{"id":8843,"date":"2023-03-03T13:57:52","date_gmt":"2023-03-03T02:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/?p=8843"},"modified":"2023-03-03T14:04:20","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T03:04:20","slug":"the-forgotten-interview-question-you-must-prepare-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/the-forgotten-interview-question-you-must-prepare-for\/","title":{"rendered":"The Forgotten Interview Question You MUST Prepare For!"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

Interviews can be anxiety-inducing!<\/p>\n

No matter how many you sit through – whether for work or a uni placement – sitting in front of a panel and articulately answering their questions puts many people on the spot.<\/p>\n

We often spend a lot of time preparing ourselves: researching the company, practising common questions, and getting a friend or parent to give us a mock and a pep talk.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s one question that usually gets forgotten. It might not seem that important, but preparing for it and answering it well can make a HUGE difference!<\/p>\n

The Question We Always Forget<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Do You Have Any Questions For Us?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yup. That\u2019s the one.<\/p>\n

Surprised? Lots of people are!<\/p>\n

But employers regularly tell us they\u2019re disappointed when it gets to the end of the interview, and candidates don\u2019t have anything<\/em> they want to ask or know about the company, the team or the role they might be stepping into.<\/p>\n

This is the perfect opportunity to engage with the panel, gain some insights into the role you want and demonstrate a number of things about you, including:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • You\u2019ve done your research.<\/li>\n
  • You want to know more about the potential manager\/colleagues\/workplace.<\/li>\n
  • You\u2019re interested in what the day-to-day of the role looks like.<\/li>\n
  • You\u2019re curious about what\u2019s on the horizon for the role and company in general.<\/li>\n
  • You want to know what to expect next.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Your questions don\u2019t have to be completely formal, and it\u2019s okay to mix them up a bit, but you definitely need to ask something.<\/p>\n

    What Questions Should You Ask?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    The questions you ask need to be a mix of demonstrating you\u2019re engaged with the role and the company. Here are five of our favourite examples:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. What have been some of the team\u2019s successes this year?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      This question demonstrates that you\u2019re interested in the team environment you\u2019ll be stepping into and indicates to the employers that you\u2019re team focused.<\/p>\n

      It also helps you better understand how the company views and measures success and goals.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. What are some of the challenges in this role?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        This question demonstrates you understand that not every opportunity is golden, and you\u2019re happy to turn focus and discussions towards problem-solving.<\/p>\n

        Depending on the answer, it also allows you to learn more about the work environment you\u2019ll be stepping into, which can help you decide whether this is the right job.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Why has the role become available?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          This can help you determine if the role is new – in which case, there could be follow-up questions about how it will be managed and how success will be measured.<\/p>\n

          If it\u2019s because someone is leaving, you can learn more about what they\u2019ve been working on and your immediate priorities.<\/p>\n

          Finding out that a role has been vacant for a long time or has had a few previous individuals cycle through it is a big red flag for what the company culture might be like\u2014vital information to know.<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. What\u2019s the management structure like across the organisation?
            \n<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            If you\u2019re curious about progression, this is a better question to ask to help build a picture of what the company looks like at a managerial level.<\/p>\n

            It also enables you to understand who you would report to and how the role you\u2019re applying to sits within the bigger company structure.<\/p>\n

              \n
            1. What does my initial training look like if I\u2019m offered the position?
              \n<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              If this is a new opportunity for you in a new industry, it\u2019s great to know how you\u2019ll be supported as a new employee.<\/p>\n

              Asking this question demonstrates that you\u2019re switched on, willing to learn new things, and focused on doing a good job.<\/p>\n

              Some extra tips for getting these questions right:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
                \n
              • Follow up on anything from the job ad you\u2019d like clarity on \u2014 Did they mention travel? Support with additional qualifications? Is it part-time or full-time? – Now is the time to ask!<\/li>\n
              • Make sure you ask open-ended questions \u2014 what, when, who, where and how – as it encourages more in-depth responses and a good conversation.<\/li>\n
              • Refer to questions you\u2019ve been asked and\/or something referenced in the interview. If there\u2019s space, ask questions about this when they come up. If there isn\u2019t, make a little note and return to it at the end.<\/li>\n
              • Do ask them, \u2018what are the next steps\u2019!. Ensure you know what to expect, so you aren\u2019t left in limbo and can follow up at the appropriate time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                Instead of feeling tongue-tied and stumped by this question, you need to reframe it as the perfect opportunity it is!<\/p>\n

                This question is your chance to uncover if this is the right job for you, but it\u2019s also how you can demonstrate that you do the work, switched on and engaged in what the company is doing and the opportunity at hand.<\/p>\n

                Which we know first-hand is guaranteed to impress any employer!<\/p>\n

                Ready to start finding your next interview opportunity?
                \n<\/strong><\/p>\n

                Check out our Employer Pages for all the up-to-date job listings and get stuck in!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span> Interviews can be anxiety-inducing! No matter how many you sit through – whether for work or a uni placement – […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":8844,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[24],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8843"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8843"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8843\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8846,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8843\/revisions\/8846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explorecareers.co.nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}