So you've managed to get through an interview for that graduate vacancy, you think you've answered the interviewees questions well and are fairly confident that you've secured the position. Until the question that every body hates in an interview arises, that is of course “do you have any questions to ask us?”
This is where your mind goes blank and there is an awkward silence if your not prepared. A potential employer doesn't want to hear “no thanks”, they want to see if you have been listening, or want to get a better idea of your personality.
Even if your questions about the role had previously been answered, you still need to make conversation here, so here are ten topics that you could ask. I wouldn't recommend that you ask them all though, two or three will suffice!
- Ask about how many other people work in the team or department that the vacancy is and ask about their roles and responsibilities.
- If the job is a new one, ask about the reason for the job and if there are any further development plans.
- If the job is vacant as somebody had departed, ask who you are will be replacing and why they have left the position.
- If you are replacing somebody as they left as they were removed from the position, ask how the previous employee failed to perform in this position and why.
- Ask about how your performance will be measured
- Ask about appraisals and performance reviews: find out how frequent they are and if they will be linked to any pay increases and or bonuses.
- Ask about the possibility of any promotion, or any existing development opportunities or structure that the company has.
- You could ask if the interviewer would like any further information, such as references.
- You could then go on to ask when they are looking for somebody to start, this will allow you to tell them about any notice period you may have to give to your current employer.
You could also ask about any social aspects of the company, such as sports clubs or any scheduled events
Now that you've read this, you'll never be lost for words when this question is asked!
Good luck!
This article is written by Jonathan Walker of
Graduate Jobs
