In this video, career mindset coach Natalie Fisher argues that asking thoughtful, intentional questions during a job interview is a powerful, under‑used strategy for standing out and creating certainty for the employer. She challenges the conventional practice of saving a few generic questions for the end of the interview, urging candidates to treat the interview as a two‑way conversation and to ask questions throughout, especially when they arise naturally. Fisher recommends adopting a "role‑as‑if‑already‑yours" mindset: imagine you have already been hired and ask what you would need to know to succeed, what would impress the organization, and what resources or constraints exist. She outlines a four‑question framework designed to uncover the employer’s priorities, the ideal candidate profile, and the most important outcomes for the role: (1) What would absolutely blow your mind for somebody to come in and do in this position? (2) What does your dream‑come‑true person look like in this role? (3) What is the number‑one most important thing in the person you hire for this role? (4) What are your top three priorities for this quarter? These questions are intended to generate insight, demonstrate strategic thinking, and position the candidate as the obvious choice. Fisher also explains how to use the answers to tailor STAR stories, avoid low‑value questions about salary or benefits early on, and maintain a power‑balanced stance as a high‑demand candidate. She offers a 35‑question cheat sheet for further preparation and promotes her coaching services. The overall message is to shift focus from the candidate’s needs to the organization’s needs, ask high‑impact questions deliberately, and use the information to convey fit and certainty.
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All right, today we're going to talk about 4 powerful questions that you can ask in an interview that mostly no one asks. I can pretty much guarantee you no one asks these questions, so stay tuned. Questions that you ask in an interview, I find, are very underrated. Most of the time people are just taught to prepare 3 questions so that you can sound smart and ask them at the end when they ask you, do you have any questions for us? Right? So in this video, I'm going to propose that that is not enough, and you asking the questions to them is a strategy that you should have in mind so that you can really get into this interview in a way that no other candidate does. So I'm going to give you the questions that you need to ask, but I'm also going to give you like the entire strategy behind why you need to ask questions. So the first thing is asking questions really intentionally and being like, okay, what do I actually want to know? Like, what would I need to know in order to do this job really successfully? So say the job was already yours, They'd already hired you, let's say hypothetically, then what questions would you need to ask to be successful at the job? What would you need to do to like blow their mind once you get in there and start working? Start thinking from that place and see what questions you'd want to ask then. So intentional questions, really asking yourself, what would I need to know to be really successful at this job? What would I need to know about the job? What would I need to know about the challenges? What would I need to know that they want to do? Like, what would I need to know if this job was already mine and I just needed to know what I needed to know as the expert to succeed and deliver the results that they are hoping for? All right, so most people think that you need to wait till the end of the interview to ask the questions. We just kind of assume that the structure of the interview is just going to be like they ask, you answer, They ask, you answer, they ask, you answer, and then at the end they say, do you have any questions for us? Right? And that's how most interviews are, so I totally understand that you would assume that that's the structure of an interview. However, there are no question police in the interview, right? And if the interviewer is kind of questiony policey, then you can go with that, but normally they're not. And I've been on a ton of interviews, and if you can have a conversation that's more back and forth, that is going to involve you asking some questions throughout as well. So if the interview, let's say, is a conversation and it's more casual and it's more relaxed and it's more organic, then it means that you will be asking some questions throughout. Like, imagine if you went to a, a bar or a club or something and you're having a conversation with somebody and you're just the one asking all the questions. Like, they would feel like interviewed and it would be weird, right? But in the formal interview process, that's how we seem to think it needs to go, but it doesn't. I invite you to ask questions throughout. So say if they ask you something and then you answer and then you're like, oh yeah, that brings up something else. I'm wondering about this, right? So no question police. You can ask questions at any time during the interview. And then if they, if they tell you like, oh, please hold your questions till the end, that says something about their culture and their structure. And that's fine. You can follow their rules, but just keep in mind, is that where you want to be? Do you like that? All good. You can ask them at the end. But we still want to be asking very intentional questions. And, you know, 99% of the time that's not how it goes from my own experience. And it depends what industry you are in. However, I would go with you need to ask some questions as if you were the expert, as if you were already in the job. What would you need to know in order to blow them away and create the results that they want in this role? So the only reason that they don't hire you Is because they don't feel certain in your ability. They don't feel certain in you as a person. They don't feel certainty, right? So the thing they need the most to hire you instead of anyone else is they need to feel the feeling of certainty. So the way that you can generate that is by asking them those questions that somebody would ask them if they were already thinking in the way of being successful in the role. If like you are interviewing for a role and And you go in there with the mindset of this role is already mine. I have already been thinking about what I'm going to do to make this successful. Maybe you even prepare a PowerPoint deck to show them what your plan is. I've had clients do this, like not even asked to do it. They just decided, you know, if this role was mine, this is what I would do. And they go in and then they present the deck and then they ask questions. Questions like, the only thing I wasn't sure of was this. I wasn't sure if you guys did this or this or what kind of tools you use for this, right? Like very intentionally focused on getting them the results. So the only other thing you'd be missing is more information about what's important to them in that situation, right? So what do they actually want to achieve? What are their biggest, most important goals? What have they struggled with? What do they need? How are you that person to do it? And that's where you want to focus all of your brainpower completely onto their results. When you do that, you generate a feeling of certainty within them that you are that person. You're the person who has put time and energy into thinking about what's important to them, and they will find that the most interesting out of any other candidate. Because most other candidates are going to be sitting there answering the question Then waiting to get another one, answering the question, waiting to get another one, and then waiting until the end where they get to ask their 3 questions that they've prepared, right? So we want you thinking outside the box, thinking, okay, if the role is mine, what do I need to ask? What would I already know? What would I do? How would I think if the role was already mine, right? And asking questions from that