14 key questions you should ask a potential employer

In a job interview, after you’ve fielded queries about how you handle criticism and what kind of tree you’d be, you’ll be prompted to inquire about the company. Don’t come up empty.

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You got through a telephone screening, 10 résumé revisions and a lot of anxious moments when you were convinced they were ignoring you.

Now the interviewer across the desk from you just asked, “So, do you have any questions for me?” And you desperately wish you had something to ask.

Remember what interviews are all about. They’re not about you; they’re about your ability to do something for the people interviewing you.

There’s so much else going on in your work, your life and your job search that you can forget to look at the interview from the interviewer’s point of view. He or she has a job, too, and a whole slew of tasks and accomplishments that they have to get done in the near and long term.

So, for professionals in the first 10 years of their career, the questions  below—which focus on the needs, traits and preferences of your future boss/employer—demonstrate that you are genuinely interested in their well-being and in the success of the organization you’re hoping to join.

Remember, the more interest we show in others, the more interest they’re going to have in seeing that you get the job.

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