Questions to ask the interviewer: 30 smart questions for the end of your interview

Hiring managers expect you to have questions. Your questions show that you read the job posting, listened during the interview and are thinking about doing the job, not just getting it. They are also your only chance to find out what the job is really like before you have to decide on an offer.

How many? Write down five or six before the interview and plan to ask two or three. Some will be answered along the way, and a panel may only leave you five minutes. MIT's career office puts it simply: the interviewer drives the interview, so a few well-chosen questions beat a long list.

Start with the work itself. These questions fill the gaps a job posting always leaves:

• “What does a typical day or week look like in this role?”
• “What are the most immediate projects I would take on?”
• “Is this a new position, or am I replacing someone? What did that person do well?”
• “What is the biggest challenge someone in this role will face?”
• “Which skills matter most for this job that the posting doesn't mention?”
• “Who would I work with most closely outside the team?”
• “What tools or software does the team use every day?”

Listen to the answer, not just for the information. A vague answer to “Why is this position open?” or three different answers from three panelists tells you something too.

These are the questions hiring managers remember, because they show that you are already thinking about results:

• “What would you need me to accomplish in the first 90 days?”
• “How will you measure success in this role after six months?”
• “What separates the people who do well here from the ones who struggle?”
• “A year from now, what would make you say this hire was a great decision?”

You will spend most of your week with these people. It is worth a question or two:

• “Can you tell me about the team I would join? How many people, and what does each one handle?”
• “How would you describe your management style?”
• “How do you give feedback, and how often do you meet one-on-one?”
• “How does the team handle disagreements or competing deadlines?”
• “Will I have a chance to meet the team before a decision is made?”

Culture is hard to read from a careers page. Ask the interviewer about their own experience: people answer those questions more honestly than abstract ones.

• “What do you enjoy most about working here?”
• “What surprised you when you joined?”
• “How has the company changed in the last two years?”
• “Where is the company headed over the next few years, and how does this team fit in?”
• “How does the company recognize good work?”

Asking about growth tells the interviewer you plan to stay. It also tells you whether this job leads somewhere.

• “Where have people in this role moved on to, inside or outside the company?”
• “What training, mentoring or certifications does the company support?”
• “How do performance reviews work, and how often do they happen?”

Keep one question for the very end. The safest is about the process. The boldest invites the interviewer to share a doubt while you can still answer it.

• “What are the next steps, and when should I expect to hear back?”
• “Is there anything about my background or experience that gives you pause?”
• “Is there anything else I can send you that would help your decision?”

Only ask it if you are ready to answer calmly. If the answer is “No, nothing,” thank them and move on to the next steps.

The recruiter is the right person for the practical questions you should not ask a hiring manager in round one. Asking them early saves everyone time:

• “What is the pay range for this role?” (if the job posting doesn't list one)
• “What does the benefits package include: health insurance, 401(k) match, PTO?”
• “Is the role on-site, hybrid or remote, and is that likely to change?”
• “How many interview rounds are there, and who will I meet?”
• “What is the timeline for a decision?”

• What the website already answers: “What does the company do?” shows you skipped your research.
• Pay, PTO and perks with the hiring manager in round one: ask the recruiter, or wait for the offer stage.
• Yes-or-no questions: “Do you offer training?” ends the conversation. “What training do new hires get?” starts one.
• Questions that were just answered: rephrase them into a follow-up instead.
• “Did I get the job?” or questions about the other candidates: they put the interviewer on the spot.
• Negative or personal questions: about a layoff rumor, a bad review or the interviewer's private life.

1. Write them down and bring them on paper or in a notebook. Glancing at your notes is fine; reading a script is not.
2. Tie each question to the conversation: “You mentioned the new West Coast office. How will this team support it?” proves you were listening.
3. Ask one at a time and let the interviewer finish. A short follow-up is better than a second question.
4. If all your questions were answered, say so, then pick something they said and ask for more detail.
5. If you need an accommodation for a later round (an interpreter, extra time on a test, an accessible room), ask now. Under the laws the EEOC enforces, an employer must provide a reasonable accommodation to a job applicant with a disability unless it causes significant difficulty or expense.

Your questions only come after a long series of theirs. Our guide to “Tell me about yourself” covers the one that opens most interviews, and the interview guide lists the others.

The questions you ask land better when the rest of the interview went well. Answering out loud is how you find the answers that run too long and the examples that are missing. Ask a friend to play the hiring manager, or run a mock interview on the real job posting.