If you're reading this just before an interview, I want to wish you good luck. I understand this can be a nerve-racking moment. If you can, just take a deep breath. You got this.
Now a great way to stay relaxed is to be prepared. And you're doing just that by checking out this article. I've collected an impressive list of equally impressive questions that you can/should ask during your interview. These questions are designed to give you insights into your responsibilities, your co-workers, your boss, and hopefully your future company.
A well asked, thought-provoking question is an effective way to grab the attention of your interviewer. This will be vital when it comes time to make the final decision. Being top of mind (for good reasons) is where you always want to be.
One last thing before the questions, you can always write down the questions in a notebook. Bring that notebook during the interview and use it. This action shows that these questions aren't just questions to ask, they mean something to you. Take notes while they respond (don't just focus on the note taking - a quick phrase or word will work fine). Besides making you look good, it allows you to easily remember the response and compare their answers to other companies.
(From the list below, I recommend selecting 3-5 questions that mean the most to you.)
How do leaders encourage employees to ask questions?
Can you tell me about the team I’ll be working with?
What's your favorite office tradition?
Where do you see this company in the next few years?
Can you show me examples of projects I'd be working on?
What goals do you have for the company, yourself, and employees over the next five years? (If you're talking to highly ranked member of the company)
Can you tell me about my direct reports? What are their strengths and the team's biggest challenges?
Who will I work with most closely?
What are the next steps in the interview process?
How does the company culture affect this role?
Which other departments work most closely with this one?
Can you tell me about the last team event you did together?
Is there anything in my background you have questions about or need to be clarified?
How has the company changed over the last few years?
What are the most immediate projects that need to be addressed?
What is the outline of your telecommuting policy?
How does employee feedback get incorporated into day-to-day operations?
What do you hope I will accomplish in this position?
What would my first week at work look like?
Can you walk me through your typical work day?
What is the performance review process like here? How often would I be formally reviewed?
How often do you evaluate employee performance?
Where is the last person who held this job moving on to?
What do you enjoy most about working here?
How does this position contribute to the organization’s success?
Can you explain how the rest of this process will go?
Do you expect to hire more people in this department in the next six months?
What do you and the team usually do for lunch?
What has kept you working for this company and why?
What are the most important things you’d like to see someone accomplish in the first 30, 60, and 90 days on the job?
Does anyone on the team hang out outside the office?
Beyond the hard skills required to successfully perform this job, what soft skills would serve the company and position best?
What are the biggest challenges that someone in this position would face?
How often are employees expected to provide status updates on a project?
What are the performance expectations of this position over the first 12 months?
How long have you been with the company?
Would you like to see more examples of my work?
What attributes does someone need to have in order to be really successful in this position?
What type of mentor system do you have in place?
What are some of the problems your company faces right now? And what is your department doing to solve them?
Is there anything that concerns you about my background being a fit for this role?
I've read about the company's founding, but can you tell me more about ___?
What do you want the company to be known for among employees — past, present, and future?
What's different about working here than anywhere else you've worked?
What interested you in my resume?
Why did you come to this company?
What does it take to be a top performer at this company?
Who will I report to directly?
What are the top 3 most important qualities for someone to excel in this role?
What can you tell me about your new products or plans for growth?
How often is a new hire the result of a previous employee quitting?
When your staff comes to you with conflicts, how do you respond?
Why do most employees leave the company?
How frequently do employees make themselves available outside of normal working hours?
Is this a new role that has been created?
What are the skills and experiences you’re looking for in an ideal candidate?
What training programs are available to your employees?
How would you describe the work environment here—is the work typically collaborative or more independent?
How would you score the company on living up to its core values? What's the one thing you're working to improve?
What metrics or goals will my performance be evaluated against?
How competitive are your employees?
What are your pain points?
What types of skills is the team missing that you’re looking to fill with a new hire?
What is your work culture like?
How involved are employees in the structuring of their own goals and tasks?
How will I be trained?
Can you tell me about the team I’ll be working with?
How has the company changed since you joined?
What type of educational/training opportunities does the company offer?
How do leaders promote employee growth and success?
How do leaders set employees up for success?
What is your team’s greatest accomplishment?
How do you evaluate success here?
