- What do you like / not like about working here?
- What drew you to this company?
- What keeps you working here?
- How will you work with the person hired for this job?
- How would you describe the manager’s/boss’s/CEO’s leadership style?
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS about CO-WORKERS! (Top-Scoring ANSWERS Included!)
Can you think about a time when your coworker asked you to help them while you were busy? What was your response?
An interviewer asks this question to gauge your ability to put the needs of others before yourself. Your answer should demonstrate your desire to help your coworker before resuming your work.
Example: “I think it is extremely important to uplift your coworkers and their responsibilities as you do with your own. After all, the success of your job could depend on theirs and more importantly, the overarching success of the company. I would get to a stopping point and help them with their work until they felt happy with the result.”
What would you do if you encountered a problem that you could not solve on your own?
By asking this question, your interviewer wants to see whether you rely on others or try to solve problems yourself. Your answer should demonstrate your willingness to ask for help to prevent errors.
Example: “Sometimes gaining a fresh perspective can really make a difference, so when I cant solve something I consult with my coworkers. More often than not they can help me identify what went wrong and help me fix it, saving precious time and energy.”
What are your ideal traits for a coworker?
An interviewer asks this question to gauge what you would expect from them in a professional relationship. You should outline your ideal coworker traits and emphasize your reasoning.
Example: “My ideal traits for a coworker are empathy, communication and optimism because a business runs smoothly when coworkers are kind to one another, use direct communication and promote positive attitudes throughout the office.”
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“So, do you have any questions for me?”
When you reach this point in a job interview — where the interviewer is done with their questions and opens up the floor — you don’t want to be caught off guard. It’s important to have a plan for how you’ll respond, and a list of questions specific to that opportunity.
But what types of questions should you actually ask? And are there certain ones to avoid? I turned to two job interview experts for advice: Art Markman, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of Bring Your Brain to Work, and John Lees, a UK-based career strategist and author of How to Get a Job You Love. Here are their recommendations for how to approach this part of the interview and sample questions they’ve seen work in practice.
How to Approach This Part of the Interview
You might think of this portion of the interview as your chance to assess the organization and whether you really want to work there, and that’s true. One of your goals is to use these questions to help you determine if this opportunity is right for you, says Markman.
However, the interview isn’t over yet, and you still want to demonstrate that you are the best person for the job, says Lees. So, your other goal is to continue to prove you’re a fit for the specific opportunity. Lees suggests saying something like, “I do have a few questions but before I ask, can I say one thing?” That will give you an opportunity to drive home any key messages about your suitability for the job. In fact, before the interview, you should “decide in advance on two or three messages that you want to get across,” says Lees, and if you haven’t been able to convey those points in response to the questions you’ve been asked so far, you should do so now. Then, you can move on to your questions.
How you phrase your questions is important. Rather than using generic language, you want to ask the questions as if they pertain specifically to you. For example, instead of “What does a typical day look like?” you want to ask “What would a typical day for me in this role look like?” That will allow the hiring manager to begin seeing you in the role. According to Lees, this is a “great psychological trick” because “as soon as they visualize you doing the job, it’s hard to let go of that .”
Top questions to ask about training and professional development
Think of each new opportunity not just as a job, but as the next step on your path to career success. Will this position help you get there?
FAQ
What questions should I ask in a team interview?
- What do you know about our company, and why do you want to work here?
- What skills and strengths can you bring to this position?
- Can you tell me about your current job?
- What could your current company do to be more successful?
How do you interview a potential team member?
- How would you handle a conflict with a coworker without addressing your supervisor? …
- What are your ideal traits for a coworker? …
- What words would you use to describe the ideal employee? …
- How would you rate your teamwork skills?
What are 10 good interview questions?
- Prepare in advance. …
- Determine and rank the critical success factors. …
- Set specific interview questions. …
- Determine the interview format. …
- Conduct a telephone prescreening interview. …
- Meet the candidates.
