jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • Recruiters
  • Your Account

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

career-advice.jobs.ac.uk

Secondary Sidebar

jobs.ac.uk Career Advice

  • CV and Cover Letter Advice
    • CV Tips
    • Free CV Templates
    • Cover Letters
    • Personal Profiles
    • CV Resources
  • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
    • Jobseeking Tips
    • Academic Interviews
    • Professional Interviews
    • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
  • Career Development
    • Academic Careers
    • Research Careers
    • Professional Careers
    • Working in Industry
    • Career Development Resources
    • Global Careers
    • Working From Home
  • Women in Higher Education
  • Resources
    • Academic Case Studies
    • Professional Case Studies
    • Interview questions tool
    • Job Profiles
      • Health and Medical
      • Engineering and Technology
    • Blog
    • Vlogs
  • Webinars
  • Country Profiles
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Ghana
      • Kenya
      • Nigeria
      • South
    • Americas
      • Canada
      • United States of America
    • Asia
      • Bahrain
      • Brunei
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Japan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Malaysia
      • Qatar
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • Turkey
      • United Arab Emirates
    • Europe
      • Belgium
      • Denmark
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Russia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • United Kingdom
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
  • Studentship Advice
    • PhD
    • Studentship Resources
    • Vlogs
  • Sections
    • CV and Cover Letter Advice
      • CV Tips
      • CV Templates
      • Cover Letters
      • Personal Profiles
      • CV Resources
    • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
      • Jobseeking Tips
      • Academic Interviews
      • Professional Interviews
      • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
    • Career Development
      • Academic Careers
      • Research Careers
      • Professional Careers
      • Working in Industry
      • Career Development Resources
      • Global Careers
    • Resources
      • Academic Case Studies
      • Professional Case Studies
      • Interview questions tool
      • Blog
      • Vlogs
    • Country Profiles
      • Africa
        • Egypt Country Profile
        • Ghana Country Profile
        • Kenya Country Profile
        • Nigeria Country Profile
        • South Africa Country Profile
      • Americas
        • Canada Country Profile
        • United States of America Country Profile
      • Asia
        • Bahrain Country Profile
        • Brunei Country Profile
        • China Country Profile
        • Hong Kong Country Profile
        • India Country Profile
        • Japan Country Profile
        • Kazakhstan Country Profile
        • Malaysia Country Profile
        • Qatar Country Profile
        • Saudi Arabia Country Profile
        • Singapore Country Profile
        • South Korea Country Profile
        • Turkey Country Profile
        • United Arab Emirates Country Profile
      • Europe
        • Belgium Country Profile
        • Denmark Country Profile
        • Finland Country Profile
        • France Country Profile
        • Germany Country Profile
        • Ireland Country Profile
        • Italy Country Profile
        • Netherlands Country Profile
        • Norway Country Profile
        • Russia Country Profile
        • Spain Country Profile
        • Sweden Country Profile
        • Switzerland Country Profile
        • United Kingdom Country Profile
      • Oceania
        • Australia Country profile
        • New Zealand Country Profile
    • Studentship Advice
      • PhD
      • Studentship Resources
      • Vlogs

Job Interview Questions – Top 10

Top 10 Questions To Ask At A Job Interview

Deciding on job interview questions to ask the interviewer can be one of the most stressful parts of the interview process. Often candidates hurry through this part, relieved to have the job interview over as quickly as possible. Others ‘go through the motions’ by asking unoriginal questions to fill the time.

Asking intelligent and thoughtful questions reinforces your suitability as a candidate and demonstrates you are serious about the job. It also allows you to gain a better insight into whether the role is really for you.

Here are our top ten job interview questions to ask – although we recommend you don’t ask them all! Two or three questions leading to a real dialogue are best.

Questions about the requirements of the role

1.  What are the key priorities in the first few months of the job?

The answer will give you clues to the real day to day challenges and any political/practical constraints. Of course, the panel might ask you what you think the priorities should be – so make sure you have given this some thought.

2.  What criteria will be used to assess my performance?

This is asking about the real objectives of the job. Again, make sure you have some ideas of your own about reasonable performance indicators.

3.  What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the new post holder?

The panel should refer to both internal and external opportunities and constraints.

Questions about career development and progression

4.   What have previous post holders gone on to do?

This will give you an idea of typical career routes and how good a training ground the job is for upward progression.

5.   What opportunities are there to train/gain experience in (a particular area)?

Make sure you pick something which is relevant to the job – especially something which is growing in importance for the dept. This also demonstrates a commitment to your own learning and progression.

6.   What scope is there for me to use my experience/ skill in … in the role?

You may have a particular qualification, area of expertise or skill (such as a language). This is an opportunity to showcase additional aspects you can bring to a job – but only if this would be of genuine use in the role.

Questions about the strategic direction of the organisation

7.   How will the organisation’s plan to (select a key strategic objective) affect this role?

Particularly useful if you have genuine concerns about the impact a particular change may have (such as a drive for future cost efficiencies or increased student numbers).

8.   How do you see the department/role developing in the longer term?

A very open question which may flush out any major planned changes, such as a reorganisation. If asked to clarify this further, you can relate this to specific strategic objectives.

Questions about the interviewer’s own experience

9.   What do you enjoy most about working here?

You can impress the job interview panel by researching the interviewers’ career histories and asking how they find working here compared to working at a previous institution.

10.   How would you describe the organisational culture/ working environment?

As an external candidate you may want to ask about the organisational culture; for an internal role in a different department better to ask about the working environment.

Save any questions about salary/incremental points, working hours and employment benefits until the final stage of selection when you have been offered the job and are able to negotiate from a stronger position.

Don’t forget to make a strong final impression by thanking the job interview panel for their time, restating your suitability for and interest in the post and asking about the next steps in the selection process.

Ready for a new job? Start your search at now

You can find more interview tips here:

  • Interview Skills Webinar
  • How to Ace an Online Job Interview
  • Video Interviews – How to Prepare
  • Tips For Dealing With Pre-Interview Nerves

Share this article

Reader Interactions

You may also like:

What You Should Include in a Personal Statement
10 Video Interview Tips: How to impress in a video interview
How to Prepare for your Teams Job Interview

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Follow us

Latest Jobs

  • Teaching Fellow/Senior Teaching Fellow in Design Foundations

    University for the Creative Arts

    Location(s): Xiamen

    Salary: £37,474 - £51,804


  • PhD Studentship: Physiological and Nutritional Interventions for Effective Acclimation Strategies in a Climate-Changed World

    Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University

    Location(s): Loughborough University, Loughborough

    Salary: £17,668 tax-free stipend a year (2022/23 rate) for the duration of the studentship plus tuition fees at the home or international rate.


  • IT Support Assistant

    Oxford Department of International Development, University of Oxford

    Location(s): Oxford

    Salary: £27,131 - £32,348 Grade 5


  • Post-Doctoral Research Assistant

    Department of Computer Science, Royal Holloway, University of London

    Location(s): Egham

    Salary: £37,467 per annum - including London Allowance


  • Teaching Associate (504501)

    Department of Management Science, University of Strathclyde

    Location(s): Glasgow

    Salary: £34,308 - £40,931


  • PhD Studentship in Environmental Engineering: Persistent Droughts and Water Supply System Risk in a Changing Climate

    Newcastle University

    Location(s): Newcastle upon Tyne

    Salary: Not specified


Footer

jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility Statement

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2022

  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Careers Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility
jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2022