I recently had a client who applied for a Marketing Director role that required 12+ years of experience.

With 7+ years of experience, she was able to get referred by one of the senior leaders in the company and went through the interview process.

At the advanced stages, she went for a coffee chat with the VP of Marketing where the VP mentioned to her, that while they were looking for more experienced people, everyone was very impressed by the quality of questions she asked.

What she may have lacked in the number of years of experience, she more than made up through her curiosity and way of thinking!

They ended up offering her the position!

And that is what great questions can do for your interviewing.

Here are the reasons why your questions are extremely important during interviews:

1. Show your interest

As a recruiter, I had never had a candidate being rejected for asking questions. I did have 2 candidates being rejected because they did not ask questions.

The employers got the impression that the candidate was either not interested in the role or not interested in their career.

2. Share your industry/ company knowledge

Questions are a fantastic way to shine through your research. Add an insight that you gained during your research and then pop the question.

Example – “While researching about XYZ industry, an important challenge that resurfaced again and again was ABC. How do you see this impacting your team?”

3. Tailor your answers to their exact needs

The best interviews are the ones where you leave them feeling that you understand their pain point and have the experience/ understanding to deal with those pain points.

Some interviewers call them expectations. Through questions you get to understand the exact pain points for your hiring manager!

4. Make an informed decision

Getting just another job is not the goal. You want a role where you can contribute and do well. Questions help you to do that.

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