You're Not Asking The Right Interview Questions
Asking the right questions shows your interest, curiosity, and aptitude for the role.
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Why Ask Good Interview Questions?
An interview should feel like a conversation. The key to good conversation is asking the right questions. The issue is that most candidates are too generic.
“How do you like working here?”
“What’s the culture like?”
Surface-level questions don’t give enough insight and they don’t help you stand out. You must go deeper.
Here are 6 reasons why you should ask better questions during the interview:
To make sure it’s the right fit. Your career takes up a lot of your time. Before making that commitment, you should make sure it’s the best opportunity for you. Interview the company just as much as they interview you.
Good questions = good conversation. Good conversation = good interview. Good interview = more likely to get hired.
Good questions show that you’re interested in the role. Showing interest is vital to getting hired.
Good questions show your curiosity and thought process. Being inquisitive is a desirable attribute in cybersecurity.
Good questions show your intelligence and aptitude. You seem more qualified if your questions are insightful or thought-provoking.
Good questions show that you’re prepared. Prepared candidates win.
My Favorite Interview Questions.
These are just ideas to get your juices flowing. Be yourself and ask about the things that are most important to you. Questions should cover different aspects of the job.
REMEMBER … you’ll probably only have time for 2-3 questions (sometimes more) during each interview so make them count! `
Company Culture:
Does the company believe in transparency? Can you give examples of that?
I read about the company’s core values [list them]. Which one is your favorite and why?
Are there growth opportunities for this role? How does your promotion process work?
How is company turnover? Are you seeing any trends as to why people are leaving?
How does the company support its employees?
How does the company handle toxic employees or those that aren’t abiding by its values and/or policies?
How does the company handle change?
How does the company communicate with employees?
How does the company listen to its employees? Is there a feedback mechanism in place?
What’s the company’s approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion?
Does the company innovate? How hard is it to implement positive change and progress?
[for remote roles] - Is there opportunity for face-to-face interaction?
What are the company’s short-term and long-term goals? What’s the vision?
Can you describe the onboarding process? What will my first few months look like?
Management:
What is your approach when one of your employees makes a mistake?
Do you allow your employees to take risks? How do you empower the team and build trust?
How do you reward high performance?
How involved are you in the day-to-day?
How often does the team meet? What is the goal of those meetings?
What is your approach to professional development?
Do you have budget for continuing education? How is that managed?
As the manager, do you feel like you’re able to take enough PTO?
As the manager, how do you protect and advocate for your team?
What are some of the biggest problems you’re trying to solve? What keeps you up at night?
The Team (Peers):
Describe your ideal teammate. Who do you enjoy working with?
Have you grown your career while working here? In what way(s)?
What are some things you’ve learned while working here?
Did anything surprise you when you started working here?
What are the main challenges you’re facing right now?
If you had a magic wand, what problems would you solve immediately?
How does the team cover when someone is out on leave?
Do you feel you have enough resources and tools to do your job well?
If you could start over at this company, what would you have done differently?
What’s your advice to someone in this role?
Who do you partner with outside of this team? Do you run into obstacles working across team boundaries? What successes do you see?
What are some of the most important projects you’re currently working on?
What are some of the biggest security concerns of the team?
The Role:
Why is this role open? Backfill or new headcount? If it’s new, why did this position open up?
What is the day-to-day of this position? What are some of the most important tasks?
How is performance measured in this role? Are there specific metrics or goals I should be aware of?
What are your expectations for this role in the first year? What do you hope this person will accomplish in that timeframe?
What is an example of exceeding expectations in this role?
Can you describe someone that wasn’t successful in this role? Why did they struggle?
What are the most common tools used in this role? Which ones are you willing to train on?