Mission-Critical Job Interview Questions

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

So do you have any questions for us?

 We all know that dreadful panic at the end of every job interview when you’re scrambling for something smart to say, but then your brain goes: “nope.”

But what else could you say? They explained everything you need to know, what more could you want to ask? 

But then what is that feeling in your gut? The one that's shouting "Agh! Say something smart!" 

Here's what ends up happening:

The fear of saying something stupid prevents you from thinking about the details of the interview. It's impossible to see what the natural followup questions are when you're that nervous! 

It's totally normal, but here's a way to give yourself the little edge you need. I've written a list of interview questions that you'll need to ask at the end of EVERY job interview, whether you're trying to be a cashier or a CFO.

 Before you read the list, you'll need to follow this rule of thumb:

DON'T SHOOT TO IMPRESS THE INTERVIEWER.

Only aim to get the information you will need to be awesome. This will, in turn, let them know you are actually awesome. 

This means you need to do 2 things:

1. Be unique enough to stand out from every other candidate.

2. Ask them the hard questions. 

These questions can also help you sniff out the signs of a dysfunctional department. Something you'll want to know before you sign anything.

For instance, if you ask what the goals of the department are for the next 90 days, and no one can answer you; you might want to think twice about accepting a position where you're responsible for the outcome.

Job interview questions:

• What is a typical day like?

• What will I have done in 6 months from now to be successful in this job?

• What kind of person succeeds in this job and why? Are there specific personality traits you can think of?

• What kind of person fails in this job and why?

• What do you consider the most important day-to-day responsibilities of this job?

• What will be the first projects I tackle?

• What are the biggest challenges the department faces this year? and what will be my role as a team member, in addressing them?

• What are the challenges you are facing right now?

The mother of all interview questions:

“Are there any weaknesses in my candidacy that I might address right now?” 

This last one will give you the chance to look pragmatically at how you shape up to the other candidates. If the interviewer is being honest with you, they'll tell you exactly where they think you'll fall short.

At this point, it's your chance to tell a story about how you'll exceed expectations.

A comprehensive resource:

Check out Martin Yate’s “Knock ‘em Dead” guide to career success. It's definitely one of those “get off your ass and get a real job” kind of books, it has some absolute gold scattered inside it. It’s definitely worth hacking through the motivation-attempts to score some insightful gems. (This is where I stole the Mother Of All Interview Questions bit.)

What interview questions do you like to ask?

Share the love in the comments so we can create a living resource document for others like you.

How To Get A Job

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

A lot of people have lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

A few days ago I even asked each of you to help in some way.

Then, I realized, some of you might be in a difficult position where instead of being the helper, you might need to be the helpee.

Over the last couple of weeks, I've had a number of people reach out to me about this.

I've been looking at resumes, connecting candidates with opportunities, and doing my best to support my network in this crazy time.

This means that I've been writing emails, notes, and recording little videos to communicate and encourage.

After a few weeks of this, I basically realized that I'd written a white-paper.

Here it is:

This is a link to a Google Doc titled "How To Get A Job."

I posted this on LinkedIn, as well, so you can share it there if you prefer.

This is a public document. That means that anyone can read it and comment on it.

Please consider having a look and adding to it where you feel you could. If you know someone who would be a valuable contributor and would also value contributing, please share it with them.

If you contribute comments, I would also love to add you as an author at the bottom.

We are all responsible for helping lift each other up.

This is just an accumulation of actions that I've taken over the past few weeks, organized into what I hope is a useful document.

I also wrote a blog post on Mission-Critical Job Interview Questions. Check that out if you’re prepping!