As you prepare for a job interview, you’ve certainly read about what questions you should ask the HR person interviewing you at an early stage. But what about the next stages? What questions should you ask your future team? And how can this help you understand whether you should accept the offer?
Unfortunately, either on account of the interviewee or the interviewer, we’ve all had that interview that ended with a bitter taste…! Am I right?
At a time when job interviews are often adjusted to the context of remote/hybrid work, sometimes it’s hard to show your passion, commitment, quality, or even your interest in the position you’re applying for through a simple video call.
In this article I’m going to address some of the questions you can ask that will help you take control of the interview. Through these questions, you will not only pass on the soft skills that your future team expects from you, but at the same time, you’ll find out if the company is really what it seems to be.
Because one thing is what the company claims to be, and another is what your potential colleagues say is happening in practice, which can be two very different things.
Most importantly, don’t let the interview go one way! It’s not just you who’s being put to the test – the company is too!
The Science Behind a Question
The questions you’re asked during the interview often go far beyond what is explicitly asked, for example:
- Strengths and weaknesses not mentioned in the resume;
- Convenient omission of information in the resume;
- Understand the cultural fit based on the company’s values.
However, there’s always a downside:
- Is the company as appealing as it claims to be?
- What negative factors are usually not brought to light?
- Do employees really express the company values?
The opportunity to ask questions to your potential new colleagues is therefore the perfect time to check whether what you’ve been told about the company in previous phases is actually true.
10 Questions You Should Ask Your Future Team at a Job Interview
1. What made you choose this company over your previous one?
This is usually a key question that breaks the ice at an early stage of an interview, as it will get the other person thinking and talking.
At the same time, you’ll be able to understand the moment that led your interviewer(s) to change jobs. This change can quickly be applied to us after the interview has ended successfully.
On the other hand, we can get a more realistic idea of the benefits that the company has to offer.
2. Can you describe your responsibilities and the general work dynamic?
What we discuss during an interview, such as the technical challenges, is often very different from the tasks we do every day at work. It is extremely important that you can see yourself in these routines, so that in the end you don’t regret your decision.
This question allows you to get a sense of what will be expected of you, what ways of working are put into practice, and to compare them with your experience or preferences.
This question will also show that you are an interested and curious candidate, and that you are aware of the implications of your decision-making.
3. Can you describe the last project you took part in and which task you enjoyed the most?
Sometimes the projects announced by companies to catch the public’s interest reflect a small fraction of the majority of projects available to their employees.
Understanding the type of projects you’ll be working on most often is key to making a thoughtful decision.
On the other hand, it also allows you to understand the professional interests of some members of the company, which may reflect a little of its culture.
4. If you had to highlight two aspects the company should improve, what would they be?
It’s important that you know what you can really count on… and there’s no better way to find out than from the company’s current and former employees.
At an early stage, usually everything is perfect, flawless, exceptional. However, as time goes by…
The secret is to try and figure out right during the interview what the company’s problems are and whether they pose obstacles for you or if it’s something you’re comfortable with – possibly even seeing an opportunity to stand out by working on these areas for improvement.
Remember: there are no perfect companies. What’s ideal for you may not be for someone else. What you don’t appreciate right now, you may in the future!
5. Considering the company’s values… how have they been put into practice?
Some companies like to show the public the values their employees embrace on a daily basis, such as Google, Amazon, etc. This type of advertising helps to attract new customers as well as new employees.
But in practice, many companies fall short of the values they claim to practice, which are often demanded in the interview but not reflected in their actual employees and work dynamics.
How can you tell if the company is doing what it says? I’ll give you some examples: does the company claim to be flexible but not allow remote working? Does it say it invests in culture and employee relations, but last year all it did was organize a Christmas dinner? Does it respect its employees’ personal lives, but working overtime is common practice? There you go.
On the other hand, if you’re applying for a job that really appeals to you, it’s up to you to research the company’s values before the interview, because companies that advertise their values usually expect to find those same values in their future employees. If you can relate to them, try to include them in your answers during the interview. It will be a huge plus in your hiring process!
6. What’s the major factor that keeps you from considering new opportunities?
Over time, we tend to stop appreciating some benefits in favor of others. What once made us leave a company may now be a reason for us to stay. Or the other way around.
When you ask this question, do you notice that the team takes a long time to respond? Don’t they know the reason why they’re still working in the same company? Or, on the other hand, have they listed a series of benefits that you didn’t even notice before?
7. How do you progress in your current position and how far have you progressed?
Progressing in your career may mean several things, whether monetarily, knowledge-wise, responsibilities-wise, or otherwise. Understanding whether your work is recognized is crucial to your well-being.
We all like to be recognized for our efforts, we don’t want to be just one more. When a company offers opportunities to grow, it’s a good sign that you’ll be recognized for your efforts.
8. What does the company do to ensure work-life balance?
While it’s true that each new challenge makes us grow as professionals, you shouldn’t forget that no job should replace your personal life and well-being!
If you already have a little experience, you know that sometimes it’s necessary to make an extra investment in your career, but you expect that the sacrifices you make for the company will be rewarded later, namely extra work or working overtime. We don’t do it out of sympathy!
However, after several collective dismissals by large tech companies, we realized that years of dedication can end with a simple email telling us that we won’t be working the next day, or that successive sleepless nights spent working and stressing over the delivery of a product can still lead to a dismissal.
Extreme cases aside, you must measure the sacrifices before you act, as these types of decisions can compromise your health, well-being, time and/or personal relationships.
9. How does the company support remote working?
At a time when the benefits of remote working have been recognized on both the employer’s and the employee’s side, returning to the office work dynamic can lead to uncomfortable day-to-day logistics.
And yet, many companies that allowed remote work during the Covid-19 pandemic now set restrictions on the number of remote working days, many just because of the importance they place on their company culture in the office.
Trust is more than a word, it’s an action reflected through flexibility and acceptance of new dynamics that will improve employees’ lives.
10. Can you tell me two moments that didn’t go so well during the interview? Do you have any suggestions for improvement?
Knowing how to acknowledge your own mistakes as well as showing curiosity about how to grow from them is an extremely important factor to show in an interview.
Even if the interview went badly, this question would allow you to see where you need to improve, it will show the interviewer(s) that you seek to grow from your mistakes and it will also give you the chance to see how feedback is given. Openly, transparently, and constructively? Or in a way that makes you feel humiliated? Could this mirror the way feedback is given to them? Something you’ll have to deal with if you join the company?
10 Questions You Should Ask Your Future Team at a Job Interview: Final Remarks
An interview is more than just an assessment of your technical and soft skills, it’s also a critical moment to assess who you will be working with on a day-to-day basis if you decide to accept the offer.
Knowing how capable you are as well as how capable the company is to help you grow as a professional is crucial to making an informed decision.
I hope that these questions will help you consider what’s really important to you, as well as give you some control over what’s usually a stressful and self-doubting time.
See you in the next article!
