Questions to ask, as the candidate, in internal interviews

In My Humble Opinion
1

So I have a second interview tomorrow for a position at my company. I’m an upper-level help desk tech and it’s for an entry level QA position. The first interview went really well, but the hiring manager advised me that I need to bring lots of good questions to ask about the team dynamics next time (there will be two leads in the next interview, as well as the hiring manager).

From the interview, I know that the manager is very proud of her team and repeatedly emphasized that it is a really great group of people who work extremely well together. I think I’d be a good fit for the group; while I don’t have experience in the field, a lot of people move from help desk to QA, and I do have some past testing experience.

I’m not too worried about their questions - but the manager stressed that I needed many questions to ask about the team. The vibe I got was that I ‘passed’ in terms of qualifications, and now the second interview is to see if I really want the job and if they want me, as a person, to work with them.

Now, I really do want the job. But at the same time, it’s awkward to ask questions when you’re being evaluated for what you ask. What I have so far is:

What types of people tend to be a success in your department? / What types of skills do successful candidates need to bring in? / What can you tell me about your expectations for someone entering this position?

What do you like about working in QA? What would you warn someone moving into this area about?

What do you think about the future of [contract I’d be working on]?

What types of roles are in the department and what are the respective responsibilities, e.g. what are leads doing?
Any thoughts on these, or any to add?

2

You can ask how you’re trained. Is it formal or more OTJ. What are new people usually expected to start with and when will they be carrying a full load.
And you could ask for a description of each of the team members - what they do and what intangible they bring to the team (just be prepared to answer what you would bring).

3

You might want to ask some less technical questions, for instance, how often does the group meet, how do members of the group communicate (email, text messages, face to face?,) how does the group handle a crisis like a tight deadline, and what do you do for fun?

4

Ask questions as if you had already ‘passed’ as you say, and were looking ahead to working with the group, like you are excited about the work to be done.

What are some of the projects that the group is working on now? What is coming up next? What would I be doing on a daily basis typically?

Can you tell me about how the group has been successful on past projects? How do we communicate, resolve issues? (never use the word problems, use issues).

Without knowing much about the job you are seeking I would suggest that you project an interest in the job as if you were already there.

What questions would you have if it were your first day on the job and your training had begun? These would be good questions to ask.

5

Ah, great. Those are actually really helpful suggestions! I also met with someone I know in development, who gave me some good ideas (since he knows about the specific contract). I’m feeling much more prepared now.