Job interview – what should be learned by the end of an interview?

During job search and the selection process, it is often the case that candidates are left confused after an interview because of unresolved concerns, or they realise there are questions they should have asked, but they forgot. Also, there are often questions like “what should and what shouldn’t be asked on an interview” that make the whole situation even more complicated.

In order to simplify the whole story, we will say the following – there are no questions that you should not ask, maybe just those that are not the best ones for the first round of interviews. But let’s look at the important ones that you need to ask, and which are perfectly okay to ask.

More details about the company

This is a question that is generally asked by interviewers to see if you have researched in more details about the company, and it can also show your motivation for the company or position. However, sometimes you may not find many details on a website of a company itself that may be of interest to you or that may be important to you. In such a situation, it is perfectly okay to ask for company details (company size, team structure, location, company culture, etc.)

Tasks and the team

Your future responsibilities are mainly described in a job ad that was posted, and we strongly advise you to read it in detail as your interviewer will surely ask you further about your potential responsibilities and how you understand them. On the other hand, if an ad was not detailed enough, you may have some concerns about the job itself. In these situations, it is quite fair to ask for an additional explanation so that you have all the information you need, and also to know if that job is really what interests you.

Also, information about your future team (if any) can be of great importance to you. What will be your future team, whether it consists of juniors or seniors, and how your cooperation with them will look like.

Working hours

This is one of the questions that candidates often forget to ask, and it can significantly influence further motivation. Be sure to check your working hours, and whether you work on weekends. Also, having shifts or on-call duties in certain positions can be crucial when deciding on a job.

Next steps

Most of the selection processes consist of several different rounds, and the first step is mostly talking to HR. After that, the process may vary, and the next interview may be with a hiring manager, or with top management, a director, etc. Also, be prepared to do different tests during the process: case study, aptitude test, knowledge test, presentations, etc. In this case, it is essential to be informed about what the test is about, what is its importance during the process, whether it is an elimination step, and what the test will look like.

Salary

This is often the thing that interests candidates the most and the one they ask the most about. However, in most situations, it is unfortunately not possible to find out the salary at the very beginning of the process. The interlocutor will mostly ask you in the first round what are your financial expectations and what financial package you would be happy with. While they may not be able to tell you the exact salary at the time, you can always ask them if your expectations fit into the company’s financial budget for the position, as well as pointing out that you are ready to discuss it in more detail in the following rounds.

These are just some of the most common concerns that candidates face. However, this does not mean that all other issues are not welcome or undesirable.

Remember that you will be doing a specific job on a day-to-day basis, at the company you have selected with the team you should fit into, so anything that can help you better understand what is waiting for you – feel free to ask.