Dear Cindy – Got Questions?

When I am asked at the end of an interview if I have any questions, what do I do if the interviewer has already answered all the questions I had planned to ask?

Sincerely,

Satisfied

This can be really frustrating, especially when you put the effort into preparing a list of really thoughtful questions.

You can start by saying that you did have a list of questions, but that the interviewer did such a thorough job s/he answered them already. But if you use this, you need to follow up with a good question, otherwise it may just look like you're trying to ingratiate yourself with praise.

Rather than preparing a list of specific questions, you could think of general areas of inquiry, e.g., best practice or continuing education.

Or, if you really can't think of anything new, you could ask them to elaborate on something that was mentioned during the interview. For example, if s/he mentions continuing education, you could ask about how often it's offered, specialty areas that are focused on, etc. The benefit of doing this is that you not only show you are interested in the position, but that you were also listening to the information being provided.

This could also be an opportunity to ask a question about something that is of reasonable concern that s/he cannot address (see Permissible Pre-Employment Queries – Canada or Permissible Pre-Employment Queries – US. For example, if you're a parent and you need to be able to leave early occasionally, this may be a good time to address it.

And remember, while you don't need to ask a lot of questions (especially when the interviewer has provided a lot of information), it is important to ask something. Because, whether accurate or not, asking questions can be seen as a measure of your interest. But that doesn't mean you should ask anything … see How to Create a Bad Impression with No Effort at All for how to avoid asking a question that will leave a bad impression.