15 Questions To Ask in An Interview and Why.: © Randstad Risesmart - 1

15 questions to ask
in an interview and
why.
© Randstad Risesmart | 1
welcome & introductions
© Randstad RiseSmart | 2
15 questions to ask in an interview and why.
the goal
• Act as if you are a consultant.

• Find out about their business unit/division.
• Share your SMART Stories to show them how you
can solve their pain.
• Asking questions that are curious, direct and clear
are key to finding out what their needs are in
reference to the skills they need of the individual
they hire.
• Speak with confidence and trust by listening to
your intuition as to what to ask next.
• How can you stay in a mindset of curiosity
with yourself and your interviewer?
mindful thoughts
• Be Mindful of Building Rapport –
Not dominating the conversation and keeping your answers
concise, thorough and creating a dialogue.
• Be Mindful of Connecting with the interviewer and do your research
• Practice your PVP, Exit statement and Smart Stories daily
• Record Yourself Answering Questions –

Especially if English is not your first language this is important
and even if you don’t speak another language.
Recording brings good awareness to how you sound.
• Have a Good Exit Statement for every job you have left.
• Debrief Yourself After Your Interview –

Take notes that you can go over with yourself and your coach to uncover any blind spots you were not aware of.
position levels
These questions are broken down into
Staff
3 levels
An employee level;
usually not a supervisor or people manager;
often paid on hourly basis.
Professional
Relates to a specific function as a sole contributor, Engineer,
Consultant or mid-management roles or hard to find roles like specific
technologist roles.
Executive
Refers to Director level positions and C Suite positions.
1. key areas of focus for this position?
Staff:
What are the top 3 key skills of the individual you are
looking for in this role?
Professional:
What are the top 3 challenges of this division/role?
Executive:
What are your top strategic initiatives for your
organization?
How do you envision this role impacting the
business objectives?
What are the roadblocks we are facing?
(***by using the word “We,” you are inserting
yourself in the organization).
2. is this a replacement or a new role?
For all three levels
If this is a replacement –
What would you like to see the new
person do differently?
What new initiatives will be added to

this position?
3. what creates a successful hire?
Staff:
Who succeeds in this role?
Professional:
Beyond the hard skills required to
successfully perform this job, what soft
skills would serve the company and the
position best?
Executive:
What do you feel this leadership role
needs to be successful?
4. expectations of the role?
Staff:
What does the company expect in the way of personal
and professional growth for a person hired into this
position?
Professional:
What are key areas of expectations to be accomplished
by a person in this job?
Executive:
What are the key business objectives of this role?
5. opportunities to grow?
Staff:
In what ways have people advanced
with this role?
Professional:
What long-term opportunities exist
for advancement and career growth?
Executive:
What is the short- and long-term business strategy
around growth goals for the organization?
6. company structure?
Staff:
How big is the team and who will I be reporting to?
Professional:
What is the reporting structure of this division/company?
Executive:
What is the organizational structure and board structure of the company?
7. leadership style?
Staff:
How would you describe the
management style?
Professional:
How would you describe your
leadership style?
Executive:
Who succeeds under your
leadership?
What leadership changes are
needed in this organization?
8. employee engagement / communication?
Staff:
How do you prefer to be communicated with?
Professional:
How would you describe your communication
style?
Executive:
How are new initiatives/vision communicated to
the teams?
9. innovation and creativity?
Staff:
How would someone be creative or
innovative in this role?
Professional:
How do you foster innovation/creativity in
this division?
Executive:
What is the vision around driving
innovation and creativity in the division?
10. the culture of the division?
Staff:
What does a typical day look like?
Who would I see here at 7AM and
6PM?
Professional:
What adjectives would you use to
describe the day-to-day environment and
culture here?
Executive:
How is the leadership engaging the employees
to be accountable to the values and mission?
11. challenges of the role?
Staff:
What do new hires find most challenging about
this position?
Professional:
What are some of the more demanding aspects
of doing this job well?
Executive:
What are the biggest challenges about leading
this area of the business towards the goals?
12. how often do you give performance evaluations?
annual raises?
Staff:
How often do you give reviews and are
raises based on performance reviews?
Professional:
Are there annual reviews and how are raises
determined?
Executive:
What is the compensation structure for the
role?
13. timeline?
Staff:
When is the start date for this
position?
Professional:
What is the timeline for having
someone in this role?
Executive:
When are you interested in having this
position filled?
14. where do you stand?
Staff:
Are there any areas of my background you have
concerns about?
Professional:
Do you have any concerns about me moving
forward in the process?
What are the next steps?
Executive: What do you see that might be a

roadblock in my background and/or the key
competencies for this role?
How do we proceed from here?
15. FOLLOW UP
Staff:
When can I expect to hear back from you?
May I call you if I don’t hear back?
Do you prefer email, phone or text?
Professional:
When can I expect to hear back from you?
Do you prefer I communicate directly with you or through the recruiter?
Executive:
What are the next steps in moving this discussion forward?

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15 questions to ask

• Act as if you are a consultant.

• Be Mindful of Connecting with the interviewer and do your research

• Practice your PVP, Exit statement and Smart Stories daily

• Record Yourself Answering Questions –

• Debrief Yourself After Your Interview –

For all three levels

What new initiatives will be added to

Executive: What do you see that might be a

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