When your interviewer asks, “Do you have any questions for us?” you’ll be ready.

当你的面试官问你:“你还有什么问题想问我们的吗?”你就已经准备好如何回答了。

You scored the interview for the job you really want and you really seemed to hit it off with the hiring manager. Now, she’s turned to you with that dreaded question.

你在心仪工作的面试环节取得了成功,你与招聘经理也似乎相谈甚欢。现在,她话锋一转,向你提出了一个棘手的问题。

“So, do you have any questions for us?”

“那么,你还有什么问题想问我们的吗?”

 

In general, it’s a bad idea to ask about vacation time or whether the office has beer on tap—at least early in the process.

总的来说,现在就询问度假时间或办公室是否免费无限量供应啤酒的事都不太合适——至少现在还为时尚早。

But the worst thing you can do is say you don’t have any questions, says Alexa Merschel, campus recruiting leader for PwC US, who oversees recruitment efforts at 200 colleges and universities for the multinational professional services firm. That indicates you’re either not taking the opportunity seriously or aren’t being discerning about whether you’re the best fit for the job.

但可能发生的最糟糕情况是你回答说你并没有什么想问的,普华永道美国校园招聘负责人Alexa Merschel说到。她负责监管200多所大学和跨国专业服务公司的招聘工作。这样的回答表明你要么没有认真对待这个机会,要么就是不清楚你自己是否真的适合这份工作。

This is an opportunity to both do some sleuthing about your prospective employer and showcase your own skills and thinking, she says. If you’re truly stumped, have these seven questions in mind for your next interview.

她说,这是一次对未来雇主进行调查并展示自己技能和思维的机会。如果你真的感到很为难,下次面试时请记住这七个问题。

 

What’s Most Important To You In An Employee In This Position?

对于这个职位,你们最看重员工的什么?

This question can uncover both the company’s values and the skills it prioritizes, says Simma Lieberman, founder of Simma Lieberman Associates, a workplace culture consultancy. The answer may be that the company wants the individual to hold a certain set of viewpoints or opinions, or it could be that it values diversity and looks for individual skill sets based on the job. “If you listen, the answer to this question can tell you a lot about the culture,” she says.

这个问题可以揭示公司的价值观和他们最注重的技能,职场文化咨询公司Simma Lieberman 联合公司的创始人Simma Lieberman说道。这个问题的答案可能是该公司希望个人能持有某种特定观点或意见,或是公司更注重多元化,需要符合职位要求但又拥有个人技能的雇员。“如果你仔细聆听这个问题的答案,它可以告诉你很多关于这个公司企业文化的信息。”她说。

 

How Will You Define “Success” In This Role?

你们如何定义在这个岗位上取得的“成功”?

One of the most important things you’ll need to know about your new job is how you can be successful at it, says executive recruiter Patricia Lenkov, founder of executive search firm Agility Executive Search. This will help you evaluate whether the metrics by which you will be measured match up with your expectations, skills, and experience, she says. For example, in a sales role, will your first three months be focused on meeting customers and building relationships, or will you have sales quotas to meet right out of the gate?

Agility猎头公司的创始人Patricia Lenkov说,关于你的新工作,你需要了解的最重要的事情之一就是你如何能够取得成功。她表示,这将帮助你更好地评估实际的考核标准是否与你的期望、技能和经验相符。例如,在销售岗位中,你前三个月是需要更专注于满足客户要求并与之建立关系,还是需要立马就达到既定的销售目标?

 

How Do You Collect Feedback From Employees?

你们如何获取员工们的意见和建议?

Lieberman recommends this question for two reasons. First, it indicates that you’re interested in contributing to the overall well-being of the company, and you’re not afraid to share your opinions. In addition, if there is no definitive way that employees can give feedback, or if the manager seems confused or put off by the question, employee contributions may not be valued as highly as they should be, she says.

