Career Exploration, Hiring Process, Interview Tips, Job Search Tips

Good Questions To Ask An Interviewer: Plus Bonus Tip

Written by mrafeeq · 7 min read >
Available for hire
Available for hire

Photo by Ryan Miglinczy on Unsplash

You’ve made it through the interview process, and now you’re in front of your interviewer. Naturally, you want to make sure you leave a good impression, so here are ten questions to ask an interviewer! If you have any questions, don’t worry — we have them for you! We also have one tip for getting hired after the interview.

Not every question is appropriate for every job. Some are applicable for long-term positions, and others can be asked of temporary employees. Do not repeat the questions below in a pre-defined manner; instead, go with the flow and pick the most fitting ones. Practice answering at least three questions indicating you considered this job’s role seriously. Recruiters will have the best knowledge of the company values, benefits and top-level job duties.

Use these unique interview questions to ask employers to get ahead of the competition, and make sure you ask an interview these questions throughout your conversation. A couple can be reserved to be asked by the end of the interview. These have been rated as among the best questions to ask an interviewer.

What is the company culture like?

How would you describe the relationship between this company and its employees?

What are your expectations of me in my first six months on the job?

Can I meet with my potential coworkers?

What do you like about working at this company?

How is a typical day structured for someone in this position

What qualities do you look for in an ideal candidate

What are some of the challenges associated with this role or organization

What are the day-to-day responsibilities of the role, look like

When can I expect to hear back from you with regards to my application?

What are the company’s goals for the next five years, and how does this position contribute to that goal

Why is this position open? What happened with the last person who occupied it

Have there been any recent changes to the organization or its direction that I should know about before accepting employment

Can you tell me about any recent projects or initiatives that were successful at the company?

If you could change one thing about the company, what would it be and why

If I were offered this job today, what would be my first project assignment

Do I need any specific skills or qualifications for this position other than what I have mentioned in my resume

If I am offered the job, when can I expect to start working

Are there opportunities for professional development or continuing education

What is the company’s policy on work-related social media use

How does this company compare with others in its industry

Can I meet someone who works in my department or would be a colleague if I were to take this job?

Can I have a tour of the office space where I can potentially be working

How would you describe your company’s work/life balance, including its flexibility policies for employees with children or other responsibilities outside of work?

How agile is your process, how effectively do you use TDD, Pair Programming & BDD

Where is your organization currently focused on growing or expanding

Save questions about salary and holiday allowance for when you’ve got a job offer

Can you tell me more about the team I would be working in? This will help you understand the way the company is structured, who you’ll report to and the department the role sits within

Can you show me examples of projects I’d be working on?

Preparing a list of questions to ask the interviewer allows you to show that you are interested, enthusiastic, and engaged – all qualities necessary for success in the job. Below are a few top questions you can ask a hiring manager during the job interview

Deciding on specific questions to ask from the list above

You will be more excited and memorable during your interview if you ask questions. The interviewers should avoid asking irrelevant questions because the subjects won’t make sense. Not all the above questions will fit your situation, industry, etc. So look carefully for questions that work the best for the company or manager you talk to and for the job you want (entry-level, managerial, etc.). Ask questions that sound like/for you.

You’re more impressive than they thought.

Ask intelligent interview questions to expose that you are more impressive than your resume and cover letter suggest. However, avoid questions with questions too general to have any effect. Also, questions should be geared towards the specific role and organisation to avoid questions that might cause you to appear clueless.

Conversely, too obscure questions may reveal you have done little research on the company. If questions seem out of place or feel like they’re being used to laugh, the interviewer doesn’t appreciate them.

Questions should tie into your strengths and weaknesses but avoid yes/no questions. The interviewer will likely answer “yes” or “no” and move on to another topic. Also, remember the type of interviewer you are speaking to: an HR person may not give vital feedback on a point, while someone in the department will have strong opinions.

Remember that it’s not just what you say or answer but also how you respond to specific questions. The tone of voice is essential to gauge strong feelings, especially when speaking with someone who can’t see your body language. Your style may show boredom, interest in the interviewer, or strong disagreement, which may turn them off.

When it comes to selling yourself, don’t just tell your strong points but also be prepared for challenging questions that demonstrate strong communication skills and give strong responses that show you have what it takes to do the job.

