In almost any job interview, you'll be given the opportunity to ask questions. When given this chance, always make sure that you take it. This is your chance to find out about the company and job at which you'll be spending the majority of your waking hours. If you pass up this chance, you risk ending up at a bad company, and you also appear disinterested to the interviewer.

To make sure you have questions ready, write them out on a sheet of paper ahead of time. When they ask if you have questions, break out the sheet of paper. Unlike other people who fumble at this point, you look prepared.

Break up your questions into categories based on the people to whom you expect to speak. Write them down in groups so that you are not fumbling through a large list of questions looking for ones that are appropriate to the person with whom you are speaking. Have general question about the company ready for the HR person and any other senior management types. Have specific questions about the group in which you'll be working for the manager. Have another set of questions ready for your peers.

Don't be afraid to ask questions more than once. You may think you already have gotten an answer to a question, but it's interesting to see if different people give them same answers or if there are widely divergent opinions within the company. Depending on the question, this can be good or bad.

Here are some general areas you can use to come up with questions of your own:

- Ask about the company, the past, future, growth, market, etc.

- Ask about the department in which you'll be working and how it fits in with the company as a whole.

- Ask about the responsibilities of the job and the expected day-to-day activities. What are the challenges in the position? What are the opportunities?

- Ask about the skill sets they are looking for.

- Ask about the last person who had the job. What happened to them, why did they leave? This can raise some danger signals.

- Ask about the growth path in the company, and for the position you are interviewing for.

- Make sure you ask what the next steps are in the interview process, and when you'll hear from them next.