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Traditionally, it has been suggested that a job candidate should spend the last few minutes of an interview asking questions. This is a practice I highly encourage. It is important for a job seeker to fully understand what they need to know in order to make an educated assessment of the employer and if that is where they want to work. But is it the only appropriate time to pose questions?

A good interview is usually a give-and-take exchange between a job candidate and one or more inquisitors. It doesn’t matter if the questions are coming from someone from human resources, department heads or senior management. For the most part, the ritual of “they ask, you answer,” is how most participants on both sides of the desk expect things to go. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. In fact, I suggest you flip the script.

Unless an applicant is trying to take full control over the interview (not recommended!), there is nothing wrong with asking questions throughout the proceedings. The difficulty, however, lies in the candidate’s ability to ask questions in context. This is particularly true when an interviewer is posing questions in rapid succession, making it harder for the applicant to respond with questions for clarification or more detail or to interject something they believe is important to know.

Although it’s never a bad idea for the interviewee to have a  ...  (read more:  https://hanklondon.com/flip-the-script/)

Every few weeks we pose a question you might get asked during an interview and a suggestion on how you might formulate your answer.

This week’s question:

Not busy on the job? When? Well, if you have experienced this, explain to your interviewer that being productive in slow periods is an art. You understand that there is almost always something you could be doing. You find ways to stay productive. It starts by your understanding why things have slowed down, and any efforts you’ve made to bring things “back up to speed.” Sometimes, you’re just waiting for others to prioritize and complete preliminary tasks before it’s your turn to take over, or you start working on the next project. You can state that you have used the “extra” time to create needed documentation or researched other aspects of your work. Consider: Did you speak with a colleague to clarify or strategize a project? Did you use the time to catch up on reports? Maybe you reached out to help others complete tasks. Did you catch up on relevant industry-specific reading or study a new way to do something? Did you learn how to use a new piece of equipment or get familiar with new software, or otherwise improve relevant skills? What other ways did you remain engaged and productive during slow times? If you can effectively convey your ability to stay focused on tasks and long-term goals through those slow times, your responses should make the right impression with your inquisitor.

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To see previous installments of

Tough Interview Questions and Answers,

click here

(Most recent are at the Bottom of the list.)