Picture this: The job interview is going great. You confidently answered all the interview questions. The interviewer seems impressed and is ready to end the interview. But before they do, they hit you with one last question, “So do you have any questions for me?”
If you want a better chance to land the job, you always answer yes. Hold up! What kind of questions should you ask in an interview?
Here, I’ll give you the 55 best questions to ask a prospective employer. But before I get into that, it’s important to understand why you should ask questions.
Why You Should Ask Questions of Your Own During the Interview
As I said, asking questions is important if you want to be offered the job. And here are the reasons why…
- It shows that you are interested, enthusiastic, and engaged. If you let the hiring manager ask all the questions, it might seem like you’re just going through the motions of answering. You don’t care about the job opportunity. But if you ask questions that the interviewer didn’t touch on, this shows that you’re very into it. And this is everything a potential employer is looking for.
- It gives you one last chance to prove your worth. John Lees, a career coach, career strategist, and author of personal development books says that this part of the interview is when you should drive home any key points on how you’re the perfect fit for the job. Say you’re looking to boast that you’ve worked with a well-known client but you didn’t have a chance to mention it. If you ask your own questions, you can add this short segue before you ask a related question.
- It helps you see if the job is the perfect fit for you. No, you shouldn’t just accept any job offer that’s given to you (unless you’re desperate). You want to make sure it’s a job you’ll enjoy and that you are a good fit. Well, you can know early on in the interview process if you ask questions about the company culture, the job, the expectations, professional development, etc…
- It showcases your knowledge of the industry and company. If you ask specific and smart questions to a potential employer about the industry and company, it means that you know your stuff. Here’s one important stat: 47% of recruiters reject candidates who don’t know about the company they’re applying for. So if you show that you have knowledge, you might just get that job offer, or at least go to the next steps.
- You get to engage in dialogue. Interviews are a two-way conversation. So if you want to build rapport and establish a connection, you should ask questions at the end or even during the interview to start a conversation. The Muse editors say:
“Interviews work best when they’re a conversation, so don’t be afraid to pose questions when it makes sense throughout the conversation.”
What Are the Best Questions to Ask a Prospective Employer?
To make it easier for you, I’m going to list down many different questions to ask in a job interview for specific topics. We’ll look at:
- Questions to ask about the company
- Questions to ask about the team
- Questions to ask about the company’s culture
- Questions to ask about the job
- Questions to ask about training and professional development
- Questions to ask about the next steps
Remember, you don’t have to ask all these 55 best questions to ask a prospective employer. Go ahead and pick the ones you really want to find the answer to.
Questions about the company
Amy Gallo, an author and podcast host about workplace issues, gives this advice for asking questions about the company:
“One important note here: Don’t ask things that you can easily find with a quick Google search.”
So here are 7 smart questions to ask hiring managers in a job interview if you want to know more about the company you’re applying for.
1. Could you tell me about the current goals the company is working on, and how does the team contribute to achieving them?
2. What’s your take on where the company’s headed in the next five years?
3. I’ve dug into the company’s beginnings, but could you share more about another significant milestone that the company reached?
4. What gets you excited about where the company’s heading in the future?
5. Could you provide some insights into the new products or growth plans the company has in the pipeline?
6. Could you share what the company considers its most crucial values?
7. How does the company make sure it sticks to its values?
Questions about the team
Before you accept any job offer, you must know if you can work well with the team. This is why you should ask a potential employer these questions:
8. What specific skills is the team currently lacking, and what are you hoping a new hire will bring to the table?
9. Could you provide some insights into the team I’ll be working with?
10. What are the major challenges I may encounter in this position?
11. Who will I be collaborating with the most in this role?
12. Do you anticipate any changes to my main responsibilities in this role over the next six months to a year?
13. Who will I be reporting to directly in this role?
14. Could you provide some information about the team members I’ll be directly working with?
15. What are the strengths and biggest challenges the team faces?
16. Do you anticipate hiring more people for this department within the next six months?
17. What other departments collaborate most closely with this one, and in what capacity?
Questions about the company culture
Our expert John Lees warns us to take these questions to ask a potential employer with a grain of salt. Why? Because an employer or recruiter isn’t going to tell you outright that the company culture is toxic.
But to gain as much insight as possible, here are unique interview questions to ask employers about the company culture:
18. How do you usually welcome and onboard employees?
19. How are remote employees typically integrated into the company culture?
20. How would you describe the work environment? Is it generally more collaborative or independent?
21. What aspects do new employees often find surprising once they’ve started?
22. How does the team come together and nurture strong connections?
23. Is there any material you recommend I read before starting to ensure I have a common understanding with my colleagues?
24. Could you share details about the most recent company event that the team participated in together?
25. What’s your favorite office tradition?
26. What’s the team’s usual lunchtime routine?
27. Do people from the company or team often socialize outside of work?
28. Do you sometimes organize events that involve collaboration between different departments or teams?
29. What sets working here apart from your experiences at other workplaces?
30. How have you seen the company evolve since you became a part of it?
31. How has the organization managed to address challenges related to remote work?
32. How does the company ensure that remote and hybrid employees receive equal opportunities and standards compared to in-person employees?
Questions about the job
You’ll want to know what your day-to-day will look like if you get hired. This is why you should also ask these types of questions:
33. Could you give me an idea of what a typical day or week looks like in this position?
34. What do you expect from me in this position?
35. What are the projects that need immediate attention?
36. What would you say is the top priority for me to achieve within the first 90 days?
37. Could you tell me about the performance review process here? How frequently are formal reviews conducted?
38. Could you provide some examples of the projects I might be involved in?
39. How will my performance be measured? What metrics or goals will I be evaluated against?
40. What qualities and experiences are you seeking in an ideal candidate for this role?
41. How soon can I expect to… [meet with clients, take on responsibility for my own accounts, engage with other departments, etc.]?
42. Is this position newly created, or will I be assuming the responsibilities of someone who is leaving?
43. How does this role fit into the broader picture of the company’s goals and objectives?
Questions about training and professional development
Finding a job is not all about money. It should also be about growing professionally. So if you want to know if this is a company that will allow you to grow, here are some questions to ask about training and development:
44. What opportunities for learning and development are available to your employees?
45. How does the team I’ll be joining foster professional growth and development?
46. Can you provide examples of a career path starting from this role?
47. Will there be chances for me to take on stretch assignments where I can learn and apply new skills?
48. What career paths do people typically follow in this department?
49. Are there opportunities to progress and grow within the company?
50. How does the company usually handle promotions?
51. Would I have the opportunity to represent the company at industry conferences?
52. Where have successful employees typically progressed to within the company?
Questions about the next steps
Finally, you’ll want to ask an employer what the next steps are after the end of a job interview. To ask about this to an employer during an interview, here are some sample questions:
53. What should I expect as the next steps in the interview process?
54. Is there any other information I can offer that would be beneficial?
55. Is there anything else you’d like me to address or clarify?
Final Words
It’s very important to prepare questions to ask the interviewer. This will give you a higher chance of landing that job.
If you have no idea what questions to ask an employer, then check the 55 best questions to ask a prospective employer I listed here.
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