Latest / Interview Prep with Fexingo: Behavioral Questions, Case Studies, and Hiring Manager Insights / How to Turn an Interview into a Two-Way Conversation
Transcript
- Lucas: You know that moment in an interview where you've answered four questions in a row and you realise you haven't asked a single thing? You're just... reacting. Luna: It's like you're a ping-pong ball. And the hiring manager is the paddle. Lucas: Exactly. And most candidates think that's normal. But the ones who land offers — especially in competitive fields — they treat the interview as a two-way conversation. They're assessing the company just as much as the company is assessing them. Luna: So how early is too early to flip that dynamic? Can you ask a strategic question in the first five minutes without seeming presumptuous? Lucas: You can — if you do it right. I want to break down a real case. A friend of mine, she's a product manager at a mid-size fintech now, but when she interviewed two years ago, she was up against a dozen other candidates for a senior PM role. She told me she decided she wasn't going to just answer questions — she was going to lead the conversation. Luna: What did she do differently? Lucas: The hiring manager opened with the classic 'So, tell me about yourself.' She gave a tight thirty-second summary — current role, biggest win, why she's interested — and then immediately asked: 'Before I go deeper, I'd love to understand what success looks like in this role from your perspective. What would make you say, six months from now, that this hire was a home run?' Luna: That's a power move. It turns the tables without being aggressive. Lucas: Exactly. The hiring manager later told her that question alone set her apart. It showed she was thinking about outcomes, not just tasks. And it gave her a roadmap for the rest of the conversation — she knew exactly which of her experiences to highlight. Luna: So she basically used the first five minutes to get the hiring manager to tell her what they valued most. Then she tailored every answer to that. Lucas: Bingo. And that's the core of the two-way conversation approach. You're not just answering — you're gathering intel and adjusting in real time. I call it the 'Reverse Interview Checklist.' There are three categories of questions you want to ask. Luna: Okay, let's hear them. Lucas: First, role-definition questions. Like the one she asked — 'What does success look like?' Others in that bucket: 'What are the biggest challenges someone in this role would face in the first 90 days?' Or 'How is this role measured beyond just hitting OKRs?' Luna: That last one is interesting because it signals you understand that metrics don't tell the whole story. Lucas: Right. Second category: team and culture questions. These are about how the team works day-to-day. 'How does this team make decisions — is it consensus-driven or top-down?' Or 'What's the most common type of disagreement on the team, and how is it resolved?' Luna: Those questions reveal a lot about whether you'd actually enjoy working there. And they show you're thinking about fit, not just getting an offer. Lucas: Third category: growth and trajectory questions. These are about the future. 'What does career progression look like for someone who excels in this role?' 'What skills has the top performer on this team developed that made them stand out?' Luna: That last one is clever — it's a roundabout way of asking 'what do I need to learn to be excellent here?' Lucas: Exactly. Now, a lot of candidates worry that asking too many questions will make them seem demanding or like they're wasting the interviewer's time. But the research says the opposite. A study from the Journal of Applied Psychology — I think it was 2022 — found that candidates who asked more questions were rated as more competent and more likable, as long as the questions weren't purely self-serving. Luna: So the key is to ask questions that show you're thinking about the team and the company, not just 'when do I get promoted' or 'how much vacation time?' Lucas: Right. Self-serving questions have their place — later in the process, in the offer stage. But during the interview, the questions should signal curiosity and strategic thinking. Let me give you another example. I had a listener — let's call him James — who was interviewing for a data analyst role at a retail company. He told me he memorised three questions from a podcast and asked them all at the end of every interview. Luna: And how did that go? Lucas: He got the job, but he said it felt robotic. He was just reciting questions. The real power comes when you ask questions that build on something the interviewer just said. For example, if the hiring manager mentions they're rolling out a new CRM system, you can ask: 'How is the team thinking about data migration for that? Is there a plan to clean legacy data first?' Luna: That shows you're listening and you understand the operational challenges. It's a world away from 'What's the culture like here?' Lucas: Exactly. So here's the concrete takeaway: before your next interview, prepare a list of ten to twelve questions across those three categories. Then during the interview, pick two or three that are most relevant to what you've heard. And don't save them all for the end — sprinkle them in naturally. When the interviewer says 'Any questions so far?' after the first topic, that's your cue. Luna: Yeah, and if you wait until the very end, you might run out of time or forget. Or worse, the interviewer might think you didn't have any questions at all. Lucas: That happens more than you'd think. I once interviewed a candidate who, after an hour, said 'No, I think you covered everything.' And I remember thinking — really? You don't have a single thing you're curious about? It told me they weren't that invested. Luna: So for our listeners who want to practice this: pick one question from each category, and rehearse asking it out loud. That way it doesn't sound scripted — it sounds like a natural part of the conversation. Lucas: And another tip: when you ask your question, pause and let the interviewer answer fully. Don't jump in to fill the silence. Sometimes the best information comes after a pause. Luna: I think the bottom line is that interviews are a two-way street. You're evaluating them as much as they're evaluating you. And when you approach it that way, you come across as confident, curious, and — this is the key — like someone who has options. Lucas: And that confidence is attractive to hiring managers. It signals that you're not desperate, you're selective. And selective candidates tend to get offers. Luna: Before we wrap up, I want to mention something briefly. A lot of you have been asking how you can support the show without a big commitment. And honestly, the most direct way is through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, it's a small gesture — a few dollars a month — but it genuinely makes a difference in keeping these episodes ad-free and focused on practical advice. If you've gotten value from any episode, that's the place. Luna: No pressure at all. Just something to keep in mind if you've been meaning to give back. Now, back to the two-way conversation — one more framework I want to add. Lucas: Go ahead. Luna: There's a concept called 'mirroring' in negotiation. When someone asks you a question, you can reflect it back in a slightly different form before you answer. Like if they ask 'Tell me about a time you handled a difficult stakeholder,' you can say 'Sure — before I dive in, can I ask how you typically handle stakeholder alignment on your team?' That gives you context, and it makes the conversation feel collaborative. Lucas: That's a great technique. And it works especially well in behavioral questions. It shows you're not just delivering a rehearsed story — you're tailoring it to their context. Luna: Exactly. So to sum up: prepare questions in advance, ask them early and naturally, listen actively, and treat the interview as a conversation between equals. That shift in mindset alone can change the outcome. Lucas: And if you want to dive deeper into the specific questions, we'll put a list on the show page. For now, I'd challenge you to try this in your next interview — even if it's just a screening call. Ask one of those role-definition questions in the first ten minutes and see how the conversation changes. Luna: I think you'll be surprised at how much more engaged the interviewer becomes. It's a small shift with a big impact. Lucas: Alright, that's our episode. Thanks for listening — we'll catch you next time.