Great Questions Part 1
October 8, 2018
Value Proposition – 001
October 22, 2018
October 15, 2018
By Robert Pope
I love great questions! Asking great questions is not easy. It can take a lifetime to advance that one skill.
While asking great questions is fantastic. The flip side of that is being asked great questions. Today, we will reflect on that aspect – particularly in the arena of job interviews. To clarify – this is not only for the new college grads as none of us know when we may need to interview again. Young or old.
As you prepare for an interview it is very common to prepare for providing great answers to the tough questions you are anticipating in the interview. That prep has value but the prep needs to go deeper.
A well prepared interviewee will be ready to ask great questions in the interview. At nearly every interview I stop and turn to the applicant with the following question, “What questions do you have for me?”
I generally get one of three responses.
1. No questions
2. A few questions
3. Great questions.
Obviously, the applicant with great questions is in the best shape. However, there is a fourth option. The fourth and by far the best is when questions from the applicant begin much further back in the interview and it has been a dialogue, not an interview. There is no need to ask if they have questions. The questions flowed both ways throughout the interview. Level four can take years to attain.
For some of you creating questions comes easy. For others, it takes a lot of work to prepare those. That work is a good investment of time. As you develop this skill, the questions will come easier.
The skill of asking great questions will serve you well throughout your career. It is a skill that will serve you well in life events far beyond the job interview.
What meetings do you have this week for which you should prepare some great questions?
