OK, I know not to ask about salary, vacation time, etc. But I always have trouble coming up with GOOD questions to ask. Besides “What do you like about this company/position?” what should I ask? This is an initial HR interview, not an interview with someone who’s familiar with the job I’m applying for so I can’t ask about the good points and “challenges” of the actual job.
Ask how the position came to be available. This will tell you (maybe) if the person working it before left because the place is a bad place to work. Also ask about turnaround in general.
Ask if they promote from within.
Ask about the frequency and form of performance reviews.
Ask about the company culture. You want an idea of whether it’s the type of place you’ll fit in. They may not tell you much that’s helpful, but asking won’t hurt. You might even get some valuable information. If you’re not sure how to ask this, an example of a question that is in this area is “what qualities make someone fit in well at XYZ Company?”
Ask if the company has any plans to sell or relocate or in any other way undergo a significant change in the next, oh, 3-5 years.
Ask how many other people they are considering for the position, and how long the decision process will take or when they anticipate making the decision.
Ask if they are able to provide you with a written job description.
These are a start. If I think of any more, I’ll post them. Good luck.
Oh, and try to find out as much about the company as you can ahead of time, and don’t ask any questions you could have gotten the answers to from their website.