《201个面试时提问的最好问题》（英文版）201 BEST QUESTIONS TO ASK ON YOUR INTERVIEW

WHY YOU HAVE TO QUESTION tions-which usually begin with"how;“when,”and“who”- create op portunities for a conversation and a much richer exchange of informa tion. This is a closed-ended question CANDIDATE: Does the company have a child-care center on-site? INTERVIEWER: Yes Here is an open-ended question CANDIDATE: How does the company support working parents? INTERVIEWER: Let me show you a brochure about our award-winning day-care center located right here in the building. Working Woman re cently rated it one of the top ten corporate day-care centers in the United States Why"questions also start open-ended questions, but they often come off as too challenging in a job interview. See rule 8, below 2. Keep It Short Nothing is as disconcerting as a candidate spewing out a long, compli- cated question only to have the interviewer look confused and say, "I'm sorry. I dont understand your question. Restrict every question to one point. Resist mouthfuls like this: I know that international sales are important, so how much of the com pany's revenues are derived from overseas, is that percentage growing, declining, or stable, do international tariffs present difficulties, and how ll currency fluctuations impact the mix No interviewer should be expected to take on such a complicated ques tion. If you really think a conversation about these points is in your in- terest, indicate your interest in the issue and then break the question into separate queri 3. Dont Interrupt Wait for the interviewer to finish the question. In other words, listen Many candidates get anxious or impatient and jump in before the inter- 11

tions—which usually begin with “how,” “when,” and “who”—create op￾portunities for a conversation and a much richer exchange of informa￾tion. This is a closed-ended question: CANDIDATE: Does the company have a child-care center on-site? INTERVIEWER: Yes. Here is an open-ended question: CANDIDATE: How does the company support working parents? INTERVIEWER: Let me show you a brochure about our award-winning day-care center located right here in the building. Working Woman re￾cently rated it one of the top ten corporate day-care centers in the United States . . . “Why” questions also start open-ended questions, but they often come off as too challenging in a job interview. See rule 8, below. 2. Keep It Short Nothing is as disconcerting as a candidate spewing out a long, compli￾cated question only to have the interviewer look confused and say, “I’m sorry. I don’t understand your question.” Restrict every question to one point. Resist mouthfuls like this: I know that international sales are important, so how much of the com￾pany’s revenues are derived from overseas, is that percentage growing, declining, or stable, do international tariffs present difficulties, and how will currency fluctuations impact the mix? No interviewer should be expected to take on such a complicated ques￾tion. If you really think a conversation about these points is in your in￾terest, indicate your interest in the issue and then break the question into separate queries. 3. Don’t Interrupt Wait for the interviewer to finish the question. In other words, listen. Many candidates get anxious or impatient and jump in before the inter￾WHY YOU HAVE TO QUESTION 11

THE RULES OF THE GAME viewer is finished asking the question. Sometimes they want to show off and demonstrate that they“ get it:” Dont do it. The risks of flubbing outweigh any points you may get for appearing swift. To combat the tendency to interrupt, make sure the interviewer is really finished with each question. It's a good idea to pause three seconds before answering. If you can, use the time to think about what you want to say In your mind's eye, repeat the ques- tion to yourself. Consider repeating it to the interviewer. See if you re- ally have it. If not, ask the interviewer to repeat the question. Even if you can't make productive use of the three seconds, the pause will make you look thoughtful. The pause will also protect you from an- swering an incomplete question. For example, one candidate reported the following exchange HIRING MANAGER: I see by your resume that you' ve had six systems alyst jobs in six years CANDIDATE nterrupting]:.. And you want me to explain the job hop- ping, right? HIRING MANAGER: Actually, I was going to ask what's one new skill you took away from each job. But since you mentioned job hopping, I am concerned about your ability to stick with one employer for more than year Oops. Better to wait for the full question. How much better it would have been for the above candidate if the ex- ange had gone this way HIRING MANAGER: I see by your resume that you've had six systems analyst jobs in six years. Can you mention one specific skill you took away from each experience? CANDIDATE: You're asking what's one important skill I added to my portfolio from each of the jobs I've held, is that right? HIRING MANAGER: Exactly. CANDIDATE: Fair question. Let's take my jobs in order. At Netcom, learned how to implement an enterprise network management strat- egy. Then at 4Com, I worked with client-side Java programming. I

