At the end of a job interview, when the hiring manager asks if you have any questions, be sure to come up with something. The interviewer is not just being polite. The person is trying to find out one more thing about you.

        They are trying to see if you know anything about the company, says Bill Belknap, a master career coach with the New York City-based outplacement and career-counseling organization, the Five O’clock Club.

        “Intelligent candidates ask good questions, so you are immediately putting yourself behind the eight ball if you are not showing you have done your homework,” he says.

        Belknap, who also coauthored the book, “For Executives Only,” recommends taking notes during the interview.

        “First ask, ‘Is it OK if I take notes?’” he says. “Don’t take copious notes. Just write down little sound bites.”

        Then, when the interviewer asks you if you have any questions, that’s the time to look at your notepad, at the questions you wrote ahead of time. You can find a list of sample questions by doing a Web search for “questions to ask interviewer” or something similar.

        The first question you should ask, Belknap says, is “Why is this position open?” Ideally, your predecessor will have been promoted.
        “Then your follow-up question is, ‘May I speak with her?’” he says.

        Other questions could include whether you are filling a new position, or how many people have worked in that job over the past two years.
        It’s important to ask about the people with whom you’ll be working, especially your immediate supervisor.

        “The person you are going to work for is more important than the company,” Belknap says. “You are looking for a good boss.”
        You can even ask the person what they like about working for the company, and what the culture is like.

Don’t ask about benefits. That’s something you can look up on the company’s website. Besides, Belknap says, that’s not a first-interview question.
        “They will tell you that when they offer you the job,” he says.

        It’s OK to ask about career path. Ask, “If I do well in this position, where will I go next? How long will it take?” The company should want you to look ahead and grow within the organization.

        “You’re not going to stay if you are doing the same old same old every day,” Belknap says.

        You can also use the time to comment on what you have learned about the company. His advice is to eat at the restaurant a few days before your interview. Then offer the interviewer your feedback, even if it’s negative.

       “If you are interviewing with an organization that says, ‘I don’t care if the food came out cold or that the bartender was slow,’ then you are talking to the wrong person, and you don’t want to work there,” Belknap says.

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