What Questions Should You be Asking After Your Interview?

recruitmint • September 10, 2019

Your job interview is a great chance to show your potential employer what a great candidate you are. However, why don’t you take that impression one step further?

Show the potential employer that you really want to work for them by following up afterwards with an email. It’s direct but also isn’t as forward as an impromptu or ‘coincidental’ meeting outside the offices.

The post-interview questions you should be asking

If you haven’t heard back a week after your interview, or on the day they said they would contact you, chase it up. There is no harm in showing you are interested in following up after your interview. Remember that job interviews are a two-way street – not only do you want this job; but the employer is interested enough and wants you too… that’s why they saw you!

Questions to ask after your interview

What do you think are the most important qualities for someone to excel in this role?

This can often lead to valuable information that’s not in the job description. It can help you learn about the company culture and expectations so you can show that you are a good fit.

What are your expectations for this role during the first 30 days, 60 days, year?

Find out what your employer’s expectations are for the person in this position.

What are the next steps in the interview process?

This shows that you are eager to move forward in the process. It will also help you gain important information about the timeline for hiring so that you can follow up appropriately.

Ask for a new deadline date

A simple email or phone call (leaving a message rather than asking to speak to the interviewer) shows the potential employer that you’re still interested and you are keen. It shows that you are the sort of person that will not wait for things to drop in their lap, instead you are determined and will take action. These are good traits for employers to see in potential candidates. If they are unable to confirm straight away, then don’t be scared to ask when you can expect to hear from them.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone who is about to start in this role?

Whilst not to get ahead of yourself, there’s no harm in posing such a question during converse to prepare yourself for the future.

Questions to ask if you did not get the job

From what you have seen, is there anything you think I could have improved upon, or any reason why you think I am not suitable for this role?

If you didn’t get the job then ask them if there is anything that they think you can improve upon. Ask them why they do not think you are suitable for the role or what the successful candidate had that you did not. By asking for feedback, you are showing the potential employer that you’re willing to improve. It will also tell you what they are looking for if they hire for a similar job in the future; ideal if this is a company you truly want to work for.

Expect feedback to be brief, and that’s okay

Sometimes feedback will be short and brief, so try to be as direct with your questions as possible (ie. “did I handle the question about working under pressure well?” or “do you felt I told you enough about my past experiences and how they could aid me in this position?”).

Please do keep me in mind for any future roles

A really great thing to ask after the interview if you find out you haven’t got the job is for the company to keep your details on file. This shows initiative and that you are really interested in working for that company. Just because they have kept your details on file, it doesn’t mean you have to say ‘yes’ if they offer you a job in the future. However, it means that the option is available to you. Finally, follow the company on social media to look for vacancy updates to be one of the first few they see.

If you’ve just heard you’ve not got the job from an interview then why not give the team at Recruit Mint a call? We can review your CV for you, recommend some suitable jobs we have for you and give you some interview tips too. Alternatively, please feel free to check out our current job vacancies available in Peterborough and surrounding areas.

The Silent Dealbreaker: Why Candidates Reject Job Offers at the Last Minute

By Karl Montgomery • March 17, 2025
Picture this: after weeks of interviews, countless email exchanges, and meticulous CV screening, you've finally found the perfect candidate. The offer letter is sent, champagne is on ice—then silence. A few days later, the dreaded email arrives: "Thank you for the opportunity, but I've decided to pursue another option." Last-minute candidate rejections aren't just frustrating—they're expensive, time-consuming, and increasingly common in today's competitive job market. According to recent research by Robert Half UK, 42% of UK professionals have accepted a job offer but continued to interview for other roles. More alarmingly, 28% admitted to accepting an offer only to back out before starting. But why is this happening, and what can recruitment professionals and hiring managers do to prevent these eleventh-hour disappointments?

