Are You Asking the Right Questions?

Much of the career advice out there focuses on interview preparation for candidates, specifically on how best to formulate answers to typical questions. But the questions you pose during the interview are just as important—maybe even more important.

Many people do not ask the right questions. Those of you who are parents will understand this scenario. Ask your middle or high school student, “How was school today?” As soon as the question is out of your mouth, you know what the response will be. You might get a grunt or an “Okay” or “Fine” response. This is because the question is meaningless. It does not ask anything specific, nor does it indicate a genuine interest on the part of the person asking. It is canned, and your kid knows it. Think about how you enjoy being asked canned questions, such as “Where do you see yourself in five years?” or “What is your greatest weakness?” 

It is undoubtedly true that, in any situation, your responses are driven by the questions you ask. You know that you should ask questions when you go to an interview. Are you asking the right ones or the equivalent of “How was school?” 

The best way to ensure that the questions you’re posing will elicit a meaningful response is to ask questions with a clear purpose that aren’t canned and designed to give you more information. I have a friend who, rather than asking her teenage daughter, “How was school?” instead asks her to tell her, “What was the most annoying thing that happened at school today?” As you can imagine, the latter always gets a substantive answer. Similarly, if you ask your interviewer, “Can you describe your management style?” you might get something like, “I believe in open and honest communication, I engender trust, and I let people run with ideas.” It’s a non-answer, and it doesn’t tell you anything. If you say instead, “I read about the new regulation that you’ll have to comply with by the end of next year. How do you plan to roll that out to employees?” you will likely get an actual answer. 

The point is to ask questions that get people to tell a story. Humans are natural storytellers, and it is through storytelling that some of the most effective communication happens. No one enjoys having a trite, canned question posed. Allow your interviewer to talk about themselves and describe how they handle problems, lay out a vision, or deal with external pressures such as regulations. How these questions are answered will give you much more insight into the role and the hiring manager’s management style than the answers themselves will. Pay attention to how something is said, not just what was said. The answers are often found in things not verbalized.