Is there a formal mission statement or company values? (Note: Make sure this isn't Google-able!)
What is your greatest accomplishment with the company?
What does a typical day look like?
What sort of budget would I be working with?
Is there any other information I can provide you with?
What's your advice for a new hire?
What would be most impressive about my work for you in the future?
What type of employee tends to succeed here? What qualities are the most important for doing well and advancing at the firm?
Can you offer specific details about the position’s day-to-day responsibilities?
What are the current goals that the company is focused on, and how does this team work to support hitting those goals?
How would you describe the work environment here?
What’s the one question I haven’t asked but should have?
What job shadowing opportunities are available for an applicant before they accept an offer?
How does management deliver negative feedback to employees?
Do you have any hesitations about my qualifications?
How are employees recognized for their hard work?
What benefits are focused on work-life balance?
Do you expect the main responsibilities for this position to change in the next six months to a year?
What’s your favorite part about working here?
Is this a new position? If not, why did the person before me leave this role?
Can I answer any final questions for you?
Do you ever do joint events with other companies or departments?
What have past employees done to succeed in this position?
Why are you working in this industry?
What hobbies do you have outside of the office?
Where have successful employees previously in this position progressed to?
What benefits and perks does the company offer?
Where do you see the company in three years, and how would the person in this role contribute to this vision?
How would employees describe the company and its leaders?
What is the company and team culture like?
What are the common career paths in this department?
Has your role changed since you've been here?
What are your views on goals, timelines, and measuring success?
Is there anything else I can provide you with that would be helpful?
What process will be used to evaluate my employee performance?
What advancement opportunities are available?
Would I be able to represent the company at industry conferences?
Are there opportunities for advancement or professional development?
What gets you most excited about the company's future?
How do you develop teamwork skills among employees?
Why did you choose this company?
What are the company’s biggest problems? How are they overcoming them?
What’s the next step of this process, and when can I expect to hear from you?
What did you do before this?
How is your workplace optimized for employees?
Suggested Follow-ups:
Article By: Tom Kieley
Now a great way to stay relaxed is to be prepared. And you're doing just that by checking out this article. I've collected an impressive list of equally impressive questions that you can/should ask during your interview. These questions are designed to give you insights into your responsibilities, your co-workers, your boss, and hopefully your future company.
A well asked, thought-provoking question is an effective way to grab the attention of your interviewer. This will be vital when it comes time to make the final decision. Being top of mind (for good reasons) is where you always want to be.
One last thing before the questions, you can always write down the questions in a notebook. Bring that notebook during the interview and use it. This action shows that these questions aren't just questions to ask, they mean something to you. Take notes while they respond (don't just focus on the note taking - a quick phrase or word will work fine). Besides making you look good, it allows you to easily remember the response and compare their answers to other companies.
How do leaders encourage employees to ask questions?
Can you tell me about the team I’ll be working with?
What's your favorite office tradition?
Where do you see this company in the next few years?
Can you show me examples of projects I'd be working on?
What goals do you have for the company, yourself, and employees over the next five years? (If you're talking to highly ranked member of the company)
Can you tell me about my direct reports? What are their strengths and the team's biggest challenges?
Who will I work with most closely?
What are the next steps in the interview process?
How does the company culture affect this role?
Which other departments work most closely with this one?
Can you tell me about the last team event you did together?
Is there anything in my background you have questions about or need to be clarified?
How has the company changed over the last few years?
What are the most immediate projects that need to be addressed?
What is the outline of your telecommuting policy?
How does employee feedback get incorporated into day-to-day operations?
What do you hope I will accomplish in this position?
What would my first week at work look like?
Can you walk me through your typical work day?
What is the performance review process like here? How often would I be formally reviewed?
How often do you evaluate employee performance?
Where is the last person who held this job moving on to?
What do you enjoy most about working here?
How does this position contribute to the organization’s success?
Can you explain how the rest of this process will go?
Do you expect to hire more people in this department in the next six months?
What do you and the team usually do for lunch?
What has kept you working for this company and why?
What are the most important things you’d like to see someone accomplish in the first 30, 60, and 90 days on the job?
Does anyone on the team hang out outside the office?
