In his column "Do you have any questions?" (Human Factor, December 19) Shyamal Majumdar exhorts candidates to answer the above mentioned query (asked at the end of an interview) and do it thoughtfully. Any knowledge of the recruiting company's interviewing practice, policy of transparency, interviewer's style and the trend of the interview would help further in deciding the nuanced response.
Some companies provide this opportunity as a ritual and hope to get "no, sir/ma'am" as the reply. There are organisations that adopt a conservative policy on sharing feedback and information about a candidate's performance in the interview or its top competitor. (The response may be a counter question asking the candidate to share his/her opinion about the latter and the reason for it.)
A talkative interviewer would be more forthcoming on answering an open question in contrast to the one who follows the 80:20 listen-speak rule. Subjective interpretation of a candidate's question is also common. Thus, a question on the company's career planning policy may be seen as a concern for one's own interest rather than that of the company.
If the candidate finds that the trend of the interview has enhanced his chances of getting the job, his inquisitive questions about the company are likely to be answered more enthusiastically. Still, or if a candidate does not have adequate knowledge about these parameters, it is advisable to think of a question in advance that helps rather than harms his/her interest.
Y G Chouksey Pune
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