Questions NOT to Ask at End of Interview
- On June 16, 2024
I read with interest this Forbes article on 5 Must Ask Questions to End Your Job Interview on a High Note. Yikes, do not ask 4 out of these 5 unless you want to end on a low note. Some might be worthy questions to ask when you have offer in hand, but not at the end of a first or second round legal in-house interview. Let’s go through them.
- “Describe your corporate culture and what makes it unique.” No, you can look online or ask your friends what the culture is like. Hiring managers are likely stretched thin and want someone who can help right away and is easy to work with, so your questions should reflect those priorities. Only if it’s a company that trumpets culture, then ask a customized question, but not what makes their culture unique as a question to end the interview.
- “Inquiring about team dynamics.” Ok that headline scared me a little. If you literally ask “what are the team dynamics?” you sound like you are concerned about working with teams, which is usually an essential part of an in-house job. The article does give a reasonable sample question that you CAN use: “Can you tell me more about the team I would be working with and how we will collaborate?”
- “How do you measure success, and what are the most important goals for the first 6 months?” No. For lawyers, it’s usually kind of obvious why they are hiring, e.g., they have a new/growing product so they need product counsel. Also, I wouldn’t ask a startup how they measure success since success means survival, and you won’t have everything spelled out for you. If it’s a well-established company that prides itself on clear programs, ok maybe, but I would think you have more pressing questions showing how you can help, not questions suggesting you want to help yourself get ahead.
- “What are opportunities for growth and professional advancement?” I’ve seen people get dinged for asking this. It’s not that the employer is opposed to someone wanting to grow. No, it’s that legal reqs are only opened after hiring managers are overloaded, and they need someone to do a specific task. So they don’t want to hire folks already suggesting they want oh so much more.
- “What are potential challenges?” The very job of the in-house lawyer is to identify potential challenges and solve them. So you’re not looking very good if you go into the interview asking what these challenges are. You should not only know the likely ones, but also show you are part of the solution. Employers usually don’t want to hire lawyers based on their potential but instead want to hire based on their track record of solving the problem at hand. I can imagine a nuanced discussion about challenges in the interview going over well, but not this clunker of a question.
These questions are valid when you receive an offer, but at the initial interview, the goal of asking questions is to show your interest and diligence. Don’t do cookie cutter questions, and don’t ask questions that should be addressed in a natural conversation. See here on good questions to ask.
(written with 100% natural intelligence, no AI)
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