Closing Questions Are the Answer to a Successful Interview

Preparing for an interview is just as important as the interview itself. Without proper preparation, you can get caught off guard or even leave the interviewer questioning your ability to deliver once hired for the position. The best interview tactic is to have impressive closing questions.

While working in Human Resources as a Recruiter, I once had a hiring manager hire a candidate simply because of their interview. He was so pleased with the candidate's knowledge and their pertinent closing questions relating to the company's current situation and the actual position being advertised. The hiring manager favored the interviewee over another candidate strictly due to the fact that he showed enthusiasm to learn more and really cared about the organization.

How was that candidate able to do all this? Researching the company. You always want to make sure you research a company prior to attending an interview, so you can:

1. Know if you would enjoy working there.

2. Find out if you would fit into their corporate culture.

3. Ask educated questions throughout the interview.

4. Use verbiage during the interview that relates to the company, industry and specific job for which you are interviewing.

5. Ask insightful closing questions.

Remember, your competition is doing this legwork. There is nothing worse than having no questions at all. You want to add some of these following questions in the mix to make you that much more effective:

1. Is there any other information you need from me regarding my application?

2. Do you have any hesitations about me for this position?

3. How do I compare to my competition?

4. Is there any reason why I would not be an asset in the job I am interviewing for?

5. I want to work for your company; can you see any reason how I might not fit into your corporate culture?

6. Is there anything hindering me from moving forward in the interview process?

7. Where do I go from here? Can you tell me about the rest of the interviewing process?

8. Do you know when I might hear correspondence regarding the next step?

9. Is there any reason why we can't set up the next interview now?

So before you go to an interview, research the company and prepare a list of closing questions. The more work you put into the preparation process, the greater your chance of impressing the interviewer and getting hired!