How many questions should you ask post-interview?
You’ve just finished your interview. Your interviewer asks “do you have any questions for me?” You prepared a handful of awesome questions…
You’ve just finished your interview. Your interviewer asks “do you have any questions for me?” You prepared a handful of awesome questions, so you dive right in. If you need help coming up with some post-interview questions, click here. But, for those of you who have done this, let’s move on.
You ask your interviewer a few questions and things are going well. They are answering the questions you want to be answered, and the interview transitions into a conversation. You both start to get comfortable, but all you keep thinking about are the questions you prepared in your head. “Should I focus on the conversation I am having, or should I stick to my plan and ask all of the questions I prepared? How many questions are too many questions? Will asking a question right now damage the conversation I am having? Is the interviewer in a rush? Do they even have time for me to ask another question? I don’t want to waste their time!”
I’ve been in this position. You’re in the post-interview phase, and you are asking all the questions you diligently prepared to ask your interviewer. You don’t want to waste the interviewer’s time, so you’re reluctant to keep asking questions. But the conversation is going so well!
“So how many questions should I ask my interviewer?” The answer is as many as they allow you to ask.
In this article, we will:
Define your post-interview goals
Determine how many questions you should be prepared to ask
Explain why you should ask as many questions as the interviewer allows
Post-interview goals
You should have three post-interview goals
Build rapport with your interviewer — Post-interview questions are a great way to build rapport with your interviewer. Ask questions that ask for their advice on career success or how to do well at the company. People love talking about themselves. Make sure to leverage this.
Ask genuine questions — Ask about things you are interested in. Don’t just ask something because you pulled it from a list of “Best post-interview questions.” Even though they may sound good stick to asking genuine questions. It’s okay to use lists as an inspiration, but focus on what interests you.
Learn more about the company — Post-interview questions are a great opportunity to learn what the company is really about. You can learn a lot about a company online, but you can only get the real stuff by asking questions.
How many questions should I be prepared to ask?
You should be prepared to ask three to five questions. It’s enough that you can remember, and enough to keep the post-interview conversation going. Odds are, you will ask one question that will lead to another question that will lead to another question. Most of the time, you won’t even ask all of the questions you prepared to ask. You want the post-interview phase to feel like a conversation. Actually, you want the whole interview to feel like a conversation, but the post-interview phase especially. Don’t be a robot. Sometimes you just need to go with the flow. You don’t want it to feel like you and the interviewer switched places and you are asking questions and they are just regurgitating answers and waiting for you to ask the next question. Shoot for it to feel like a conversation.
Examples of post-interview questions
What do you enjoy most about the work you do?
Why did you take this job? Why do you stay?
What would you tell yourself if you were in my position?
If you could change one thing about your organization what would it be?
How would you describe the company culture?
For more examples of post-interview questions, visit Top 12 Best Questions to Ask at the End of the Job Interview.
Remember, there are no BEST post-interview questions. There are good questions to ask, but the best questions are the ones that answer the things you are curious about. When drafting your post-interview questions, start with the information you want to be answered. Here are some things you may be curious about:
I want to know more about the role
I want to know more about the company
After you come up with some things you are curious about, think about what questions you can ask to help provide some clarification. For example, if you are interested in learning more about the role, you can ask “what does a typical day look like?”
Conclusion
To conclude, there really isn’t a set number of questions you should ask post-interview; it all depends on how the interview is going. Ask as many questions as you can until they cut you off. Your goal is to make it feel like a conversation. Once you get to this point, you’re set!
Don’t feel pressured to ask every question you prepared for, just go with the flow. Build rapport with the interviewer, ask genuine questions, and learn about what the company is all about.