When it comes to job interviews, especially for entry level jobs in the music and entertainment industry, it’s important to have questions of your own prepared to ask the interviewer. Why? Because interviewing is a two-way street! (And also because one of the questions you’ll be asked is, “Do you have any questions for us?”) It’s important to ask questions about the company and the job itself in order to gather enough information so that you can make an informed decision if offered a job, especially if you end up having more than one job offer on the table.
Also, it’s important to have questions prepared so that the interviewer will know you are genuinely interested in the job. I have actually seen a job offer go to a lesser-qualified candidate all because the better qualified candidate said “no” when asked by the interviewers if she had any questions for them. Not having questions prepared shows a lack of interest and enthusiasm in the position and the company.
So, what kind of questions should you ask? First, let’s look at what kind of questions you shouldn’t ask. It’s always a no-no to ask about salary before the interviewer brings it up or before there’s an offer on the table. The same goes for asking about the amount of vacation, holiday, and sick leave you’ll get. Those are the obvious questions you shouldn’t ask. The less obvious questions you shouldn’t ask are any questions you could easily have found the answer to by just doing a little research or reviewing the company’s web site. Now let’s look at appropriate questions to ask.
Appropriate questions to ask in a job interview include:
- What is a typical day like on this particular job or at this particular company?
- How do the people who work here like their jobs and the company?
- Do team members and co-workers typically eat lunch together, or do they typically eat lunch at their desks?
- Are there opportunities for training and advancement?
- Why is this position open?
- Who will I be working with directly?
- What will be one of the first projects I will be involved in if hired?
- What’s the most important thing I can do to help this organization within the first 90 days of my employment?
- What are the next steps in the hiring process? OR…When do you expect to make a hiring decision?
- Are there any issues or concerns about my candidacy that I can address at this time?
- [Insert your own here.]
In addition to the questions above, you’ll also have some questions that will pop up as you’re doing your research in preparation for the interview (you are doing your research, aren’t you?). Other questions will come to mind during the interview as the interviewer is telling you more about the company and the position. It’s perfectly okay to come in to the interview with a list of questions prepared so you can refer to them when the opportunity to ask them arises. Asking questions will make the interview more conversational, therefore making it feel more natural and less nerve-wracking.