Internal Promotion Interview----I got NO questions

I think a good question is "What is the number one quality someone should have to be successful in this role?" That way you know what they want and can feel out whether or not they think you measure up. Plus it shows that you care about performing the role well.

Will you be being interviewed by someone who does or has done the job the you want? If so: "I've worked with other people in this role for a long time, so I feel like I have a good perspective on what it involves, but I also know there's more to every job than meets the eye. What are the challenges of this job that I might not have seen from my position?"

I think asking a question about how the role of department manager has evolved over the past ___ years would be a great question. It's also something you wouldn't necessarily know the answer to beforehand.

Maybe something about new projects coming down the pipeline or opportunities to collaborate with other departments?

If you know everything about the job, then you have ideas about the biggest problems they'll be expecting you to solve, right? So you can ask what the interviewer thinks they are, and see if your ideas match. Either way you'll have something to talk about. I also don't want to ask a question that may be a good question but is obviously just tacked on. Why not? I've brought pre-written lists of like ten questions to interviews, that I've picked for relevance to the job, and it seems to go over well when I just keep asking as many questions as there's time for.

I love, "what do you think is the hardest thing about this job?" Both as a hiring manager and as a candidate.

A piece of advice I've heard for internal candidates is to treat the interview as if you are not internal. Sometimes we can be too relaxed as internal candidates. This doesn't mean you should ask questions you know the answers to, but surely there are some things you don't know about the position and how it interacts with various people. Be careful not to assume that things will necessarily stay the same. Also, it's quite professional and appropriate to have a list of questions with you on a piece of paper to refer to when you need. It can also make sense to have questions for different people you might speak with during the day. I wouldn't plan on one or two questions to wow them, but ask smart questions you truly want to know answers to. The blog Hiring Librarians has https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AuYsyqpmSJUHdFJOS0toVC1tTmNwTXVBM0xMdW5UR3c#gid=0 (both questions asked of candidates and questions candidates asked interviewers) you might find it helpful to review. Here are some questions that might work: How might this position be different for the successful candidate than it's been in the past? What are obstacles for success for the person who holds this position next? How will the successful candidate be evaluated? And, of course: What is the hiring timeline?

"How can I make this position better than you're advertising it now?"

My interview is Friday. I got the coveted last spot. I like to think of it as them saving the best for last! Thank you so much for your responses. They were very helpful. I will keep you posted.