Many people consider the job interview process to be one of the most nerve-wracking experiences in life. Will I get the job? How am I appearing to my (hopefully) future employer? Does it show that I'm a little nervous? Can I prove to the interviewer that I have all the skills necessary for success in the position? Here are a few brief questions to ask, and some not to ask.

(Note: This list is very cursory. For a more thorough analysis of questions you should ask the employer, point your Web browser to Job Interview Questions.org @ http://www.jobinterviewquestio ns.org/questions/questions-ask .asp.)

Questions To Ask
Basically you want to ask questions focusing mainly on the position itself rather than salary or benefits. After all, you'll be doing this day in and day out if you get the job.

1) What are the requirements of this position? You should have a basic understanding of what's involved from the hiring manager's perspective.

2) Tell me a little bit about your company. Actually, you should have researched the company via their website and printed out some key pages from their site. You should make notes on these printouts and set them in front of you during the interview, working off them and asking the interviewer detailed questions about the company's products and/or services.

3) How long have you been with the company? Do you like it here? This question breaks the ice a bit and relaxes the mood. It also gives you an "insider's look" at the positives and potential negatives of working with the company.

4) Why is this position open? Nine times out of 10, the employer will tell you it's because the company is expanding and they're looking to hire on someone new. But there have been cases where the employer offers something like, "Well, we had to let the person who had this position go; he just wasn't working out." Red flag alert! Why was the person let go? Poor performance? Maybe the company was burning him out with an unreasonably stressful workload? You can ask the interviewer why he didn't work out, but don't expect much of an answer. But do pay very close attention to the company's requirements for the position, and their expectations of you if you do get the job.

Questions Not to Ask
Remember to keep in mind that you don't want to appear too presumptive that you already have the position. Presidential candidates can do it during election season, but for the average job seeker out there, the employer sees this as arrogant and it just doesn't fly.

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