Ask a Career Consultant
Hi there! Every week, the Career Development Team for Researchers at the Office of Career and Professional Development answers an anonymized career development question from the UCSF community. You can also visit the archive of all of our past columns. To submit your own question, [email protected] with the subject line 'ASKOCPD.'
A second-year postdoc asks -
At an interview, what are the best questions to bring when they ask “do you have any questions
for us?” I never know what to say, and I just end up asking about the hiring process logistics or
asking them what they like about the company.
The best questions are ones that you generate during the actual interview. Generating
questions in the moment helps you to stay present and engaged with what you are hearing,
and demonstrates this to your interviewers too. For example, if you learn that your ability to
communicate across departments is important to them, you can ask about cross-department
collaborations that are currently happening.
As a backup, it’s also a good idea to bring a few questions you prepared in advance, in case
none come to you spontaneously. The goal of these questions should be to learn more about
how this opportunity is a good fit for you. The more specific to you the better, so instead of
asking what someone else likes about the company, think about something that’s important to
you in a comfortable work environment and ask about that.
-Ray Care, Program Director, Career Development Team for Researchers