place. The questions that you ask them actually help you position yourself for the exact person that they want for the role. They help you position yourself as their ideal candidate because when you ask them a really good question that they're not used to hearing, and I'll get into which, what the exact questions are that I recommend are, you inspire new thinking in them. Right? You create new thinking for them and expand their mind, and maybe they hadn't even gone there yet. And that's the most beautiful, most powerful thing you can do, right? So when you do that, you are essentially aligning yourself as not only the ideal person but the no-brainer person for the role, because you're even thinking steps ahead of them. And then when you ask the right questions to them, or you ask questions that make them think, then they start to feel differently towards you, right? So the questions that you can ask them actually makes them feel differently towards you. They will think, oh wow, that person's asking really good questions. That's really interesting. I haven't been asked that before. So for example, if you ask them, what's the most important thing in the person that you are going to hire for this role? And let's say they say, well, We really need somebody who is a self-starter, somebody who doesn't need step-by-step direction on everything but will just kind of take initiative and go for it. Then you can use that information for how you respond. So you can very consciously tell a story of a time you've done that before, right? Of a time when you saw something that needed to be done, nobody asked you to do it, and then you just went and did it. Right? You can actually tailor your answers to what they say they need. Now, you can do this when you have your 6 stories prepared. So I have another video, it's called 6 Stories to Nail an Interview. That's the beginning where I start you off. In my coaching program, we go through your stories, and you will want to make sure that you include these fundamental things that they are saying they need in your responses. And you can do that when you ask the questions earlier on and when it's a more natural, organic discussion. If you wait until the end and ask them 3 questions, then it's kind of over and you don't really have any opportunity to do anything with those questions. And it seems kind of too late. You're like, oh yeah, yeah, I do that. Yeah, I do that. So instead of that, we want to strategically coordinate your questions so that you can ask them earlier You're on and really get a feel for what they need, for what they're about, for what they want, for who they are, and why you are the best person to help them out. And when they answer that question like they do, like in the example when they say, well, we want someone who's a self-starter, who can take initiative, who will figure out the answers, then you can use that as fuel for yourself to be like, okay, I am really resourceful. I have figured out lots of things before. I know how to figure things out that I didn't know how to do. And then you can use those examples in your stories as well, right? And you can use those answers as fuel to interview more powerfully and help them see how they need to hear it, why you are the best person for that role. Don't waste your questions. So a lot of people will waste their questions by asking about benefits or asking about salary or asking about things that are not the time and place to ask about yet. In the initial interview, you want to be focused on finding the right fit for you and the right fit for them. And you honestly want to make sure that this is a fit. The way that you do that is to determine whether or not you are going to be able to help them, whether or not you are the person to deliver what they need. Now, you might have some doubt about that for yourself, and that's in another video where I can talk to you about how to overcome your self-doubt. If you desire the job and you have confidence that you can figure out how to do it, then you are totally the right person for it. That comes down to you and managing your self-doubt. So check out my videos on that topic for more help with that. Then I want you to ask yourself, why are you asking that particular question? You want to know that you're asking the question for a reason and asking it really intentionally. If you ask a question, you're going to know that the answer is going to tell you something about the company, about their culture, about the way that they do things, right? It's also going to give you the fuel that you need in order to answer in your stories and answer in the best way that you can. But you want to ask questions intentionally because that gives you the information that you need, right? And you are also interviewing them. Now we forget this, but you want to be in a position of power as well. You want to feel like you are a highly in-demand candidate and you have the perfect authority there to ask them questions too. You want to ask them questions in the expert energy of how they are progressing in their business, how they are doing, what strategies they are taking, and then you want to add to that with what you can contribute. The questions in the initial interviews should be focused completely on them. So these questions should be about them, not about you. So a big mistake that people make is they're very focused on themselves when they're interviewing. They're focusing on the fact that they want the job, they need the job, it would be good experience for them, it would benefit them, and these are all the ways it would be good for them, right? So what we want to do is shift your energy and focus onto the company, right? And the interviewers, the individuals in that room talking to you. You want to focus your, your focus completely onto them and your questions in the initial stages should be completely on them. And when you ask those questions, you are still going to get answers that are going to tell you whether or not you are going to be a fit or not. They will— when they answer, they will give you very good information about whether or not you are the person to help them. And how we know if it's the right fit or not is if you are confident that you are the person to help them, and you will get those answers when you ask the right questions. So without further ado, I'm going to give you the 4 powerful questions to ask, and These questions are going to create the certainty that you need in order to land the job. Question number 1, what would absolutely blow your mind for somebody to come in and do in this position? Question number 2, what does your dream come true person look like in this role? 3, what is the number 1 most important thing in the person that you hire for this role? What are your top 3 priorities for this quarter? And there you have it, the winning strategy for asking questions in an interview. Now I do have a 35-question cheat sheet that you can download. The link is below. You'll have the 35 questions all on one sheet. Now I want you to pick out the ones that are focused on the organization, not on you. Those ones can be asked after you get the offer. So I want to make sure that you are in, that you do find the right fit for you, and you only accept the offer if you really believe that is the right fit for you. So don't ignore red flags. These questions are going to help you identify that. Click the link below to get my 35-question cheat sheet that other candidates will not think to ask. I'm Natalie Fisher. You can find me at www.nataliefisher.com. Fischer.ca. I'm a career mindset coach. Thank you for watching. Give me a thumbs up if you liked the video, thumbs down if you didn't like the video. Subscribe to the channel, and I will be back here next week with another video. Oh, and I forgot to ask, leave a comment because that's just really fun. It's just a really fun part of YouTube that we can interact through the comments. So wherever you are in the world, let me know. I am in Canada, Victoria, British Columbia. So talk to me. I will see you next week. Bye!
