1. If you could hire the ideal candidate for this role, what would his or her skill set look like? Hopefully you’ll have already done a great job selling your applicable strengths, but if there’s something that you missed, this is your shot at weaving it into the conversation. Incidentally, don’t just say you’re excellent at multi-tasking, for instance, but have an anecdote ready to illustrate that.
2. What marks of success should the person in this position be seeking to hit in the first 3-6 months? This suggests you’re thinking ahead, beyond securing the job, and focusing on maximizing your time and efforts. Whether or not you’ve had a wealth of success in your previous roles, you’re demonstrating your interest in excelling in THIS prospective one, solving problems and contributing to growth. This will get employers excited about you.
3. What can you tell me about the team I’ll possibly be working with? It’s a clever way to show that you’ve already begun to consider the notion of integrating yourself into the company and collaborating with others to achieve common goals. Being a good team player certainly won’t hurt your chances of landing a job.
4. Now that we’ve met and discussed the role at length, is there anything about my background that might hinder you from offering it to me? Posing this question will suggest that you’re open to constructive criticism and committed to personal improvement, two very valuable qualities in today’s world riddled with a few ego-maniacal personalities too many. Make sure your verbal and non-verbal reactions to the responses prove your comfort level.
5. What’s the next step in the process? Ask this question and you’ll demonstrate that you’re invested in the process. It may also lead to you finding out a bit about the other candidate(s) in the running for the position, offering you insights that you can even apply to your job hunt (in a similar field) should you not get this particular position.