What are some good questions to ask an interviewer?

You should research the companies that will be there, and then ask the questions you are curious about (related to your skills) in terms of the focus and operation of the company.

I don’t know the ad biz so I can’t help with questions, but, don’t fidget, do look them right in the eye. Whenever I have interviewed potential employees, I looked for enthusiasm, super important.

- Why is this position open?

- What would you like done differently by the next person who fills this position?

- What are some of the objectives you would like to see accomplished in this job?

- What is most pressing? What would you like to have done in the next 3 months.

- What are some of the long term objectives you would like to see completed?

- What are some of the more difficult problems one would have to face in this position?

- How do you think these could best be handled?

- What type of support does this position receive in terms of people, finances. etc?

- What freedom would I have in determining my own work objectives, deadlines, and methods of measurement?

- What advancement opportunities are available for the person who is successful in this position, and within what time frame?

- In what ways has this organization been most successful in terms of products and services over the years?

- What significant changes do you foresee in the near future?

- How is one evaluated in this position?

- What accounts for success within the company?

wow thanks jsc!

I think people don’t realize that when an interviewer asks you if you have any questions and you say that you don’t it’s a bad idea. This is a good thread.

thanks!

If it is interns they are looking for, then you want to show them that you have a positive attitude. Interns do the grunt work and get recycled quickly so many of the long term employees don’t pay attention to them. You want to show that you can be a good sport.

You also want to show your motivation. Ask them what you can learn by taking the position. That will show that you are willing to grow and hopefully become a more integral part of the team.

Stress your skill set so that they can see you fitting into a team. Something like, “I’m a graphic designer with a focus on photo retouching, how can i put my skills to use in your organization?”

It’s really important to prepare for relevant topics for discussion – having questions ready is good but you don’t want to seem cookie-cutter. Read up on the agenda topics on the panels, the theme of the conference, new issues in the industry.

Spin that into questions that actually respond to what the interviewer is asking about and spurs conversation rather than direct answers.

i.e. What’s (ad company) doing that’s new and different? You can probably guess about something like that, like green inivitatives, online social networking, etc. and having read up on that earlier talk about it. Or if they are genuinely new things you haven’t heard about then you can learn more about that and/or ask whether the firm has focused on a topic that you did look into.

Also this is a little shallow, but it works – if the opportunity presents itself then try to learn something about the interviewer (how’d you get your start? etc.) The person has to have these one-sided conversations all-day so they may enjoy sharing a little about themselves.

I would make sure you are up on social media and can talk intelligibly about how social media has impacted print advertising. And how TIVO has changed television advertising.

Also, ask about their client base, creative challenges. etc. If the conference has a list of companies attending, take the time to check out the web sites of the agencies, and google them to see what’s current with them. Do your homework.

Also, and this is a biggie, Google your name and do damage control beforehand. Make sure there’s no beer pong pictures, or blog entries popping up that you would be embarrassed to explain.

Great suggestions Alfreda. In the world of social media that we live in, it is important to clean up any public profiles you may have.

If you know or can ask a professional in the field you may want to have a prep chat or even a mock interview with them. If you’re in school of any sort you can ask a teacher or professor for help with that too.

A friend of mine asked me on a few topics she knew would come up on her first interview and even though I didn’t think much of it she later credited me with being the reason she got the job. Not to toot my own horn, just shows the power of having a little confidence from preparing and experienced coaching.

Ask about PARKING. Where is it? How much does it cost?

I worked in a place where, had I known that parking would be off-site and a van would transport me both ways, I would NEVER have taken the job. The off-site parking was twice the distance from my home then the place was.