Did you know that the questions you ask a hiring manager could be just as important as the questions they ask you? It’s true! Let’s continue on to learn my top five questions. I encourage our students to ask the interviewer in an IT interview. 

Here are some ideas to get your juices flowing on questions, to ask them that let them know that you are knowledgeable, genuinely interested in growing in your career and that you want to be sure you are a great fit for their company. 

Here’s the first question I love: Can you tell me how your company handled COVID internally and externally? 

Here, you can get an idea of how they managed during the pandemic online and the question lets you get a look into how they manage IT internally and how a company manages a crisis is very telling and it helps them to better understand how they deal with positives and negatives. 

Second question:  Beyond the skills listed on the job description. What else makes a person successful in this role or company?

This gives you insight into what they want and let’s us respond with those skills and experiences that you may not have been able to talk about in the interview to that point.

Third Question: What do you like most about working here?

Yes, it’s a soft ball, but I think it should be asked to every single person you interview, even if it’s five people at the same company, what someone enjoys is different than the next.  This can also give you some perspective on company culture.

The Fourth Question: I am looking to continue to develop my skills in this industry. In what ways does your company support professional development?

It’s a bit of a loaded question because it assumes that they do support professional development, but it’s still a smart way for them to see that it is very important to you that you continue to grow.  You can also give them some ideas on how you would want that to be offered such as taking time off to do certifications or having them pay for the certification. 

Lastly, the question I love is what qualities would your ideal candidate demonstrate within the first three months to let you know that they were the best hire?

And I love this question because I like to craft a powerful thank you letter afterwards, based on their specific answers to that question. This lets them know that I was listening to their answers and that we are able to retain information.  This also gives you another chance to get in front of the hiring manager so that they will notice you.

If you’re looking for more detailed help and information, join us over at NexGenT where not only can you level up your IT career, you work with our career success coaches to develop a personalized strategy for your success through soft skills development, interview help, resume and cover letter assistance and so much more!  Check out our list of student testimonials on our Zero to Engineer page.