15 Clever Questions To Ask Your Interviewer!

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

Learn how to ace your next interview! alifeafterlayoff.ck.page/90f448df25

[@theplaintiff5450]

The best interviews I’ve had are interviews where I felt I was interviewing them more than they interviewed me

[@genx7006]

What I have noticed is that at the end of them asking you questions, they look exhausted. They're done. They want to go to lunch, or whatever. So when you, the candidate, start asking them questions...it annoys them. They just want to close the chapter on you and move on. But now they have to perform, and they definitely don't like that. It's about a 50-50 split what type of group you will interview with. You need to "read the room" and know when to shut up while you are ahead.

[@thomashobsbawn2992]

one employer wasnt receptive to that when questions towards work culture and employee turnover came up,, red flag right there

[@thomashobsbawn2992]

@@genx7006 true, but its still a two way street, dont like it too bad so sad

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

Same here.

[@MousyTTR]

@@genx7006 Aka they WONT hire you they're really biased and just dont care about how good you really are and when you ask THEM questions? oh hell no, they're the gods not YOU. *directly deletes you off their database*

[@doublekrpg]

I asked an interviewer *"What about my resume impressed you enough to schedule today's interview?"* and they flat out told me they hadn't read my resume until thirty minutes before the interview and made the decision solely on the personality assessment test I took a few days prior. I think they recognized their own red flag because I had a rejection letter before I got home from the interview.

[@vale_rawrrrx3593]

😮😮😮 this is WILDDDDD

[@picklerix6162]

It’s happened a lot to me. I always assume the interviewer hasn’t even looked at my resume.

[@chillphil967]

hahahah that’s a great story.

[@SuprousOxide]

Yeah. That was a pretty awkward question. Unless I'd been REALLY impressed with your interview, I'd have given you a thumbs down for that.

[@doublekrpg]

@@SuprousOxide For asking what about my professional background you liked? Okay cool.

[@vinceod2440]

Recruiter here - holy crap Brian I thought I was great at prepping my candidates with questions but these questions make me realize that there’s even more room to grow. Great job!

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

Glad to provide some inspo!

[@KaijinD]

One that has worked well for me is "what duties are not listed in the job announcement?" Interviewers respond very well to it, often excitedly. After they list them I comment on my skills related to each additional duty.

[@tessm2152]

I find when I interview and the discussion feels like a healthy back and forth and natural, it ends up being a good fit. If it’s forced, awkward or something puts you off, that’s a red flag. It’s either not a culture fit, they’re not being completely authentic or you’re not being completely authentic. It should feel like a good conversational flow.

[@kalstonii]

This might be the single greatest vid on this topic, and I wish I found it…10 or 15 years ago. But life is what it is

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

Much appreciated!

[@aberod11]

"Why did you like like my resume?" Hell, I'm happy/grateful that someone even LOOKED AT IT in the first place (especially in this job market)...

[@langhamp8912]

I probably could have asked all those questions for my last last job (contract gov job) and have been much better off, but I didn't. I discovered about a month into the job that I was the 5th full-time programmer in that position over two years; predictably I lasted about 8 months before being fired for substandard work. I did turn in a fairy complex project (as the sole programmer), certified with unit tests at every level (which they did not and will never do), along with one-click database wipe-and-reseeding (absolutely critical for testing and table updates). My next job interview afterwards I did ask most of these questions, and I think it really helped. Otherwise you think you're doing great only to discover you just got fired.

[@althunder4269]

Most companies won't be able to answer these questions because they are not self aware enough as employers to know what they want.

[@althunder4269]

@@recline69 So they want a bunch of "yes" men. I got it.

[@calebowens693]

The question about why the position is open is the only thing which I ask in every interview. Depending on the role, other things may not be relevant, but that's always of interest. They aren't likely to come right out and say certain things, like if there are unrealistic quotas which are essential to meet. Some things, like if the previous employee was removed from the company for some type of misconduct, they also aren't just going to say much about that (which would be completely appropriate, such things would be confidential). The previous employee might have just left because of getting a better job elsewhere, but even that can go in different ways (it's one thing to have an employee find a higher level job somewhere else and leave for it, it's quite another for the employee to leave because compensation is way below market average and they're leaving for a company which pays more appropriately... the interviewer also wouldn't just tell you that either).

[@asadb1990]

I have asked why a position remained empty for so long and most of the time the response is "we are looking for the right fit for this role" but low key the response actually is "we want a rockstar for this role at trainee wages and we aren't willing to train anyone for this role."

[@tracylund7407]

Interviews must be a conversation. The last one I had the interviewers could not deviate from the question script-even to the point where they couldn’t answer MY questions. HUGE red flag and a super awkward hour. They wanted me but the answer was NO.