viewer is finished asking the question. Sometimes they want to show off and demonstrate that they “get it.” Don’t do it. The risks of flubbing outweigh any points you may get for appearing swift. To combat the tendency to interrupt, make sure the interviewer is really finished with each question. It’s a good idea to pause three seconds before answering. If you can, use the time to think about what you want to say. In your mind’s eye, repeat the ques￾tion to yourself. Consider repeating it to the interviewer. See if you re￾ally have it. If not, ask the interviewer to repeat the question. Even if you can’t make productive use of the three seconds, the pause will make you look thoughtful. The pause will also protect you from an￾swering an incomplete question. For example, one candidate reported the following exchange: HIRING MANAGER: I see by your résumé that you’ve had six systems analyst jobs in six years . . . CANDIDATE [interrupting]: . . . And you want me to explain the job hop￾ping, right? HIRING MANAGER: Actually, I was going to ask what’s one new skill you took away from each job. But since you mentioned job hopping, I am concerned about your ability to stick with one employer for more than year. Oops. Better to wait for the full question. How much better it would have been for the above candidate if the ex￾change had gone this way: HIRING MANAGER: I see by your résumé that you’ve had six systems analyst jobs in six years. Can you mention one specific skill you took away from each experience? CANDIDATE: You’re asking what’s one important skill I added to my portfolio from each of the jobs I’ve held, is that right? HIRING MANAGER: Exactly. CANDIDATE: Fair question. Let’s take my jobs in order. At Netcom, I learned how to implement an enterprise network management strat￾egy. Then at 4Com, I worked with client-side Java programming. I THE RULES OF THE GAME 12

WHY YOU HAVE TO QUESTION believe you mentioned Java as one of the hot buttons for this job After that, I finally got my hands on 4. Getting to Yes James Joyce, the author of Ulysses, went out of his way to end his epic novel with a big"Yes, "the most affirming word in the English language He knew that ending the novel with"Yes"would let readers exit the novel with a positive frame of mind Your goal in the job interview is also to end the interview on an af firmation. In fact, the more yes's and statements of agreement you can generate, the better off you will be. Why? People, including job inter viewers, really prefer being agreeable. Few people enjoy saying no. Who needs arguments? The best way to avoid arguments is to say yes. If the job interview features wave after wave of yess, think how much easier it will be for the interviewer to say yes to that last question whether it's asked explicitly or implicitly: I think /'ve demonstrated l'm qualified for this job. l'd very much like to join the team. Can we come to an agreement In tactical terms, that means framing your interview questions so the an- swers you want or expect will be positive. Here's an example of an ex- change between a candidate and an interviewer to demonstrate the power of CANDIDATE: I have long been impressed by Acme Widgets. It's been the leader in pneumatic widgets for over 50 years, right? INTERVIEWER:(proudly) Yes! CANDIDATE: I noticed in the current annual report that the company sets aside $50 million, or 2.5 percent of revenues, for research and de velopment. That's more than all of your competitors, isnt it? INTERVIEWER: Yes. We lead the industry in allocation of r&d by revenue CANDIDATE: As the market for widgets gets more commoditized, we will have to differentiate the product, right? What specifically company doing to preserve the market share it has gained over the 13

