What are good questions and/or topics that interviewers want to hear from recent grads in an interview?

• What skills do you not currently have in the department that you're looking to gain with this hire?
• What do you feel is the department's/company's biggest opportunity?
• How have your expectations of the company changed since you were hired vs. now?

Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Ask them 'why did you come to this company, and why are you still here?'

Then actually listen to their answers.

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Agree with this. Did a lot of recruiting and interviewing in my early days at a Big 4 firm. This sort of question indicated someone was not following the canned approach but instead trying to determine if the job and firm was a place they wanted to be. And if answered honestly by the interviewer. it really can help weed down the candidates.

Vernada said:

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What's the starting pay?
How much vacation do I get?
When can I expect my first promotion?










... all probably things to NOT ask.

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Well done sir. Well done.

While a lot of the questions posted here are good questions and things that definitely should be asked, they aren't going to make you stand out, imo. Any suggestions that someone can get from an Internet forum and write down to ask in every interview, regardless of industry and company, are questions a lot will be asking. Again, doesn't mean they aren't worth asking.

But if you want to truly stand out, do your research on the company, industry, and position. And be prepared to answer the questions they ask with personal examples, not just canned answers.

A few more thoughts on interviews...

If you put something on your resume, be prepared to talk about it. With fresh grads I am looking for evidence of intelligence and curiosity more than any particular skill, so I will follow any random trail. Last year I interviewed a fresh grad who had listed hobbies on his resume (which I don't encourage). I asked him about one, and very quickly realized that he had only put it on there to look smart. I didn't care about the hobby, but I did care that he was either a BSer or put no effort into actually learning the details of his supposed passion.

Don't ask about work/life balance in the first interview. Find someone who works at the company and network with them, and ask that person. Or wait until the second or third interview. It's a fair question, but don't lead with it and don't phrase it in terms of hours or what time everyone goes home.

Be cognizant of what the job will do for your career and don't be afraid to ask about that, but also remember that the current job is priority number one. People who are always focused on the next step tend to be pretty useless where they are and their careers can bog down completely. I want someone who is going to excel in the job they are in; if they do that, I will help them develop the skills to make the next step and aid them when it's time to take it.

Don't be arrogant or assume you've proven something. Not to be harsh, but as a new grad, you have not. Every applicant has a degree and everyone has a story. This is an auto-DQ for me, because not only do I have to take the risk of the person not being able to perform, I have to manage the ego and its effect on the group dynamic. I don't have time or patience for that.

The last one isn't just an interview thing, it's advice to remember every day in your career. Ego is my personal struggle and something I have to fight constantly to maximize my effectiveness, keep my career paths open, and stay happy at work.

Okay, here's the shot out of the cannon: Oprah, Barbara Walters, your wife. You gotta **** 1, marry 1, kill 1, go!

Ulrich said:

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Be cognizant of what the job will do for your career and don't be afraid to ask about that, but also remember that the current job is priority number one. People who are always focused on the next step tend to be pretty useless where they are and their careers can bog down completely. I want someone who is going to excel in the job they are in; if they do that, I will help them develop the skills to make the next step and aid them when it's time to take it.

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Yes and no. What I've found, especially with grads, is the ones who make the strategic link of their first jobs to their entire career are the ones where you hit the jackpot. I agree with you that the folks who are just looking for a job then jump to the next bigger paycheck are usually a waste of space... but especially at the new career level, you can ask like 2 or 3 questions and be able to sniff that out easily.

The most meaningful and impactful people who have ever worked for me all want to tailor their current jobs to their next role and you should be comfortable with that and work in that framework when possible vs. seeing that mindset as a threat. Also be realistic, no grad wants to be in whatever entry level job that you are giving them for very long... they are all thinking about the next step so asking them to not ask too much about it is a bit insincere and pulling wool over your own eyes in my opinion.

I have added the list of questions I usually ask during an interview which is usually tweaked depending on the role. I have this printed off so I can remember the questions, but also to write down the answers. It is always baffling to me when people do not ask questions. An interview is just as much about me trying to determine if I want the role and to work for the company as it is the employer making the same determination about me.