How Data-Driven Decision Making Can Transform Workforce Productivity

By Karl Montgomery • March 17, 2025
In today's competitive business landscape, intuition and experience remain valuable, but they're no longer sufficient on their own. UK businesses facing rising operational costs, increasing competition, and a challenging economic environment can no longer afford to make critical workforce decisions based on gut feeling alone. The difference between thriving and merely surviving increasingly depends on how effectively organisations leverage data to optimise their most valuable resource: their people. According to research from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) , UK productivity growth has stagnated since the 2008 financial crisis, lagging behind other G7 nations. With the April 2025 minimum wage increases looming, businesses face growing pressure to extract maximum value from their workforce investments. The good news? The rise of workforce analytics provides unprecedented opportunities to identify inefficiencies, optimise performance, and cultivate environments where employees thrive. As Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the Royal Society for Arts (RSA), noted in the UK Government's Good Work Review : "In a world of increasing workplace complexity, the organisations that thrive will be those that measure what matters and act on the insights." This blog explores how data-driven decision making can transform workforce productivity, examining practical approaches that UK businesses are implementing today with remarkable results.

The Battle for Skilled Workers: How Manufacturing Can Compete with Other Industries for Talent

By Karl Montgomery • March 17, 2025
Manufacturing in the UK faces a talent crisis of unprecedented proportions. While the sector contributes over £191 billion to the British economy according to Make UK, it's increasingly losing its most valuable resource—skilled workers—to competing industries. This talent exodus comes at a critical moment when technological advancement demands more specialised skills than ever before. The Manufacturing Skills Gap Survey reveals a stark reality: 83% of UK manufacturers struggle to recruit appropriate talent, while 64% report losing skilled employees to other sectors—particularly technology, logistics, and renewable energy. This isn't merely a staffing challenge but an existential threat to the industry's future competitiveness and innovation capacity. "Manufacturing has an image problem that masks its reality," notes Stephen Phipson, CEO of Make UK. "While other sectors have successfully repositioned themselves as modern, dynamic career destinations, manufacturing continues to battle outdated perceptions that undermine its appeal to today's workforce." The good news? Forward-thinking manufacturers are finding ways to reverse this trend, implementing innovative strategies that not only stem the tide of departing talent but successfully attract skilled workers from other industries. This blog explores how manufacturing can transform its approach to talent acquisition and retention, repositioning itself as an employer of choice in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

From Passive to Proactive: How to Build a Talent Pipeline That Eliminates Recruitment Panic

By Karl Montgomery • March 17, 2025
The scenario is all too familiar: a key team member hands in their notice, triggering an immediate scramble to fill the position. Job descriptions are hastily updated, recruitment agencies engaged, and hiring managers pulled into urgent meetings—all while business continuity hangs in the balance and costs mount. This reactive approach to recruitment isn't merely stressful; it's strategically flawed. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), UK organisations take an average of 28 days to fill a vacancy, with specialist roles often exceeding 12 weeks. During this time, productivity suffers, remaining team members face increased pressure, and opportunities are missed. The alternative? Building a proactive talent pipeline—a continuously nurtured pool of engaged, pre-qualified candidates ready to step into roles as they become available. This approach doesn't just reduce time-to-hire; it fundamentally transforms recruitment from an emergency response to a strategic advantage.

The Impact of Same-Day Delivery on Warehouse recruiting: Are You Prepared?

By Karl Montgomery • March 17, 2025
The race to deliver ever faster is transforming the logistics landscape. What began as Amazon's competitive edge has evolved into an industry-wide expectation, with same-day delivery rapidly becoming the new standard rather than a premium service. For warehouse and logistics leaders, this shift creates unprecedented operational challenges—none more pressing than how to recruit, train, and retain the workforce necessary to meet these accelerated timelines. According to the UK Warehousing Association (UKWA) , the demand for warehouse space has increased by 32% since 2020, driven largely by e-commerce growth and the same-day delivery paradigm. Yet while physical capacity expands, the human capital challenge grows even more acute. A recent LogisticsUK survey found that 82% of warehouse operators cite staffing as their most significant constraint in meeting same-day delivery demands. This isn't merely a challenge of hiring more people—it's about recruiting differently for roles that have fundamentally changed. As Peter Ward, former CEO of UKWA, notes: "Same-day delivery hasn't just accelerated timelines; it's transformed the very nature of warehouse work, creating new roles requiring different skills and aptitudes than traditional warehouse positions."

