Personally, I believe the best part about a job interview is the last part: when I’m able to ask the interviewer(s) questions.

At the end of the day, an interview is a two-way conversation. You’re trying to get to know the people you’re working with in the future just as much as they are.

Asking insightful questions in an interview means more than just showing you’re interested in the position. It’s a chance for you to present:

  • Your expertise, by asking insightful, deep-knowledge questions related to the position you’re interviewing for.
  • Your research skills, by asking detailed questions about the company and its product.
  • That you care, by asking questions about the role, the interviewer, the company culture, and more.
  • That you are confident and comfortable in the interview, by treating it as a valuable two-way conversation.

That being said, it’s usually difficult to just come up with questions on the spot (even though you should be thinking of questions when the interviewer is presenting some information—it shows you’re interested, curious, and paying close attention to what they’re saying).

For that reason, we’ve listed out the 40+ best questions a candidate should ask in a job interview. Let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

 

Questions to Ask About the Role

  1. Can you describe the day-to-day activities for someone working in this role?
  2. What three things could I do after starting to help make your job easier?
  3. What can I do in my role to help you perform at your best?
  4. How does this role fit into the workflow cycle and how does it support the larger group?
  5. Based on my resume and our conversation so far, what do you think I would do best at in the position?
  6. Anything I can do to prepare myself for my first day?
  7. What should this role accomplish in the first month, 3 months, and a year?
  8. Why is this role open? (Was it just created? Did the previous worker leave? Was the previous person promoted?)
  9. What are the common challenges someone in this role can face?
  10. What types of skills is the team missing that you’re looking to fill with a new hire?
  11. In-depth questions that showcase your expertise and research skills: An example would be: after researching the company’s social media channels, you can ask about potential other social media channels to use and how they would benefit the company.

 

Questions to Ask about Personal and Professional Development

  1. How will I be trained? / What is the onboarding process like?
  2. Can you elaborate on the opportunities for professional growth in this role?
  3. Can you describe the career path for someone in this role?
  4. How does the performance review process work? How often do I get a formal performance review?

 

Questions to Ask About the Interviewer

  1. How did you choose to work for this company?
  2. Has your role changed since you started working here?
  3. Are you involved in any company activities outside of work?
  4. What’s your favourite part about working at this company?
  5. What do you like about working in the [something] industry?
  6. Any other things about them that you’re curious about after researching them. An example: “I saw that you studied Filming in college. Why did you decide to work in HR instead?”

A man interviewing for a senior position and asking questions in the interview.

 

Questions to Ask About the Team

  1. How often does the team give each other updates on their work?
  2. What are the challenges your team has right now, and how can I help?
  3. Who will I work with and who will I report to?
  4. What are the departments that work the most closely with your team?
  5. How was your team created and how has it progressed?
  6. Can you describe the work environment within your team?

 

Questions to Ask About the Manager/Leader

  1. How do you help develop members of your team?
  2. What is your/your manager’s teaching style?
  3. What is your leadership/management style?
  4. Where do you see the team growing in the next two years?
  5. As a leader of your team, how do you ensure that the members of your team feel safe and accepted by others?
  6. Behavioral questions asking managers how they deal with difficult situations to see if their values align with yours. An example can be: If an employee seemed dejected and didn’t perform at the best, what would you do?

 

Questions to Ask About the Company and the Culture

  1. What is the company culture like?
  2. What do you enjoy most about the company culture?
  3. How has the work environment helped you with your performance and professional development?
  4. How often are team-building events?
  5. What measures does the company take to ensure diversity and inclusion?
  6. How often do you interact with people from other departments?
  7. How does the COVID-19 pandemic affect the company culture and work processes?

 

Questions to Ask About Next Steps

  1. What are the next steps in the interview process?
  2. Have I answered all of your questions? / Do you have any other questions for me?
  3. Is there anything you want me to provide after this interview?

Hands holding each other after candidates having a successful job interview.

There you have it—43 questions you can ask during an interview. We’d recommend not asking them all at once—chances are some of them are already covered, or you can weave them in the interview.

Hopefully you’ve found our question list helpful. There’s more to prepare for the interview than just questions to ask, so check out our blog to learn how you can kill it in your next job interview.