At the end of each interview, employers will often ask candidates, “Do you have any questions?” This is your chance to make a final impression, so asking good questions will catch the employer’s attention and may lead them to choose you over other candidates.

Mintoku Work suggests some good questions to ask your employer.

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The purpose of asking a reverse question

To ask a good question, you first need to understand the employer’s intention when they ask you “Do you have any questions?” Essentially, the purpose of this question is to:

Assess the candidate’s aspiration level

If a candidate is interested in the company and has done careful research before coming to the interview, it’s okay to ask questions right away. The more in-depth the questions, the more motivated they will be to join the company.

At the same time, employers will have a good impression and will pay more attention to you.

Test your communication skills

The second reason is that employers want to see that you have flexible communication skills, the ability to think critically, and the ability to extend a conversation.

Backward-looking questions are like open-ended questions: you don’t know where the conversation is going to lead, so you’ll naturally reflect on your experiences and unique skills, revealing your true personality, interests, and thoughts.

Help candidates better understand the company culture

Personality and culture fit is what motivates employees and keeps them engaged for the long term, so employers are happy to answer questions that will help you better understand the company’s operations, style, working hours, etc.

This will help us understand your aspirations and personality, and will also help us evaluate your compatibility with specific jobs and work environments.

Answering candidate questions

It’s understandable that candidates are concerned about whether they’re a good fit for a company. Employers want to answer candidates’ questions and concerns about the company through counter-questions, while also gathering information to tailor terms and conditions to the candidate’s needs.

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Questions to ask your employer

The questions show your willingness to work for the company.

• Is there anything that successful people at your company have in common?
• Please tell me what I should start working on now and what abilities and skills I should acquire in order to be successful at your company.
• I would like to eventually work in a position of greater responsibility. Please tell me about your company’s evaluation and salary increase systems.
• I have experience in ○○, have done ○○, and have achieved ○○. I think I can contribute to the ○○ project by utilizing my experience in ○○. How can I get involved?

Questions that highlight your strengths

• Could you tell us about the image of what you want your employees to be like and the qualities you are looking for? 
• I have a qualification called ____. Are there any situations in your company where I can use this qualification? 
• In my previous job, I had some achievements in the sales department, but would that work at your company?

Note: Saying this after asking about the qualities the employer is looking for shows humility.

If there is anything I lack, I want to make up for it

Or, if you just list your own accomplishments:

If that’s the case, I can contribute by joining the company!

Questions to assess company fit

• I would like to learn more about your company’s culture. Please tell us what you (the interviewer) think are the strengths of your company’s business and human resources.
• Do you have any unique internal social events?
• Your company does business with many overseas companies, but to what regions around the world do you plan to expand your services in the future? 

Be careful when asking questions back to employers

To avoid leaving a negative impression on the employer and to ask targeted questions, you should keep the following in mind:

Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to

For example, information about the company’s philosophy, vision, mission, products, services, etc. are all available on the website, social networks, and so on.

If you ask again, the employer will assume that you didn’t take the time to research and prepare thoroughly for the interview.

Avoid questions about salary and bonuses

In fact, there’s nothing wrong with questioning your rights, but to avoid a situation where the employer thinks you’re applying to a company solely for reputation, salary, and bonuses, first demonstrate your interest in the details of the job and the culture.

Keep your questions reasonable

Since you have limited interview time, choose only two or three questions that you are most interested in. Note: Don’t ask too many questions; the employer will be annoyed if they can’t answer them all for you.

Don’t refuse to answer questions

If you answer “I don’t have any questions,” the employer may assume you’re not interested in joining the company, so it’s a good idea to have some questions prepared.

Or, even if you don’t really have a question, you should still express your gratitude.

Thank you. After receiving the detailed explanation, I am now even more motivated to join the company.

conclusion

Companies often use reverse interview questions to assess candidates’ communication skills, personality, etc. At the final stage of the interview, many candidates often feel discouraged or impatient.

But make sure you’re well prepared and enthusiastic so your efforts don’t go to waste! We hope the questions suggested in this article will help you ace your interview and land your dream job.