Your resume, LinkedIn profile, and interview are your best opportunities to present yourself as the ideal candidate for a position. These are tools to help you succeed. Of course, asking the right question is vital to an interview.

In a recent article in Inc. Magazine by J.T. O’Donnell titled “Why Asking This 1 Question in a Job Interview Increases the Chances You'll Get Hired,” the author suggested this question:

"What's the company's biggest threat to success this year, and how will I be able to help overcome it in this role?"

The reason was: “By asking this, you're allowing the employer to articulate how this position (and the person it!) can offer the biggest impact”.

Planning out questions to ask before the interview is essential, and thought needs to be given to what impression does a question communicate? Both sides to this crucial question suggested will reveal more than they might expect with this question. If the job candidate does want to make a difference in their work, their genuine sincerity will be communicated along with the question. The question can hurt the candidate’s chances if genuine interest isn't there. Likewise, suppose the employer doesn’t see the candidate’s contributions as necessary or has already decided whether they are the right candidate. In that case, that will be communicated with how the question is verbally answered. Both sides of an interview need to read and understand the nuances of body and speech communication.

The Inc. article offers other insights into how questions can be helpful. Still, some pre-interview research can often help learn what the people in the interview might consider their hot-button priorities. If the last person out the door with you has little involvement with the job being considered, then a different question might still show a candidate’s sincere interest in the company.

Also asking about the next steps in the process should not be missed because it communicates that the candidate does have a strong interest in the company and position.

Brent M. Jones

Brent writes with quiet confidence and curiosity, exploring communication, reinvention, and what truly matters. His reflections invite readers to slow down, reconsider their stories, and reconnect with the values that guide them. Through books, essays, and his What Matters newsletter, he offers writing that doesn’t shout—but still speaks clearly.