Manager Bakery

Asking deeply personal or intrusive questions won’t get you high marks on the interview. However, most professionals enjoy sharing their career journey. Ask what first attracted the hiring manager to this company and what the career progression has been like.

All too often, job descriptions present routine tasks and responsibilities. Asking about specific expectations and accomplishments can allow you to tailor the conversation to demonstrate your fit for the position. It also shows your commitment to adding value.

The next logical step is to become a franchise owner one day. If you are lucky enough to work in Louisville, Kentucky have a look at their corporate jobs and see if there is a position for you.

Do you understand how to market on social media platforms, locally, and within your current database? Talk to the hiring manager about the types of initiatives you have taken on within marketing.

While you might be able to find a canned response to this question on the company's website, it'll be useful -- and possibly eye-opening -- for you to hear it more candidly from an employee. How the company treats its customers could end up informing your decision to join if you are offered the job, especially if you're applying for a job where you'll be communicating directly with customers.

It's easy to forget that someone might have once held the position you're applying for -- or, more importantly, that the role might have evolved since it came on your radar. Don't be afraid to ask HR what this job looked like before you were interested in it. This can include what the responsibilities looked like, how many other people currently hold this position at the company, and even where HR thinks it's going in the future.

Getting HR's perspective on the history of your potential role can give you unbiased insight into your department, and let HR know that you're interested in your future at the company -- not just your present.

Asking this question in an interview can give you insight into the challenges the hiring manager has in doing his or her job. Resources trickle down, so if the hiring manager is pressed for time, dealing with an unusually tight budget, or is short on human capital, you will be affected as well.

This question shows that you're not afraid of critical feedback -- in fact, you welcome it. Interviewers tend to make note of red flags -- whether it be something on your resume or something you said -- to discuss with a colleague following the interview. This question gives them the green light to ask about any of the things that are holding them back from being 100% on board with hiring you.

Your hiring manager’s job is different from the one you are interviewing for. However, insight into his or her challenges and favorites can offer a glance into the support and assistance you can offer.

Want to inject a little positivity into your phone call with HR? Ask them what has them pumped up right now. What motivates them to get up in the morning? Put yourself in HR's shoes: Wouldn't you love to answer this question, especially if you love the company you work for?

Asking the HR rep what they're most excited about shows them that you, too, thrive on enthusiasm. It also brings the best out in your interviewer -- a good headspace for HR to be in as they hand you off to the hiring manager.

This is an important question to ask in an interview because if you are offered the job, you will have to work in the environment affected and shaped by your predecessor.

Perhaps this opening was recently created to support company growth. If that is the case, ask a follow-up question about who owned the responsibilities up to this point, and how the duties will be transitioned.

If you are interviewing for a position left vacant by someone’s departure, get a sense for what happened. Why did the predecessor leave the job? Was he or she promoted or internally transferred? If the predecessor left the company, ask about the circumstances.

Having an opportunity to contribute is one of the key indicators of job satisfaction and team performance. If your hiring manager feels heard, appreciated, and valued for his or her input, chances are the same will translate into your position.

For some jobs, learning the technology or the internal company procedures is the most challenging aspect of coming on board. For others, it is about understanding the human network. Any guidance on how to speed up the learning process and make you effective and productive quicker can give you a significant advantage.

Virtually every company has enough work to keep everyone busy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In practice, everyone gets to go home at the end of the day. How do you know when you are done for the day? What are the expectations around working on weekends and responding to emails outside the normal working hours?

This question can be a breath of fresh air to HR reps who primarily answer questions about benefits (which are valuable questions, don't misunderstand). Asking an HR employee what they like about the company tells them you care about the company's culture and that you care about the opinion of someone whom you might not work with directly.

I like this question because it addresses expectations in concrete terms. Beyond stock descriptions of good communication and analytical skills, what does excellence look like for that position?

Say you enjoy the challenge and think you can learn a lot by managing a $1 million+ business. You can also state you enjoy mentoring and coaching others.

Does the company offer formal or informal mentoring and coaching? Does it invest in continued education or professional training? Great companies want to hire people who are dedicated to personal and professional growth. Show your hiring manager that continued development is important to you.

In customer service, you will sometimes come across customers who are rude, complain, or cannot be pleased. Talk to the hiring manger about your customer service philosophy, and how you go about handling rude customers.

Say many people think money is a great motivator but that is not always the case. I always make sure I take the time to praise my team members for a job well done.