Beyond the hard skills required to successfully perform this job, what soft skills would serve the company and position best?
What are the biggest challenges that someone in this position would face?
How often are employees expected to provide status updates on a project?
What are the performance expectations of this position over the first 12 months?
How long have you been with the company?
Would you like to see more examples of my work?
What attributes does someone need to have in order to be really successful in this position?
What type of mentor system do you have in place?
What are some of the problems your company faces right now? And what is your department doing to solve them?
Is there anything that concerns you about my background being a fit for this role?
I've read about the company's founding, but can you tell me more about ___?
What do you want the company to be known for among employees — past, present, and future?
What's different about working here than anywhere else you've worked?
What interested you in my resume?
Why did you come to this company?
What does it take to be a top performer at this company?
Who will I report to directly?
What are the top 3 most important qualities for someone to excel in this role?
What can you tell me about your new products or plans for growth?
How often is a new hire the result of a previous employee quitting?
When your staff comes to you with conflicts, how do you respond?
Why do most employees leave the company?
How frequently do employees make themselves available outside of normal working hours?
Is this a new role that has been created?
What are the skills and experiences you’re looking for in an ideal candidate?
What training programs are available to your employees?
How would you describe the work environment here—is the work typically collaborative or more independent?
How would you score the company on living up to its core values? What's the one thing you're working to improve?
What metrics or goals will my performance be evaluated against?
How competitive are your employees?
What are your pain points?
What types of skills is the team missing that you’re looking to fill with a new hire?
What is your work culture like?
How involved are employees in the structuring of their own goals and tasks?
How will I be trained?
Can you tell me about the team I’ll be working with?
How has the company changed since you joined?
What type of educational/training opportunities does the company offer?
How do leaders promote employee growth and success?
How do leaders set employees up for success?
What is your team’s greatest accomplishment?
How do you evaluate success here?
Is there a formal mission statement or company values? (Note: Make sure this isn't Google-able!)
What is your greatest accomplishment with the company?
What does a typical day look like?
What sort of budget would I be working with?
Is there any other information I can provide you with?
What's your advice for a new hire?
What would be most impressive about my work for you in the future?
What type of employee tends to succeed here? What qualities are the most important for doing well and advancing at the firm?
Can you offer specific details about the position’s day-to-day responsibilities?
What are the current goals that the company is focused on, and how does this team work to support hitting those goals?
How would you describe the work environment here?
What’s the one question I haven’t asked but should have?
What job shadowing opportunities are available for an applicant before they accept an offer?
How does management deliver negative feedback to employees?
Do you have any hesitations about my qualifications?
How are employees recognized for their hard work?
What benefits are focused on work-life balance?
Do you expect the main responsibilities for this position to change in the next six months to a year?
What’s your favorite part about working here?
Is this a new position? If not, why did the person before me leave this role?
Can I answer any final questions for you?
Do you ever do joint events with other companies or departments?
What have past employees done to succeed in this position?
Why are you working in this industry?
What hobbies do you have outside of the office?
Where have successful employees previously in this position progressed to?
What benefits and perks does the company offer?
Where do you see the company in three years, and how would the person in this role contribute to this vision?
How would employees describe the company and its leaders?
What is the company and team culture like?
What are the common career paths in this department?
Has your role changed since you've been here?
What are your views on goals, timelines, and measuring success?
Is there anything else I can provide you with that would be helpful?
What process will be used to evaluate my employee performance?
What advancement opportunities are available?
Would I be able to represent the company at industry conferences?
Are there opportunities for advancement or professional development?
What gets you most excited about the company's future?
How do you develop teamwork skills among employees?
Why did you choose this company?
What are the company’s biggest problems? How are they overcoming them?
What’s the next step of this process, and when can I expect to hear from you?
What did you do before this?
How is your workplace optimized for employees?
About the Author
Tom is the creator of Fulfillingly. He absolutely enjoys giving people the tips and tools they need to find a satisfying career or dependable employee. Tom does this by combining years of experience with incredible outside sources.
Tom is the creator of Fulfillingly. He absolutely enjoys giving people the tips and tools they need to find a satisfying career or dependable employee. Tom does this by combining years of experience with incredible outside sources.
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