believe you mentioned Java as one of the hot buttons for this job. After that, I finally got my hands on . . . 4. Getting to Yes James Joyce, the author of Ulysses, went out of his way to end his epic novel with a big “Yes,” the most affirming word in the English language. He knew that ending the novel with “Yes” would let readers exit the novel with a positive frame of mind. Your goal in the job interview is also to end the interview on an af￾firmation. In fact, the more yes’s and statements of agreement you can generate, the better off you will be. Why? People, including job inter￾viewers, really prefer being agreeable. Few people enjoy saying no. Who needs arguments? The best way to avoid arguments is to say yes. If the job interview features wave after wave of yes’s, think how much easier it will be for the interviewer to say yes to that last question, whether it’s asked explicitly or implicitly: I think I’ve demonstrated I’m qualified for this job. I’d very much like to join the team. Can we come to an agreement? In tactical terms, that means framing your interview questions so the an￾swers you want or expect will be positive. Here’s an example of an ex￾change between a candidate and an interviewer to demonstrate the power of yes. CANDIDATE: I have long been impressed by Acme Widgets. It’s been the leader in pneumatic widgets for over 50 years, right? INTERVIEWER: (proudly) Yes! CANDIDATE: I noticed in the current annual report that the company sets aside $50 million, or 2.5 percent of revenues, for research and de￾velopment. That’s more than all of your competitors, isn’t it? INTERVIEWER: Yes. We lead the industry in allocation of R&D by revenue. CANDIDATE: As the market for widgets gets more commoditized, we will have to differentiate the product, right? What specifically is the company doing to preserve the market share it has gained over the years? WHY YOU HAVE TO QUESTION 13

THE RULES OF THE GAME As the interviewer answers the question, note the subtle messages the candidate is sending The candidate ends each question with"right? which invites the interviewer to answer with"yes. Of course, the can- didate must be on sure ground. The candidate certainly wants to avoid any possibility that the interview will answer, No, that's not quite right. Good research makes such questioning possible 5. Use Inclusive language Look at the last dialogue again. Did you notice that the candidate sub- tly shifted from"youto"we”? Words such as“we”and"our” subtly give the impression that the candidate is already a member of the team. The more comfortable the interviewer is with the concept of the candi- date already being on the team, the better the candidates chances. It much easier extending a job offer to someone whom the interviewer on some level already perceives as part of"us"instead of"them The risk, of course, is to come off as presumptuous. So a delicate touch with this technique is warranted. Generally, it works best later in the interview and after the interviewer has demonstrated a substantial level of interest in you. For example, if the company wants you to come back for a second (or third) interview. Of course, if the interviewer starts using inclusive language, you know that you are on safe ground and that an offer is in the card 6. Ask questions the Interviewer Can Answer Want to make interviewers defensive and uncomfortable? ask them questions they dont know the answer to or cant answer because of con- Remember that although I do expect you to ask me some relevan questions, this isnt a game show, says Sonja Parker, VP of Integrated Design, Inc, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. There isnt a prize for stump- ing me or asking the cleverest question Just show me that you' ve given this opportunity some thought So as you formulate a question, think carefully about the content you are looking for as well as the person to whom you are addressing the ques- tion In any case, avoid questions that reasonably intelligent people may not

As the interviewer answers the question, note the subtle messages the candidate is sending. The candidate ends each question with “right?” which invites the interviewer to answer with “yes.” Of course, the can￾didate must be on sure ground. The candidate certainly wants to avoid any possibility that the interview will answer, “No, that’s not quite right.” Good research makes such questioning possible. 5. Use Inclusive Language Look at the last dialogue again. Did you notice that the candidate sub￾tly shifted from “you” to “we”? Words such as “we” and “our” subtly give the impression that the candidate is already a member of the team. The more comfortable the interviewer is with the concept of the candi￾date already being on the team, the better the candidate’s chances. It’s so much easier extending a job offer to someone whom the interviewer on some level already perceives as part of “us” instead of “them.” The risk, of course, is to come off as presumptuous. So a delicate touch with this technique is warranted. Generally, it works best later in the interview and after the interviewer has demonstrated a substantial level of interest in you. For example, if the company wants you to come back for a second (or third) interview. Of course, if the interviewer starts using inclusive language, you know that you are on safe ground and that an offer is in the cards. 6. Ask Questions the Interviewer Can Answer Want to make interviewers defensive and uncomfortable? Ask them questions they don’t know the answer to or can’t answer because of con￾fidentiality. “Remember that although I do expect you to ask me some relevant questions, this isn’t a game show,” says Sonja Parker, VP of Integrated Design, Inc., in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “There isn’t a prize for stump￾ing me or asking the cleverest question. Just show me that you’ve given this opportunity some thought.” So as you formulate a question, think carefully about the content you are looking for as well as the person to whom you are addressing the ques￾tion. In any case, avoid questions that reasonably intelligent people may not THE RULES OF THE GAME 14