[@Makalon102]

That must be a nice power play, going to an interview and they want you but you decline

[@tracylund7407]

@@Makalon102I don’t think of it as a power play. They’re just as likely to opt out on me for whatever reason.

[@clean_rene]

​@@tracylund7407idk why it's so satisfying to hear HR get rejected for once as much as they reject me. I know it's not right, but this made me feel very good to hear

[@SamriBliss]

I keep a sticky note with questions to the interviewer and the interviewers are always surprised that I have well-thought questions for them. Which implies that it’s rare for interviewees to ask questions during interviews

[@valerxwee]

Just want to poke in and say thank you! I’ve been updating my resume for each job. I have been only applying to jobs I am truly interested in and in my ideal pay range. I just graduated with my bachelors this Saturday and had been applying to jobs since last month. So far I just accepted an offer, and have 2 interviews this week and two more that I politely declined. Your videos gave me so much insight! Again thank you!

[@itss_nattyj]

So happy I came across this video when I did. I was a part of a mass layoff a couple of weeks ago and have 3 interviews this week that I’ve been prepping for. These questions are awesome. A few I already ask hiring managers but there are a few fantastic ones I hadn’t thought to ask. Thanks, Bryan!

[@sushruttalekar]

Perfect timing, I was preparing for the questions to be asked in my interview. Qs- “If the [Role] fails to deliver as per expectations, how does the company look at it and what steps are taken to improve that?” Would it be good to ask that?

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

I would avoid framing a negative outcome to my performance in the role. You want the hiring manager to associate you with success.

[@sushruttalekar]

Thanks for your views on this!

[@heartisaglow]

I asked 3 questions. What is your managing style, and what is the company’s culture like and how do you define success in the first 90 days. I got the deer in the headlights look. After a long, painful pause, someone else stepped in and said we are like family. They couldn’t get me out of the interview fast enough 😂

[@steshamarable7957]

😂

[@iwrist313]

A friend who's worked in HR taught me years ago what types of questions to ask. Glad I had this in my arsenal.

[@Spychu1993]

do you mind sharing those questions please?

[@SpeedemonR1]

Yep, sure, this one was great as it really intrigues the hiring manager and wipes out the competition. Once you get the perfect.. read more

[@LaCokaNostra81]

I passed the interview to get a drug test and background check, and I passed those as well; they called me three days later saying they didn't have an opening, and now they want me to do another interview

[@seanthedon6996]

Walk away

[@lilliadawn166]

I needed you in my career 8 years ago. My goodness, I'm grateful for you. I'm learning so much and I'm praying, now that I'm over 40, that I get a fair shake at my next career move. Wondering if strategy helps when you're older and a walking red flag only because of age. I don't know if the positions that have declined me were due to being a non-fit for the role or if they see my years of experience and put together that I've been around a bit. Would appreciate a video on navigating the job market after 40, if you don't have one already.

[@_..____]

Golden questions. Thank you very much!

[@johnkoehnen3183]

Great questions! Thank you. I have two observations - 1. It seems that even "good" employers do layoffs now, which muddies the waters. and 2. I've found employers who speak to technicalities. "Oh, yes, this is a brand new role. We are growing." I was told that multiple times by multiple people. Once I started working, another guy in another department, kept talking about my predecessor and what problems they had with him. In reality, they fired that guy, eliminated his position and created a new position. See guys - totally a new role!

[@TimHunold]

Excellent questions but some may flag you as problematic. Employers seek blind allegiance with hiring someone that with STFU and work. I do ask these questions, and those jobs rarely if ever hire me, they tend to be a 1-2 year engagement.

[@LearnCompositionOnline]

Exactly. You should be „dumb , discret and qualified“. Too genial assertive alpha people are regarded as dangerous of course .

[@asuraspath2262]

You people do not pay attention. In a scenario were you are interviewed, you pick 4-5 questions to ask. These are actually fine. If you ask all these questions then you will most likely not get the job. A company wants someone that would do the job, but they also want someone that will improve on the current process.

[@theresagomez2605]

@@asuraspath2262 they are talking about low quality (most) employers. The only question they want you to ask is, "When can I start?!"

[@heartisaglow]

I agree with you. I asked 3 questions. The whole atmosphere in the room changed. You could see them struggling for an answer. It was super awkward. Plus no job for me.

[@kateryna5518]

Thank you so much with all your work and efforts on this channel! With your advice here I’ve finally managed to find a job even though many companies have declined my applications before, during different rounds of interviews. Your tips do work !

