Personal Interview

Personal Interview – Your chance for asking questions

I couldn’t believe it. I was sitting in the train to Amsterdam and about to meet the company that had upgraded an internship to a part-time/temporarily job. Fantastic… for now, at least. “I can pick you up at the train station if you would like and then we can have lunch together before your interview at 13:00, ok?” My friend Carina did not need an eloquent respond. A short “Wow, really? Jippi!” seemed suffice.

As landscapes dashed by my window, I went through my notes. I reread the company’s philosophy, vision, mission and history. I browsed through the basic numbers (employees world-wide, employees in the Netherlands, how many offices and where, sales, etc) and got more familiar with the product. More importantly, I went through my personal list of questions that I wanted to have answered.

You might not think so, but that is actually the most important thing to prepare – to have your own questions ready for an interview. To an interviewer, it may reflect certain attributes of the interviewee: interest, curiosity and independence of thought. Of course, it strongly depends on the questions. “Can I go now? Where is the toilet? Is that hot woman in the picture your wife? How much bonus do I get a year? Do I have to work during Carnival?” might be questions that float in your head, but surely that is where they should remain.

Good questions could be to ask something about the product or company that is not obviously displayed in the internet. Furthermore, asking about training to be received is an excellent way to signal that you are willing to grow. Asking a bit more personal questions to a line manager, such as, “What do you like best about this company?” can be done if you have a good feeling of mutual liking.

So remember, an interview is not only about you being asked but your chance to ask your own questions. Just keep one thing in mind, when asking questions, be sincere! If you are not interested, then don’t ask! However, if you are, then asking is the best way of showing sincere interest.

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