WHY YOU HAVE TO QUESTION be expected to know. If the interviewer is asking you questions that you don't know the answer to, it may be tempting to try to stump the inter viewer. Bad move. You may win the battle, but you will assuredly lose the war. Questions like this cant be expected to endear you to the interviewer: CANDIDATE: Congress is considering an increase in the minimum wage. If it passes, do you believe that the microeconomic impacts of the minimum wage will be offset by the macroeconomic effects driven by the last round of cuts to the Federal reserve discount rate? INTERVIEWER: Huh? Far from making you look smart, a question like this sets you up as an oddball. Even if you got a well-reasoned response to this question, of what possible use could it be to you as you evaluate the position? Let go of any competitiveness or urgency to show off. At all times, know to whom you are talking. Asking a hiring man- ager detailed questions about medical insurance options is not useful. Nor is asking the human resources interviewer questions about the fine points of the company's virtual private network. Finally, be careful to avoid trespassing on confidential information, especially if you are cur- rently employed by a competitor. As long as you are at it, stay away from cage-rattling questions. These are questions that some interviewers may throw at you, but they cannot win you points if you throw them back at the interviewer. I provided a list of some of these shake-'em-up questions in The Managers Book of Questions: 751 Great Questions for Hiring the Best Person. In this cat egory fall hypothetical questions(any questions that begin with the word"if")and probing questions of all sorts. Examples of questions that you should leave at home If you could forge an alliance with any organiz ation in the world, which one would it be? What unwritten rules at work make it difficult to get things done quickly, efficiently, or profitabl You're the corporate weatherperson; what 's your forecast for the organ ization using meteorological terms?

be expected to know. If the interviewer is asking you questions that you don’t know the answer to, it may be tempting to try to stump the inter￾viewer. Bad move. You may win the battle, but you will assuredly lose the war. Questions like this can’t be expected to endear you to the interviewer: CANDIDATE: Congress is considering an increase in the minimum wage. If it passes, do you believe that the microeconomic impacts of the minimum wage will be offset by the macroeconomic effects driven by the last round of cuts to the Federal Reserve discount rate? INTERVIEWER: Huh? Far from making you look smart, a question like this sets you up as an oddball. Even if you got a well-reasoned response to this question, of what possible use could it be to you as you evaluate the position? Let go of any competitiveness or urgency to show off. At all times, know to whom you are talking. Asking a hiring man￾ager detailed questions about medical insurance options is not useful. Nor is asking the human resources interviewer questions about the fine points of the company’s virtual private network. Finally, be careful to avoid trespassing on confidential information, especially if you are cur￾rently employed by a competitor. As long as you are at it, stay away from cage-rattling questions. These are questions that some interviewers may throw at you, but they cannot win you points if you throw them back at the interviewer. I provided a list of some of these shake-’em-up questions in The Manager’s Book of Questions: 751 Great Questions for Hiring the Best Person. In this cat￾egory fall hypothetical questions (any questions that begin with the word “if ”) and probing questions of all sorts. Examples of questions that you should leave at home: If you could forge an alliance with any organization in the world, which one would it be? What unwritten rules at work make it difficult to get things done quickly, efficiently, or profitably? You’re the corporate weatherperson; what’s your forecast for the organ￾ization using meteorological terms? WHY YOU HAVE TO QUESTION 15