Lieberman推荐这个问题有两个原因。首先,它表明你愿意为公司的整体福祉做出贡献,并且你并不怕与他们分享你的意见。此外,如果公司并没有明确的方式可以让员工提供反馈意见,又或者如果经理被这个问题难倒了或回答随意搪塞,那么员工为公司的贡献可能不会像本应该的那样得到重视。

“You want get a sense of how fast the company is looking to move,” she says.

“你得知道公司预期的发展速度如何。”她说。

 

What’s Performing Best?

什么最合适?

This question needs to be tailored to the role, but can be a smart way to show off your industry expertise, says Leela Srinivasan, former director of marketing of LinkedIn Talent Solutions and current CMO of the hiring platform Lever. If you’re interviewing for a marketing role, you might ask which marketing channels are working best for the firm or into which they’d like to expand, she says. Ask a question that gets beyond the surface and shows that you have deep expertise in the industry or sector, she says.

这个问题需要依据不同职位而进行修改,但是这是一个可以是尽情展现你所拥有的行业知识的巧妙方式,Leela Srinivasan说。她是领英Talent Solutions的前营销总监,现任招聘平台Lever的首席营销官。她表示,如果你面试的是营销岗位,那你可能会问哪些营销渠道对公司最合适,又或者有哪些营销渠道他们想要进行拓展。她说,要提出一个深层次的问题,并且展现出你在该行业或领域拥有深厚的专业知识。

 

What Does The Career Progression From This Position Look Like?

这个职位的职业发展前景是什么样的?

Embedded in this question is the message that you’re serious about staying if there’s growth potential, Merschel says. With the expense of turnover, a forward-thinking employee who wants to grow with the company can be attractive. In addition, the answer to this question will likely give you insight into training or other development programs the company may have. Conversely, if there isn’t a growth path, that’s a good thing to know going into the job.

Merschel表示,这个问题的隐含信息是:如果这个职位拥有发展潜力的话,你就会认真考虑是否要留下来。考虑到人事变动的代价,具有前瞻性且想要与公司一起成长的员工可能会很有吸引力。此外,这个问题的答案可能会让你深入了解这家公司可能拥有的培训或其他发展计划。相反,如果没有上升空间,那么在入职前了解到这一点是件好事。

 

How Would You Describe The Culture Here?

你如何描述这里的企业文化?

Srinivasan says many companies work so hard on developing their cultures, it’s important to be sure that the prospective employee understands what it’s like to work at the company. The answer to this question can also give clues about what you can expect in terms of work hours, stress levels, and other factors that may affect your overall quality of life.

Srinivasan说,很多公司在发展他们的企业文化方面下了许多功夫,重要的是要确保潜在员工了解在这家公司工作的感觉。针对这个问题的回答也可以提供一些关于预期的工作时间、压力水平和其他可能影响你整体生活质量等方面的线索。

“I like to hear a question about culture in the interviews, because it shows the interviewee is aware of the importance of fit,” Srinivasan says.

“我喜欢在面试中听到关于企业文化的问题,因为它表明面试者意识到了融入团体的重要性。 ”Srinivasan说 。

 

What’s Your Favorite Thing About Working Here?

在这里工作,你最喜欢的事情是什么?

This allows the hiring manager to interject a bit about himself or herself and may also yield information that isn’t in the rehearsed company messaging, Merschel says. By allowing the interviewer to delve a bit into his or her own preferences, you’ll get insight into the person, as well. For example, someone says he or she values flexible work hours and company-wide volunteerism days sends a different message than someone who says he or she values the willingness of the team to do whatever it takes to get the job done. This type of insight can help you get a better feel for whether the company is a fit, she says.

这个问题让招聘经理可以插入一些关于他或她自己的信息,也可能会获得一些事先没有准备过的公司信息,Merschel说。让面试官深入地讨论他或她自己的偏好,借此你也可以了解这个人本身。例如,有人说他或她重视灵活的工作时间和公司内部的志愿服务日,与表示更重视团队尽其所能完成工作的意愿,这两者所传达出的信息就并不相同。她说,这种内部信息可以帮助你更好地评判这家公司是否适合你。