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Just the right questions
Recruiting tips
Don’t be afraid to ‘get surgical’ with interview questions as an experienced hire candidate.
As an experienced professional, you are expected to display a certain level of sophistication and savvy during the recruiting process. However, clearly articulating your background and experiences to set you apart from another candidate can be challenging. Become a memorable candidate by not only impressing your interviewer with your previous experience, but also by posing polished and forward-thinking questions during the interview.
According to Sourcing Manager Jim Rose, Deloitte Services LP, candidates need to display analytical curiosity and “get surgical” by asking precise questions during an interview. Rose suggests candidates try and bundle potential questions into three areas:
- Organization
- Culture
- Career
For example: after you’ve offered your point-of-view about the Oil & Gas industry overall in response to an interviewer question, you could ask if interviewing with Deloitte, “In Deloitte’s 2014 Oil & Gas survey, you noted that since 2012, the United States has experienced the largest two-year increase in oil production in history. How are Deloitte’s clients optimizing their Supply Chain processes in response to this demand?”
Approaching interview questions in an inquisitive manner may allow you to gather data points to help you see if the organization is the suitable place for you from an overall business, cultural, and career perspective. It also enables you to demonstrate that you’ve done your homework about the organization and have some knowledge about the role for which you are applying.
Another example: after responding to a question regarding your career progression, you could re-cast the inquiry back to the interviewer (whom you’ve looked up online to get a sense for his or her background) with something like, “I noticed you joined Deloitte from X organization. Can you tell me what drew you to Deloitte and why the culture/environment here is unique?”
Rose said that experienced hires should consider focusing on asking questions that leave what he calls an “additive impression”, whereby, you want the interviewer to see that beyond your skills and experience, you’re an objective, critical thinker. Asking great questions demonstrates critical thinking to an interviewer.
The reality is you typically only have 45 minutes to 60 minutes in an interview, so it’s critical to carefully think through questions that are specific, demonstrate your experience, and illustrate why you may be the ideal candidate for the role. You might be surprised at how this approach could help.