[@paulhornbogen980]

Hello B. Recently interview for a job in my field. I used your questions within the first 15 minutes. Used arch story as described in The Utlitmate Bootcamp. They were taking notes very fast. B. left the interview feeling great. The tone was positive. Followed everything in the Bootcamp. You know your stuff sir. Keep it up.

[@l3hu4l1]

ur videos are truly a gem 🙏

[@Hallinwar]

- So what keeps you late at night? - W-what? - What is it you want to change? - I'm sorry, we don't think that you will fullfill the role of cashier the way we expect, please leave

[@zerodegreescelsius]

"What about my resume interested you?" I was so glad that I asked this question for a previous interview for a position with high salary offer. The interview replied that they were actually openly reviewing all applicants that fulfil the base criteria. However, throughout the interview, it was pretty much of a one-way interview (with template questions not specific to the job role) and I only had space to ask one or two questions at the end. I feel that they were doing mass-screening just for data collection. And of course, I didn't go back for a second round.

[@SuprousOxide]

What other answer were you expecting? "I don't know, I didn't select you for the interview, I only just glanced at the resume 5 minutes ago?"

[@zerodegreescelsius]

@@SuprousOxide they didn't have to give a reply like this for me to catch their intentions. And I don't think they'd even read my resume. They were just asking questions off a list and none of the questions were about anything on my resume.

[@SuprousOxide]

@@zerodegreescelsius Yeah, they probably skimmed the resume at best before the interview, maybe saw some keywords on it and used those to direct questions. I can't imagine expecting an interviewer to do more than that. This question is as dumb as when the interviewer asks you "What made you want to work at this company?".

[@zerodegreescelsius]

@@SuprousOxide which "dumb" question might you be referring to?

[@burtperez1075]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 💡 *Asking questions in an interview shows engagement and can impress the interviewer. It's also an opportunity to assess if the company is the right fit.* 00:38 📝 *Ask why the job is open to understand why the position exists and tailor your answers. Listen closely to position yourself as the best fit. * 01:37 🏆 *Ask what the department does well to see if their strengths align with yours. Ask what they don't do well to show you can fill gaps.* 02:46 🎯 *Ask what's needed in the first year to succeed. Listen for reasonable expectations. Unreasonable expectations could set you up to fail.* 04:09 📈 *Ask why the previous person was successful enough to get promoted. Listen carefully to understand the roadmap for advancement. * 05:20 🚀 *Ask about potential long-term growth opportunities. Make clear you're interested in the current role, but want to grow in the future.* Made with HARPA AI

[@seanthedon6996]

Ummmmmmm ok.......thanks?

[@TheAcenightcreeper]

The question “why is this position open” can put the power back in your court, because if they have churned through people in the role, they have to sell it to you now…now they start thinking…will they take it?

[@henrysu3411]

excellent tips. i'll rewatch this before i start my next round of hiring.

[@TMeyer-ge5pj]

Ive decided im going to start asking the hiring managers scenerio questions like " a new employee was just hired at xyz company. He/she is new to the industry. What training process is in place to everage the employees current skills in their new role ? "

[@thomashobsbawn2992]

asked a situation based question like that with something more serious such as health and safety, and security, didnt go well for them, If I were the victum in that circumstance, I wouldnt have felt safe working there either

[@Basu117]

Great video and you're a real one for adding the questions to the description so I can add them to my cheat sheet ;)

[@aleksandarvucetic1772]

In my opinion, if you ask all those questions about the possibility of promotion, and the hiring manager sees you as a threat, you're not getting the job.

[@TheKnightguard1]

This is why we should all be hunting for work even in a job-stable time in our lives. You could route out 10 low-quality employers and locate 1 good one with some divisive but careful interview questions. On the other hand, if you're fresh out of a job, many of these more aggressive options might be less useful.

[@FrankVJr]

Thank you so much for this video. These are great questions

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

Glad to help!

[@EricThompson-k9v]

How do you ask these questions without come across as a complete a? People I interviewed with, wanted you to be loyal at their beck and call and non-questioning. And yes this is a flag for toxicity, But you're gonna get that in every job

[@JanRautiainen]

Great short video, giving me a whole lot of information even if being on either side of the table at an interview. Much appreciated.

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

You're welcome!

[@thebrinksf69]

I can’t even get anyone to respond after sifting through the ghost jobs

[@neoxochitl]

I appreciate you and your channel so much. Thank you.

