Questions relating to the new job / company:
- Why do you want this job?
- What qualities do you think will be required for this job?
- What / how do you feel you can contribute?
- Why do you want to work for this company?
- What do you know about this company?
- What interests you about our product (or service)?
- What can we (the new company) offer that your previous company cannot offer?
- You have not done this sort of job before. How will you cope / succeed?
- Why should we employ you?
- How long do you think it would be before you were making a significant contribution to the team/company?
- How ambitious are you?
- What do you like and dislike about the job we are discussing?
- What are you looking for in a new job?
- What would you like to avoid in your next job?
- You may be over qualified for this position?
- Are you prepared to relocate?
- Are you willing to travel?
- What level of salary are you looking for now?
Questions relating to your current / previous job:
- How much does your last job resemble the one you are applying for?
- What are the differences?
- What do you think of the last company you worked for?
- Why did you join your previous company?
- Did they live up to your expectations?
- Why are you leaving now?
- Explain the organisational structure in your last company and how you fitted into it?
- What did you think of your manager/supervisor?
- How did you get on with your previous manager/supervisor, co-workers and subordinates?
- What did you do on a day to day basis?
- Did you increase sales or profits in your last job?
- Have you reduced costs at your last company?
- Did you feel you progressed satisfactorily in your last job?
- What problems did you encounter in your last job?
- What elements of your last role challenged you?
- What are your current salary expectations?
Career related questions:
- Why did you choose a career in …?
- Why are you changing careers?
- What are your career goals?
- How long have you been looking for a new job?
- Do you prefer to work in a small, medium or large company?
- What would your ideal job be?
- Are you considering any other positions at the moment?
- If you have changed jobs a lot you may be asked how long you would stay in the new job.
- Have you ever been fired?
- How often are you off sick?
- What will your referees say about you?
Questions relating to you:
- How would you describe yourself?
- How would others describe you?
- Do you consider yourself successful?
- What was your greatest success?
- How did you achieve it?
- What has been your biggest failure?
- How could you improve yourself?
- Are you a leader?
- How do you handle criticism?
- What sort of manager are you?
- What makes a good manager?
- Do you work well with others?
- Do you need other people around to stimulate you or are you self-motivated?
- Are you accepted into a team quickly?
- Can you act on your own initiative?
- How do you run a meeting?
- What motivates you?
- What management style gets the best results out of you?
- Do you know how to motivate other people?
- Are you competitive?
- Are you aggressive?
- What do you dislike doing?
- Do you feel you are ready to take on greater responsibilities?
- Can you work under pressure?
- How many hours are you prepared to work?
- Do you mind working for someone older than yourself? Younger than you? Of the opposite sex?
- What interests do you have outside work?
Questions you could ask:
- Why is this position available?
- What exactly will I be doing should I be accepted for the position?
- What is a typical day like for someone in a similar position to the one I am applying for?
- Could you break the position into specific functions?
- Could you explain the company structure?
- Tell me about your style of management and the reporting structure within the company
- Will there be a probation period for this position? How long?
- Will you encourage further training?
- How will you measure my performance? How often?
- What is the vision / what are the growth plans for this department?
- Could you tell me about the team and how they work together?
- What are the opportunities in this role over the next 3-5 years?
- What is it about the company that keeps you working here?
- Where have other people who have done this position in the past progressed?
- How would you describe your management style?
- How would you describe the team / culture?
- What is the most challenging aspect I would face in the role?
- What would you expect from me in my first week/month?
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01582 618100