How to Recruit for Shift-Based Roles Without Destroying Work-Life Balance

By Karl Montgomery • March 17, 2025
In today's competitive labour market, attracting quality candidates for shift-based roles presents a unique challenge for HR professionals. The CIPD Working Lives Report found that 68% of UK shift workers report negative impacts on their personal lives, yet many businesses rely entirely on shift patterns to maintain operations. The critical question becomes: how can organisations recruit effectively for these positions while preserving the well-being and work-life balance that today's workforce demands? Far from being an impossible task, creating attractive shift-based roles requires strategic thinking and innovative approaches to work design. Companies that get this right gain a significant competitive advantage in recruitment, retention, and productivity – all while supporting employee wellbeing.

Why You’re Not Getting Interviews – And How to Fix It

By Karl Montgomery • March 17, 2025
You've spent hours perfecting your CV, searching for the right opportunities, and submitting applications – yet your inbox remains frustratingly empty. If you're wondering why you're not landing interviews despite your qualifications and experience, you're not alone. Recent research from Totaljobs shows that the average job opening in the UK attracts 49 applications, with only 15% of applicants typically securing an interview. The good news? With a few strategic adjustments to your approach, you can dramatically improve your chances of making it to the interview stage. Let's examine the most common reasons applications fall flat – and the practical steps you can take to stand out from the crowd.

The Future of Engineering Leadership: What the Next Generation of Leaders Will Look Like

By Karl Montgomery • March 17, 2025
In an era of unprecedented technological change, shifting workforce dynamics, and evolving industry pressures, engineering leadership stands at a critical crossroads. The traditional command-and-control approach that once dominated the sector is increasingly being replaced by more adaptive, inclusive, and technology-enabled leadership models. This transformation isn't merely a trend—it's an essential evolution for companies seeking to remain competitive in an increasingly complex global marketplace.

The Hidden Productivity Killers: How Poor Shift Planning, Meeting Overload, and Workplace Distractions Are Draining Your Profits

By Karl Montgomery • March 10, 2025
In the relentless pursuit of efficiency, UK businesses often overlook the subtle yet powerful forces quietly eroding their productivity. While organisations invest millions in cutting-edge technologies and process improvements, the most damaging productivity killers often operate in plain sight—unrecognised, unmeasured, and unaddressed. According to research from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) , the UK continues to lag behind other G7 nations in productivity growth, with output per hour worked remaining stubbornly below pre-2008 financial crisis trends. What's particularly concerning is that this productivity gap persists despite significant investments in technology and equipment. So, what's truly holding UK businesses back? Our analysis of current research reveals three pervasive yet frequently overlooked productivity drains: ineffective shift planning, excessive meeting cultures, and persistent workplace distractions. Together, these hidden productivity killers could be costing your business up to £8,500 per employee annually, according to calculations based on CIPD Workplace Productivity Survey data. Let's examine each of these productivity vampires and, more importantly, how to drive a stake through their hearts.

Shift Patterns vs. Productivity: The Science Behind Workforce Scheduling

By Karl Montgomery • March 10, 2025
In UK manufacturing and production facilities, the constant hum of machinery doesn't always match the natural rhythms of the people operating them. As production demands continue to evolve in 2025, the way we structure work hours has profound implications not just for output metrics, but for the humans behind those metrics. According to the UK Office for National Statistics, approximately 3.5 million workers in the UK regularly work shifts, with manufacturing and production industries representing a significant proportion of this figure. Yet despite this prevalence, many operations managers and production directors still rely on outdated scheduling approaches that prioritise machine uptime over human performance. The consequences? Higher turnover rates (manufacturing experiences 15% higher turnover than the UK average according to Make UK's 2023 Labour Turnover Report), increased workplace accidents (37% higher in night shifts according to HSE data), and productivity plateaus that frustrate even the most experienced production managers.  Let's explore what the evidence actually tells us about shift patterns, their impact on your workforce, and how to design schedules that serve both business objectives and employee wellbeing.
Show More