Copyright 2014. 1

It’s your turn to ask the interviewer questions. Here are 5 “blah” questions improved so you get beyond

round one interviews.

Brought to you by:

Melissa Llarena, the

interview coach for

ambitious leaders

who now find

themselves on the

other side of the

interview table.

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Oh, the awful, painful,

repulsive HR

screening interview.

They are meant to filter candidates and save the ultimate decision-maker’s time.

Screening interviews are necessary evils.

HR professionals serve as

gatekeepers during screening

interviews.

You can’t just dismiss human

resources professionals

Be Respectful, Delightful, and

Thoughtful

Treat HR

professionals as you

would treat hiring

managers.

And if you really want to impress

them (aside from answering their

questions) prepare HR-appropriate

questions.

Here are the 5 most common questions that

job candidates ask HR (and tweaks)

One of the most frequently asked

questions job candidates ask HR:

1. Tell me about your firm’s culture?

Here’s the tweak:

“My understanding is that evaluating cultural

fit is extremely important especially in

smaller firms where cultural differences are

harder to absorb, tell me about the firm’s

founders?”

2. What are you

looking for in a

candidate?

Tweak: I bring

sharp analytical

thinking….

Tell me about your

best hires.

What skills have

they brought with

them?

3. What does career

progression look like

within the business

unit for which you are

hiring?

Tweak: In my

last firm, I had

the opportunity

to …

What does career progression look like within the business unit for which you are hiring?

Note: This tweak keeps selling you as the

best candidate by subtly leading with your

history of promotions

4. Do you have any

concerns regarding

my candidacy that I

can address?

PS: Why throw

yourself under the bus?

Keep interviews positive!

Why don’t you try

this tweak instead?

Is there anything

else on your mind

that I can address?

5. What has been

your experience

working for

company X?

Tweak: What

drew me to your

firm is its

entrepreneurial

spirit.

How have you seen

entrepreneurship

come to life while

working here?Note: This is your chance to

mention why you want to

specifically work for company X.

In summary, your questions to HR

must accomplish one of four things.

Your questions

must

1) Continue to

sell yourself

2) Initiate positive

conversations

3) Showcase the

homework

you’ve done

on the company

4) Reinforce that

you respect an HR

professional’s

critical role

Here’s a checklist to filter the questions you’d

like to ask interviewers

• Are you still selling yourself?

• Is it positive?

• Did you show your homework?

• Will the HR interviewer feel important?

Other essential interview

preparation articles and tools

“Must reads” to gain better insight into the interview process so that you’ll

absolutely stand out

• See the full article here

• Review it’s #1 most widely read companion here : The 5 questions you’ll be asked during screening interviews or round one

Join a community of ambitious leaders and you will immediately receive a 20-page PDF of all of my interview preparation articles.

CLICK HERE

After reviewing the guide, you will not only better understand what is happening behind-the-scenes during your next interview but also how to use that information to confidently highlight your skills and become the strongest candidate.

Want further guidance, right now?

Thank you and visit:

Career Outcomes Matter

for more actionable insights.