A lot of interview advice articles mention asking questions as a way of impressing the interviewers. I see that as a side benefit, and one that you earn only if you approach it the right way.
Although it may not appear so to folks straight out of college or who have been unemployed for a while, the goal of the interview is not to find a job. The goal is to find a job that's right for you. The job will dominate your life. You'll spend more time there than on any other single activity except sleeping. You'll time your friends, your family, your vacations around this job. For something that's that big a deal, you want to know what you're getting into.
So going in with a set of things you want to know about the environment is good; use those things to start conversations. Asking a canned list of questions and pausing for the response won't do much, even if it's your own personalized canned list. Listen to the responses. Ask follow-up questions. Know what you value, and respectfully try to find out if they value the same things. Bring up your curiosity at any appropriate place during the interview; you don't have to wait until the end.
That curiosity, that commitment to finding the right environment is what will impress interviewers, not the mere act of asking questions.
Although it may not appear so to folks straight out of college or who have been unemployed for a while, the goal of the interview is not to find a job. The goal is to find a job that's right for you. The job will dominate your life. You'll spend more time there than on any other single activity except sleeping. You'll time your friends, your family, your vacations around this job. For something that's that big a deal, you want to know what you're getting into.
So going in with a set of things you want to know about the environment is good; use those things to start conversations. Asking a canned list of questions and pausing for the response won't do much, even if it's your own personalized canned list. Listen to the responses. Ask follow-up questions. Know what you value, and respectfully try to find out if they value the same things. Bring up your curiosity at any appropriate place during the interview; you don't have to wait until the end.
That curiosity, that commitment to finding the right environment is what will impress interviewers, not the mere act of asking questions.