Ten questions candidates should ask at an interview

An interview for your next executive level travel role should always be a two-way process and I would be inclined to walk away from a company should they not allow you to ask any. Often a lot of questions a candidate has prepared are covered during the interview, but there are bound to be ones you can still ask. What you choose to ask is vital, as you want to sound intelligent and show that you have been listening to everything the interviewer has said about the role, company, services and products and team. We’ve chosen ten questions that you can pick from armed and ready for your next interview.

Ten questions you should ask at an interview

Once the interviewer has finished asking their questions don’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet as what questions you put to them can have a lot of impact and could potentially sway them one way or the other. It’s also important to adopt a positive tone and sound enthusiastic, even if asking tricky questions such as enquiring into management style, as not all interviewers are experienced and may find themselves lost for words. This rarely happens, but you need to be ready to manage the situation in a positive way.

The more senior the position within travel you are seeking, the more important it is to ask complex and tough questions. Recruitment managers will judge you as much on the inquiries you make as on the responses you provide. If you don't ask sufficiently detailed questions, it will demonstrate a lack of initiative and leadership qualities that a senior level travel position demands.





Is this a new role? If not, why has/is the current person leaving?

If it’s not a new role, the answer can enable you to gain vital insight. Often the reason will be promotion or a move into something different within the company, but it may be due to a clash of personalities and you need to gage this.

How would you describe the work culture here?

Here you are signalling that you want to be able to operate at your optimum and understand that for this you require a positive environment. In turn, this can indicate you are a good self-manager who is aware of how to get the best out of yourself.

How would you describe a typical week/day in this position?

A great question to ask as you can gain a lot of insight into what you will actually be expected to do and deliver.
If I was given the job, how do you see the role evolving?
This is a great question because it helps the interviewer envisage you personally in the role. As they explain how the role might develop over the next few years, they’re thinking about you developing alongside it.
What do you see as the priorities for this job in the first three months?
This allows the interviewer to go into more detail about what the post actually requires within the first couple of months. It’s a chance for you to agree (if appropriate), look enthusiastic and if possible even explain why those priorities are ideally suited to your background.
How does my role fit with the overall vision at your company?
Not only will the answer to this question give you another chance to outline exactly why you’d be perfect for the role, it also shows to the interviewer you are aware of the bigger picture and your part in it. A great question to ask for more senior level travel roles.
Could you tell me about your style of management and the reporting structure within the company?

This is an important question to ask as not everyone is suited to the same style of management and you need to know at this early stage should a flat structure not suit you for example. You also need to assess how you would feel with say, little direction or perhaps too much.

How will you measure my performance? How often?

It’s important to understand what the KPIs are and how ROI will be measured. It is vitally important that this is a transparent as possible for a senior sales or commercial position with the travel industry.

What challenges is the organisation currently facing?

This is a key question to ask and if you have uncovered something of interest during your research of the travel company it may be relevant to bring it up now. It also demonstrates your awareness of the travel industry as a whole.

What types of training opportunities do you offer?" with...

"What are advancement opportunities are there within the organisation and can you give me some example of managers who have advanced their careers within recent years of joining".
- this demonstrates your ambitious, however be careful to ensure that you are committed to seeing through the role you are interviewing for and are not merely seeing it as a stepping stone.


Remember to close the interview by summarising your key skills and how they’re relevant for the job in question. Always find out the next steps and when you’re likely to hear back and don’t forget to thank the interviewer for their time and keep smiling!

About the Author

Gail Kenny is the managing director of Gail Kenny Recruitment, a recruitment agency specialising in executive travel jobs, corporate travel jobs, tour operator, sales and marketing travel focused jobs in London and the UK (www.gailkennyrecruitment.com). The site caters exclusively to talented individuals with skills and experience to succeed in travel and business management, and businesses looking for this calibre of candidate with the travel industry.