Must-Ask Interview Questions

by Meghan Oakley

categories: Tips for Applicants, AmeriCorps

Published November 01, 2009 @ 06:26PM PT

We are all guilty of it. You get into an job interview and you're so nervous that you'll flub the answers to the questions they ask you that you forget to ask them questions in return.

Asking questions during a job interview can show that you are serious about the position, are interested in organization as a whole, and that you are playing attention. (Interviewers never remember to tell you all the things that you need to know, so asking clarifying questions will help you catch something that they have missed.)

For people applying for AmeriCorps positions, asking questions in an interview is even more important. First of all, AmeriCorps positions have a lot of moving parts that are unique to AmeriCorps and unique to individual programs. It's important use the interview to make sure that you have all the information about the position that you aren't able to get in advance.

Second, and most importantly, when you are interviewing with an AmeriCorps program, you are interviewing the program as much as the program is interviewing you. There are a lot of great AmeriCorps positions out there, but only so many highly qualified people. In a lost of cases, the program is working as hard to sell themselves to you as you are working to sell yourself to the program.

With this in mind, here are a few questions that you should ask during an AmeriCorps interview:

1). How does the benefits package work? How much is the living allowance and education award?

2). What is your management style and how do you communicate your expectations?

3). How will my performance be evaluated?

4). What have former AmeriCorps members from your program gone on to do?

5). What professional development opportunities do you provide your AmeriCorps members?

6). What other support do you provide for your AmeriCorps members?

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