Questions to ask about the company

You can add questions to showcase your interest in a business. Defining your next-level questions by referring to something from something you see in the newspapers or on social networking networks shows your interest. Make sure to answer their question or quote why you think this environment suits your personality and working style. If applicable, your response can be followed with a piece of advice you bring on-site that can assist in dealing with specific pain points/issues. For example, suppose you interview employees about hiring opportunities and ask how you anticipate the following year. Tell me the change you want.

Questions to ask about the job

You could ask a hiring director or other people on the panel to get you hired. The questions will give you quick ideas about the qualities of a person they hire. Tell me the challenge you have encountered on these teams. This is an essential question if the company you interview is large or mid-size. Knowing how to work together will help improve your job satisfaction. Would any job ever enhance its employee’s performance? What does your first night at work look like? Recommend some career shadow employment opportunities for this part of the organisation.

Ask them who they will be working most closely with. This question will help you get a better sense of the dynamics of who your collaborators will be. Jot down names, and ask for titles. It’s essential to evaluate how cross-functional the role is

Questions to ask about culture

The opportunity will help you know which company’s culture suits your needs best. This question demonstrates what you have researched about the firm or its executives. These questions also help you understand whether the culture is good for you and will fit the company. It indicates the organisation is geared towards diversity and inclusion. How can we make the interview a reality for interviewers? Why? How often are employees conflicted between two people and why in my company?

Questions not to ask the interviewer

Do not use questions from the job description, the company site, or even Google searches. Don’t ask about salary. Please do not ask questions about the mission of the company or its values first. Besides questioning the benefits of an employer and vacation time, you can skip this question about the employer. The company is looking for the best person to come in and fix their problems. How does it look to focus on holiday times and benefits and not regret past experiences? Do not make strong negative statements about colleagues or bosses, even if they are currently sitting on the panel with strong words. Answers vital questions with solid evidence of how your experience as a strong employee will help the company as a strong leader.

When can I take time off for vacation if I get the job? (Wait until you get the offer to mention prior commitments.) Can I change my schedule if I get the job? (If you need to figure out the logistics of getting to work, don’t mention it now.)

Avoid asking questions that focus too much on what the organisation can do for you. Instead, try to come up with at least four or five questions to ask the interviewer. Then, if one or two of them are answered during the earlier discussion, you have backups.

Choose your go-to questions and stick with them.

You only need four to six good questions. You can reuse these questions with different jobs if you interview one person. Spend some time brainstorming and writing the questions. You will be acquainted with the questions you should ask the interviewer. The right questions to ask each new employer you interviewed will be written down and practised each time you go to a job interview, as this helps you stay familiar with the questions you have and prepare for an interview that you have.

Inquire about opportunities & future

It’s good when a company interviewer asks you about your role as a CEO—showing that you care about that organisation and whether it will develop or change. It is an excellent way to gain confidence when you interview. Unfortunately, when you ask a person if you want help with a question, you don’t recall anything, but it’ll happen. This demonstrates a lack of interest and preparedness. Never give an interview more than just two questions: You show that you care about the opportunity.

Job Interview
Photo by Sebastian Herrmann on Unsplash

Always ask yourself when you can expect feedback.

Not knowing this can lead to anxiety over continuing, so ask for feedback. Keep track of the time you receive to understand when to follow up on an email if you haven’t heard anything. Ask a hiring director or other people on the panel. This is often the best option. Use your network to determine what they think about their new hires and participate in decisions.

Bonus Protip: Send an email thank-you note after every interview! It’s always nice to show appreciation at the end of an interaction! Plus, it will make them more likely to remember you the next time they hire someone new!

This is key to gaining more knowledge about the company, role, and whether or not it will be a good fit. These questions are essential, but you may want to prioritise some over others based on your asking them. For example, if this job allows you to take care of personal tasks requiring travelling, you might prioritise questions about travel benefits.

Although it may be tempting to ask in a job interview, this is not always possible or appropriate for all of your burning questions. Instead, save some for later when they have more time to answer at their own pace and in detail! You can also use these critical follow-up questions after the initial interview to help you better understand the company and its ole.

After an interview, the most important thing to remember is that it’s not all about you. Ask the interviewer how their day has been. It’s polite. Then ask them what they like to do outside work. You can also offer help if something is on their desk or in their inbox that you could help with before leaving the office. These are just a few questions that may lead to an ongoing rapport with your future boss or colleague — so see them as more than just opportunities to learn more about each other! Finally, remember to be confident and keep smiling.

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