With someone in mind who has succeeded in this position, what traits or attributes allowed them to succeed?

What constitutes success in this position and at this organization?

Can you describe what a typical day would be like for someone in this role?

What are your expectations for someone in this role during the first month? Three months? Year?

Can you describe the month-end process? Any issues?

What are some challenges that the person taking this role might face?

What processes or areas in this department could be improved and how might someone in this role help to improve those?

Can you give an example of a project or projects that someone in this role would be working on?

What are the biggest challenges facing the department right now?

Do you have any hesitations about my qualifications or experience that I could address?

Can you describe your management style or philosophy?

zooguy96 said:

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Thanks for this thread. I've had two interviews in the last week (after having zero for a long time) and these were helpful.

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How did 4 and aggolfer's questions go over in the interviews?

I don't really want people whose ambition ends with the position we're talking about right then, but that's never the problem with new grads.

Vernada said:

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What's the starting pay?
How much vacation do I get?
When can I expect my first promotion?

... all probably things to NOT ask.

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Interviewed a person last week, literally the only questions was

"So uhh, do you like pay people if they have to move to Houston? Like a moving bonus or something?"

zooguy96 said:

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flown-the-coop said:

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zooguy96 said:

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Thanks for this thread. I've had two interviews in the last week (after having zero for a long time) and these were helpful.

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How did 4 and aggolfer's questions go over in the interviews?

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The questions I asked (which were selected from the above questions) seemed to go over well.

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Best of luck. There is a some good advice in the above for interviewees (and for interviewers for that matter) if you sort out the good ol ag sarcasm.

Just some advice, there is nothing worse than a candidate who asks zero questions, except for a candidate that asks TOO MANY questions in a job interview. Have a good 3-4 questions to ask at the end, but anymore than that and you will annoy the interviewer.

- what are common traits (both cultural and tactical) that you have witnessed with new hires who have been successful in the organization? What are common traits of people who have failed?
- I noticed that the company hired a number of VP roles from the outside, how does the organization deal with internal promotion vs external hiring?

JoeOlson said:

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- what are common traits (both cultural and tactical) that you have witnessed with new hires who have been successful in the organization? What are common traits of people who have failed?
- I noticed that the company hired a number of VP roles from the outside, how does the organization deal with internal promotion vs external hiring?

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I know you're just giving hypothetical questions to give advice, but if you have to ask that question you already know the answer.

Potentially so, but I'd love to see this from a new grad. It indicates they're doing research on the company and it's a very indirect way of understanding the internal ceiling over time.

From the new grads perspective, it's also a window to allow the interviewer to be a bit more vulnerable "we are trying to get better in how we develop talent, but we are growing so quickly ..." etc.

Any advice for interviewing with a company you have already worked with (student intern)?

I like to see people asking about the company - shows me that they at least took time to get on their phone and peruse our website.

Even better are those that ask about specific projects we have highlighted, ask about some of the other things they might find on the website or have found through basic research about the company.

Shocking how many people I've interviewed that are graduating from college that ask questions like "what does your company do" while we are interviewing them. Those resumes get tossed as soon as the interview is over.

ea1060 said:

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Just some advice, there is nothing worse than a candidate who asks zero questions, except for a candidate that asks TOO MANY questions in a job interview. Have a good 3-4 questions to ask at the end, but anymore than that and you will annoy the interviewer.

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That seems a little like "I'm allowed to decide if I want you to work here but you don't get to ask enough questions to determine if you want to work here".

07fta07 said:

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ea1060 said:

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Just some advice, there is nothing worse than a candidate who asks zero questions, except for a candidate that asks TOO MANY questions in a job interview. Have a good 3-4 questions to ask at the end, but anymore than that and you will annoy the interviewer.

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That seems a little like "I'm allowed to decide if I want you to work here but you don't get to ask enough questions to determine if you want to work here".

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Yeah I think the reality of this is it actually only really applies if you already don't like a candidate.

If I get the right to pepper you with questions to determine if you are a good candidate, you get to do the same to determine you like the company. I always offer to and have taken follow ups with candidates who I might offer a job to answer every question they might have.