[@pure_concept5607]

Great questions! Thanks

[@donaldhollingsworth3875]

Almost all of the interviews I went to the HR manager didn't know what the qualifications which were needed for a CNC machine operator. Some HR managers wanted a bachelors or master's degrees for a simple CNC machine operator position that was not posted on their website but was asked during the interview. Also, I have had interviews where they wanted 20 years experience on a one of a kind machine which I have never heard of before. At that point I told the HR manager that they needed to rehire the person they just fired because nobody will have any type of experience on that one of a kind machine tool & told her thanks for wasting my time & left. I also have had interviews where the wanted a machine operator to run the machine also know how to program, edit programs, make special fixtures, make special tooling, & how to fix the machine.I had one interview where I was placed in a team to determine a malfunctioning machine & what to do about it. All of the team wanted to shut the machine down instead of trying to find out what was going on. I left that interview half way through since the "regular team members" & supervisor didn't want to do anything about that machine. After starting with a multi-national aircraft engine rotating parts company, I started working very closely with a couple of engineer's in debugging new machine, parts, programs, & operations since I took copious notes then talking to the engineer on how to solve these problems. These engineer's only wanted me to work on these machines or parts & would not allow the other 2 shifts to run them because they knew I knew what I was talking about.

[@AsiaCoffee]

Golden! Thank you!!! 💫

[@m.mertkocacik4770]

Very insightful tips. Thank you.

[@JadeyChi]

So I've never came out and asked any of these questions, but I do usually show up to interviews early and I talk to staff. And generally interviews for a doctor position go on for a while so we end up touching on these if you listen to people.

[@omoplata73]

Hello! I got an offer! Thank you for all the things that you do! I study your materials I follow carefully your videos, over and over and over.. and practice, practice, practice!!! God bless you with health and long life! ❤🙏😘 people this is real!

[@anny3046]

Ok.I have a question related to my current job and Christmas. I'm a retail cashier and "we're" open Christmas Eve of course. So my boss is talking to me about my schedule for Christmas Eve and asking me what time I get out of church because he doesn't want me to miss church on Christmas - even though I haven't discussed my faith with him previously I'm grateful but skeptical of his motives - especially after stating 1pm. He asks me if I can go to an earlier service and what time the service starts - because he wants me to come in earlier in the day. My church only has one morning service and it starts at 11am . I made the mistake of telling him that the service starts at 11 and he questioned the end time. I haven't explained to him yet that it usually ends between 12 and 12:30 but I don't want to wear my work T-shirt to church and I don't want to be late to work either. The issue is how much info should I give him - I don't feel comfortable getting into personal stuff like faith at a job that I've had for all of 3 months. Sorry my post is so long - but how should I handle this?

[@amandasmith1236]

What's the best way to check a company for layoffs?

[@TheEric1203]

Glassdoor is probably a good place to start

[@mattlindsey]

Very often I'm interviewing at a larger company that began as a startup (like Rippling) that's only been around for 5 years, so a lot of these time ones dont apply yet.

[@clean_rene]

These questions are fire. 🚒🔥

[@ThanatosTheDH]

I've been in a few interviews where they try to dominate the entire interview not allowing you to ask questions. Even a few said, were the ones interviewing you. Needless to say I refused the offer haha.

[@virusmyth4930]

if you can try to throw in a question or 2 right it in the middle of your anwers, it's better, cos at the end of the interview the RH employee can be exhausted asking you questions and having to do that several times a day on other candidates. It's possible that this can backfire you, some RH employees will tend to think you're kinda of a smartass or some kind of liability in the sense of being too "probey", nosy or pushy and maybe not the best fit, or will just blacklist you out of spite or professional immaturity, which is an indication of toxic RH, but a toxic RH is kind of the norm today, at least in my field and in my country, so tread carefully... In work in south america, and latins tend to be very sanguineous and strong tempered persons, not having a lot of emotional intelligence, plus most south american countries have a past of military dictatorship which shaped generations in their totalitarian way of behaving and getting away with it. This of course will cascade into the vast majority of the companies I have either worked for or gathered feedback from colleagues working on other companies. Trust me, the global culture that the company wants to have and be known for does not necessaritly translate into the actual culture practiced in local regions. No matter what's written on paper, local culture will always trump over the actual culture the company wants to be know for.

[@davidduff9871]

Wow!! Great questions

[@jennyc5100]

Thank you!

[@DamienMalakay]

great tips! however, some of the questions you can ask can easily be short answered/ignored by the hiring manager which i guess is some sort of a red flag lol in the end, they're in the driver's seat and being a bit too "picky" can go against you i think, for example (great question btw) "how would your team describe your leadership style?" i mean you can't expect this person to say the negatives lol

[@adsaidler]

Amazing insights!

[@loriloristuff]

Genius questions! Bravissimo!

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

Appreciated!

