Questions to ask in an interview: 36 examples and when to use them

Why the questions you ask in an interview matter

Near the end of almost every interview you will hear “Do you have any questions for me?” The questions to ask in an interview do two jobs at once. They show the employer that you prepared and are thinking seriously about the work, and they give you information you cannot get from the posting: how success is measured, what the manager is like and what problems are waiting for the new hire.

Yale’s Office of Career Strategy calls “no” the worst answer to that question, because having nothing to ask can read as disinterest. It also advises skipping anything you could find through basic research on the organization’s website. UC Davis’s career center adds a practical goal: leave knowing when decisions will be made and what you need to do next.

Treat the list below as a menu, not a script. Pick questions that matter to you and to the specific role, and adjust the wording so they sound like you. The best ones often build on something the interviewer said earlier, which proves you were listening.

Questions to ask about the role and what success looks like

Start here if you are unsure what the job really involves. These questions turn a vague posting into a picture of your first months, and the answers help you prepare stronger examples for later rounds.

• What does a typical day or week look like in this role?
• What are the most important things this person will work on in the first three months?
• What would make you say, six months from now, that you hired the right person?
• How is performance measured for this role, and how often is it reviewed?
• What is the biggest challenge the person in this role will face early on?
• Is this a new position, or will I be taking over from someone? What worked well in the role before?
• Which parts of the job description matter most, and which are less central day to day?
• What tools, systems or equipment will I use most?
• How much of the work is independent, and how much is done with a team or customers?
• What does a strong first year look like for someone in this position?
• What do people who do well in this role tend to have in common?
• What will training or onboarding look like in the first few weeks?

Questions to ask about the team, manager and culture

Culture questions work best when they ask for specifics. “What’s the culture like?” invites a slogan; “How does the team handle a disagreement about priorities?” invites a real answer you can learn from.

• Can you tell me about the team I would be working with most closely?
• How does this role work with other departments or shifts?
• How would you describe your management style, and how do you prefer to communicate with your team?
• How does the team decide priorities when there is more work than time?
• How does the team support someone who is still learning the job?
• How is good work recognized on this team?
• When something goes wrong, how does the team usually handle it?
• How does the team share feedback, both with each other and with the manager?
• What do you enjoy most about working here?
• What has changed on the team over the past year?
• How are schedules or shifts usually set, and how far in advance are they shared?
• What is something about working here that people are surprised by after they join?

Questions to ask about growth, learning and next steps

Growth questions show you are thinking beyond the first week, and next-step questions protect your time. Always end with at least one process question so you know when to expect news and how to follow up.

• What training or professional development is available for this role?
• Where have people who did well in this position moved on to, inside or outside the organization?
• Is there a typical career path for someone starting in this role?
• What skills would you like the next person in this role to build over the first year?
• What are the team’s or organization’s main goals for the coming year, and how does this role contribute?
• Is there anything about my background or qualifications you’d like me to clarify?
• What are the next steps in the hiring process?
• When do you expect to make a decision, and what is the best way to follow up?
• Is there anything I can send you that would help, such as references or work samples?
• Who else will I meet if I move forward, and what will those conversations focus on?
• Is there anything we haven’t covered that you think I should know about the role?
• Now that you’ve heard more about my experience, what questions or concerns do you have about my fit for the role?

Which questions to ask a recruiter, hiring manager or interview panel

The same question can be excellent with one interviewer and awkward with another. Ask each person about what they actually know, and keep a note of who said what so you can reference it in your interview follow-up email.

• Recruiter or HR screen: process, timeline, interview format, who you will meet, schedule and location basics, and whether the posting’s pay range is still current if one was listed. This is also the right place to confirm any requirement that would be a dealbreaker for you.
• Hiring manager: priorities for the first months, how success is measured, management style, team challenges and what they need most from the new hire.
• Future peers or team members: what a real day looks like, how work is handed off, what tools they use and what they wish they had known in their first month.
• Panel interview: prepare one question aimed at each panelist’s area, such as the operations lead or the clinical supervisor, and one general process question for whoever is leading.
• Senior leader or final round: direction of the organization, how this team fits the bigger picture and what the leader sees as the next year’s main challenge.

Which questions should you avoid early in the interview process?

Some questions are fine later but land badly in a first conversation. Both Yale and UC Davis career centers advise holding questions about salary, benefits, vacation time and schedule flexibility until the employer raises them or you have an offer. The exception is a recruiter screen where the recruiter brings pay up, or a genuine dealbreaker you need to confirm before investing more time.

Once you have an offer, ask everything you need; that is the moment covered in how to evaluate a job offer. If pay comes up early, the scripts in how to answer salary expectations help you respond without locking yourself in.

• Anything answered on the company website, such as what the organization does or where it is based.
• Questions the interviewer already answered; ask a follow-up on the answer instead.
• “Did I get the job?” or “How did I do?” Ask about next steps and timing instead.
• Detailed questions about raises, time off or perks in a first-round interview with the hiring manager.
• Questions that invite gossip, such as why the last person was fired.
• Personal questions about the interviewer’s life outside work.
• Yes-or-no questions that end the conversation, such as “Do you like it here?” Try “What do you enjoy most about working here?”

How many questions should you ask in an interview?

Career center guidance varies from two or three to three or four questions per conversation, which matches what usually fits in the time left. A good rule is to prepare five or six, because some will be answered during the interview, and ask two to four. If time is short, ask one question about the role and one about next steps.

In a multi-round process, don’t repeat the same questions to everyone unless you want to compare answers on purpose. Tailor them to each round, and use earlier answers to go deeper. If you are asked whether you have questions and every one on your list was covered, say so and ask a follow-up on something specific the interviewer said. Good interview preparation includes writing your questions down and bringing them.