Two way interview – Interviewing a hiring manager tips & tricks
Over the course of my tenure, I have had the opportunity to interview many different candidates for various positions. One of my favorite groups is the Disney Professional Internships and College Program participants. Whether I am interviewing them for an internship or full-time opportunity, I am always impressed with their readiness, composure and research prior to our interview.
One moment that always stands out for me is the end of the interview when they are asked “what questions might you have for me/us?” This is your opportunity to see if we are a right fit for you too! Whether it is about leadership style, our team’s culture or even to touch on something we didn’t talk about in the interview that is important to you – don’t miss out on this opportunity!
Whether this is your first internship interview or full time coming off your program interview, here are some tips and tricks:
- Prepare 3-5 questions ahead of time. You probably will only get a chance to ask 2-3 of them, depending on how much time the interviewer leaves at the end. However, some of your questions may be answered during the course of the interview, therefore it is good to have a few on hand.
- Build on the research you did or information during the interview. For example, if you looked at our DisneyCareers.com page and saw a Trending article about ESPN and the hiring manager mentioned the brand in your interview, you might connect the two together in your question. Now that ESPN has entered the streaming market, how does this role play a part in entering a new market?
- This shows the interviewer a number of things: you researched ahead of time, you follow market trends, you can connect the dots and lastly, you want to make an impact by being a part of new work.
- Identify what is most important to you and craft a question targeting this attribute. For example, if you desire a leader who has a certain management style, tailor a question to get to the root of the interviewing hiring manager’s quickly. If you want to know what will make you successful in the role or how the team functions, structure a question that is key in understanding those areas.
- Use caution when asking questions that may have the hiring leader question your abilities. For example, if you want a leader who provides ongoing feedback, both positive and constructive, you might ask “when and how do people like to give and receive feedback on this team?”
- This shows the interviewer that feedback and team dynamics are important to you and you can gauge how the leader handles real-time feedback.
Lastly, listen to the answers so when you are crafting your Thank You note/email (ALWAYS WRITE ONE), you can reference specific parts of your interview and follow up on one of your questions tailoring it to the role.