[@firehawk12164]

Loved this vid

[@pgplaysvidya]

i'm applying these questions to my dept and uh... .yeah bro. whoops.

[@petergonzalez1719]

I had an interview where the dude just flat out lied. The shift was supposed to be 7-3 with some overtime. I never got out at 3. I was constantly working 20+ hours overtime and this place had the highest turnover rate I've ever seen. I was hired on a Monday with 7 other people and by Friday I was the only person from that batch. They would just repeat the process every week. It was extremely physically demanding. After a month I was ripped. That was the only good thing about that job.

[@picklerix6162]

Often, the interviewer doesn’t even read your resume.

[@akam9919]

"Why is the position open?" Probably the most relevant in this economy where ghost jobs are a thing.

[@Ap9589]

I can get interviews but get nervous during and my mind goes blank

[@breatheliveandthrive7404]

This is how you weed out bad employers and toxic management.

[@dhenderson1810]

How they will ask "Why do you want to work for this company?" Is it okay to ask in your questions *Why do you want ME to work for your company? " as a way to gauge how interested they are in you?

[@justintjernlund4213]

Where do you look to find out if a company has recently laid people off? I’ve seen it in the news sometimes for large companies like Microsoft or Meta, but not so much for small to mid size employers.

[@llywrch7116]

Just my two cents: look at the local news websites. If there are significant layoffs, that's news & it will merit a mention. Another source -- believe it or not -- is the company's own website. I figure a company with a smart public relations department will know that, although bad information, it's better for the company to acknowledge that they had a round of layoffs; otherwise, silence will make people suspicious & may indicate a difficult work environment. (A non-profit that I'm associated with had some layoffs last year, but never officially announced it, which only adds to the existing mistrust the volunteer community has for that non-profit.)

[@marpleloo65]

Look at the SEC filings if they are a publicly traded company.

[@dhenderson1810]

I ask why do they like about the job?

[@jimkoney4200]

Gloss over red flags. Yep, i'm guilty.

[@amyjwebb7937]

I just got asked by a potential boss to interview at his home. Alone. Also, he asked me how much I weighed, if I was married and how old I was. I wish I was making this up. I guess I'll never be employed because I won't play that game. 🤨 And I need a job so badly, that I actually pondered going to the interview. I will admit it.

[@desiraecrow]

I hope you didn't go, but I'm curious what happened? Sounds dangerous.

[@clintonrobinson8070]

I hope you didn't go, that's way creepy. I could maybe understand if they were looking for a fashion model and travel was involved but alone at his home? Sounds like a Weinstein or Ted Bundy scenario.

[@EricThompson-k9v]

Damn that sounds like a Jeffrey Dahmer kind of situation. Be careful don't ever go to anybody's house alone that you don't know

[@leacoyle87]

Thoughts on bringing up bad reviews for the company? Had an interview and was doing my research beforehand and saw MANY bad reviews about the property management company. Was going to bring it up but the interviewer was a third party person not an actual employee with the company so thought against. Is it appropriate to bring them up as an interviewee?

[@florance333]

I looked it up and the best way I'm seeing to ask this is to address the specific issue that is mentioned in bad reviews, rather than bring up the bad reviews.

[@nick8243]

How exactly is this economy unstable? It's quite stable by most objective measures.

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

Not sure if you've paid attention to the number of layoffs in the past 2 years.

[@BisongArtGallery]

Some jobs have no advancement not everyone wants to move up. Be careful with some of these questions if you want the job.

[@wenlong82]

What's your take / comments if you see the same position that you went for interview a few days ago is republished for hiring on the company website? Is that an indirect sign that I didn't make the cut for the next round?

[@ALifeAfterLayoff]

It's not a great sign.

[@wenlong82]

that will make me even less keen to write to the HR recruiter to check in on the status even though this interview took place on 4 Dec...and the same job posting came out again dated 6 or 7 Dec@@ALifeAfterLayoff

[@LearnCompositionOnline]

be „dumb , discret and qualified“. Too genial assertive alpha people are regarded as dangerous of course .

[@ninabeena83]

L

[@maxron6514]

O

[@deefeeeeefeeeeeeeeee]

No one cares about those videos, explain us what's happening on the job market, and in the companies.

[@HH-le1vi]

You can see that yourself

[@EJ257IHI]

Inflation and the economy tanking, AI (automation).

[@meatyflappers]

Haven’t updated resume in 8 years. Don’t need anything different unless it’s +150k min. Intend to retire in 10 probably unnecessary

[@ROSHAMBRO-pu5mg]

Most companies won't be able to answer these questions because they are not self aware enough as employers to know what they want.