Goldman Sachs' HR chief has interviewed thousands of people at the firm, and these are the best questions candidates ask

Advertisement

Advertisement
Edith Cooper

Bloomberg

Goldman Sachs' HR chief, Edith Cooper.

"The best questions that candidates ask in an interview are the ones that they can't get an answer to in other places," Edith Cooper, executive vice president and global head of Human Capital Management at Goldman Sachs, tells Business Insider.

Cooper, who has interviewed thousands of job candidates during her tenure at Goldman Sachs, explains that questions relating to the structure of the business or the divisions of Goldman Sachs are fine to ask, but they're easy to answer yourself if you do your homework. 

In fact, Goldman Sachs expects candidates to come into an interview having done extensive research on the company, and she points to Goldman Sachs' Careers homepage as a valuable resource of public information ranging from the various divisions of the firm to people profiles.

More interesting and valuable questions are ones that come from a sincere desire to learn if Goldman Sachs is a place where you want to work, Cooper says.

Advertisement

"An interview is really a two-way conversation," she explains. "We are interviewing to figure out whether you're the right candidate, but it also should also be an opportunity for someone to determine whether Goldman is the right place for them as well."

Examples could include, "How has this position evolved?" and "How would you describe the company culture?"

"Those questions really prompt not only answers, but real conversations," Cooper says.

Check out the full interview below: