occasion where a candidate is allowed to ask questions to the interview panel. It is important for job seekers to understand the sensibility of this question. The way you react to this situation can decide the result of your interview performance. Even if you performed exceedingly well in the interview, if you mess up with this part of the interview at the end then the result might not go your way.
When a candidate is asked if they have any questions for the panel, then they can reply in two ways. Either the candidate can ask a question or two, or they can simply say “No I do not have any question.” and put a full stop to the conversation.
The last thing a job seeker should do in this situation is to not ask any questions to the interview panel. When a candidate does not ask any question at the end, it reflects disinterest towards the job role. There are chances that the interviewer might not take this seriously, and that can only happen when the candidate has given extraordinary performance in the interview. So, the best way to respond to this. question is by asking a few questions to the panel. Even if you have one question, ask it. Ideally, a candidate should ask 2-3 questions, not more than that.
Also, there are questions a candidate must avoid asking the interviewer. Just because the candidate has been given the opportunity to ask questions, they cannot take undue advantage of it and ask anything. Asking thoughtful questions will work in your favor, but asking the wrong ones will work against you. Following are the type of questions that a job seeker should not ask the interview panel:
- Candidates should not ask about the job responsibilities. The job responsibilities are mentioned in the job description, and if you ask it to the panel then it will show that you have not gone through the job description before appearing for the interview.
- As a job seeker you should refrain from asking about the products and services which the company sells. All this information is available on the web and it is part of interview preparation to learn about them before the interview.
- Do not ask about the minimum duration which you need to serve in the company before looking for other opportunities. This will show that you are not serious about the job and it is just a stepping stone for some other job role in some other company.
- Many job seekers are excited about the benefits an employee gets after joining the company, like the joining bonus, paid leaves, referral bonus and so on. It is not a great idea to ask about all these in the interview because the panel might understand that the candidate is more interested in the employee benefits and perks instead of the actual job.
- Avoid asking questions with regards to the improvement the company is going to make in their product or service. This might come across as an understanding that you do not like(or believe) in their current product or service.
Now, a job seeker should always have 3-5 questions which they can ask the interview panel. The best way to get these questions is by researching about the company and getting in touch with current employees of the company. This way, you will find whether the job is the right fit for you or not and you can showcase yourself as an exciting candidate thus creating a win-win situation for everyone involved.