6 Most Revealing Interview Questions

When you look for a job, you know that employers evaluate you at every step of the process. They decide if your resume is perfectly aligned to their needs and assess if you demonstrate just the right tone in your cover letter. They'll ask if the receptionist was impressed when you signed in for the interview, and evaluate how quickly your thank you note arrived after the meeting.

Employers study your qualifications and skills to determine if you are a good fit for their needs. Similarly, you should make a point to evaluate them and their organizations during your search. Once you've addressed the questions you need to ask yourself before starting your job search, you'll want to identify a list of good interview questions to ask employers.

Consider posing these questions during networking meetings and interviews to help you learn what you need to know to reveal if the organization is a good fit for you – and to gain information to improve your chances to get the job if the answer is yes:

1. What skills are most important to succeed in this company or this position?

In an informational meeting, this question is exploratory in nature, but if you're in an interview, you'll already know a lot about the job, so you can frame this inquiry based on information you have. For example, "The job description emphasizes team leadership and management skills; do you think those are the most crucial for success in this job?" This alerts the person interviewing you to the fact that you know what they are saying about the job, but it offers him or her the opportunity to detail a more specific vision of the position. You'll be able to focus your comments and follow up based on the answers you hear.

2. What types of people are most successful in this role?

While this question is similar to the skills question, it focuses more on personality traits than specific skills. If the response is, "Someone who is very independent and likes to work alone," and you're more of a team player, you'll know exactly what's in store if you take this job.