Free 101 Smart Questions to Ask on Your Interview by Ron Fry

a receptionist, not someone who has been an office manager and may, indeed, know more than he does about running an office. Just as some managers worry about hiring underlings who they fear may one day outshine them, many people worry about hiring people for low-level jobs who have already done what their boss is doing. It’s disconcerting and, to many, highly threatening.
    Questions to Ask Your Peers (Future Colleagues)
    If you actually find a way to talk with your potential peers (and in some companies, it is a normal part of the interviewing process), you will want to ask them many of the same questions you would ask a recruiter, keeping in mind that they will not necessarily be as forthcoming and may be wary of being too honest. Nevertheless, their input can be an invaluable part of your decision-making.
Why did you decide to work here?
What were your expectations when you started here? Were they met? How have they changed?
What do you consider this company’s (department’s) strengths and weaknesses?
If you had to do it over again, would you work here?
What can you tell me about working for ________?
How long have you worked for him or her?
How would you characterize his or her management style?
How are your contributions to the organization measured?
Does the company support you with ongoing training and education?
What do you know now that you wish you had known before you took your job?
How many hours per day do you usually work? Do you have to work weekends?
Do you consider this company to be an ideal employer? Why or why not?
    You May Be Screened By Phone or In Person
    Your “preinterview” with an employment agency, recruiter, head-hunter, or Human Resources may be on the phone or in person.
    Telephone screening is an effective tactic used by many interviewers. Some interviewers, however, rely on the strategy as a primary means of qualifying candidates. For many of these interviewers, the in-person interview is little more than an opportunity to confirm what they feel they’ve already learned on the phone.
    Interviewers who typically fall into this category are entrepreneurs, CEOs, high-level executives, and others short on time and long on vision. Their guiding philosophy could be summed up as “I have a personnel problem to solve, and I don’t plan to waste my valuable time talking in person to anybody but the very best.”
    A telephone screener is also often the dominant interviewer at small-to mid-sized companies where no formal Human Resources (or Personnel) department exists or where such a department has only recently been created. The primary objective of the telephone screener is to identify reasons to remove you from active consideration before scheduling an in-person meeting.
    Among the common reasons for abrupt removal from the telephone screener’s short list: evidence that there’s a disparity between your resume and actual experience; poor verbal communication skills; or lack of required technical skills.
    If you are expecting a call (or calls) from telephone screeners, make sure family members know how to answer the phone. Hint: A sullen “Huh?” from your teenage son or brother is not the best way. And by all means avoid cutesy answering machine tapes. (“Hi!” [giggle, giggle] “We’re upstairs getting our groove on!” [giggle, snort] “So leave a message, dude.”)
    What could be better than answering questions from the comfort of your own home?
    For starters, conducting a telephone interview has cost you two valuable tools you have to work with during in-person interviews: eye contact and body language. You’re left with your skills, the facts on your resume, and your ability to communicate verbally.
    Don’t be discouraged. Always project a positive image through your voice and your answers. Don’t overdo it, but don’t let the telephone be your undoing either. If your confidence is flagging, try smiling while you listen and speak. Sure, it might look silly, but it works. I