When you are finished with your interview, it is not uncommon for the interviewer to ask you one final question, “Do you have any questions for me?” This is one of the most dreaded questions an applicant may be asked. There is a war that goes on inside most peoples’ heads when this question is asked: “If I don’t ask any questions, will they be offended because I don’t want more information?” or “If I ask too many questions, will it seem like I wasn’t paying enough attention?”
These are not uncommon thoughts that may be running through an applicant’s mind. Hopefully, by the end of this post you will have a better idea of how to handle when this question is thrown to you, and you will be able to answer it like a pro.
- Be Honest: If you truly do have questions, then go ahead and ask. If your interviewer didn’t want to know your questions, then they wouldn’t honestly ask. Employers expect that you will have questions. Do your homework before your interview and have a few questions prepared.
- Be Appropriate: Don’t ask inappropriate questions or questions that are silly or funny. It will annoy your interviewer and can make them feel like you are wasting their time.
- Don’t Repeat: Pay attention and don’t ask questions that have already been answered. It will only make you seem incompetent and like you don’t pay attention. If the only questions you’ve prepared have already been addressed, you can go into more detail, or just let the interviewer know that any questions you had coming in to the interview have been addressed.
These are some good guidelines for answering questions. However, if you don’t have any honest and relevant questions, then you can always simply tell them that you have no further questions and look forward to hearing from them. This is a perfectly acceptable way to end the interview and leave the interviewer with a impressive picture of the value you would offer as an employee.