Questions to Ask in an Interview

In addition to being asked questions in your job interview, it’s likely you will be asked if you have any questions for the interviewer.

You want to take advantage of this opportunity by asking questions to:

  • learn more about the job opportunity to help you stand out
  • understand the work environment to see if it’s a good fit
  • determine the next steps in the hiring process to determine your follow-up game plan
Learn More about the Job Opportunity to Properly Position Yourself

The goal of asking questions about the job itself is to not only understand what the key responsibilities for the position are, but to use the information you learn about the position to properly position yourself in your interview thank you email and in the second round interview.

As an example, if you learn that key responsibilities for the position will be to support new product launches or to develop training materials for the field sales force, you would want to highlight your related experience in these areas in both your interview followup email and in your second round interview.

Understand the Work Environment to Determine Fit

If you know that working remotely is important to you or that you work best in a team environment, it’s important for you to ask questions to learn about the work environment to see if it would be a good for for you.

Questions about the work environment could include questions about the corporate culture, the hiring manager’s management style, and the company’s organizational structure.

Understand Next Steps in the Hiring Process

Finally, learning about timing and next steps in the hiring process can help you.  Use what you learn about timing to guide you in terms of when to followup on the job opportunity. 

If you learn the next step would be for you to make a presentation to a hiring panel, you can take some time while waiting to hear from the employer to think of a topic for this presentation and create a rough outline.

List of Questions to Ask at your Job Interview

1.     What is the reason for opening?

2.     What are the main tasks the person hired for this job would undertake?

3.     What would your ideal candidate for this job be like?

4.     Who does this position report to?

5.     Can you explain how the department is organized?

6.     What people and departments would the person in this position interact with?

7.     What is your management style? (If interviewing with the hiring manager)

8.     What is the corporate culture like?

9.     Could I get a copy of the position description?

10.  Where are you in the hiring process?  (Or what
would be the next step?)

11.  Can I have your business card? (For use in e-mailing a thank you letter)


Additional Job Interview Resources

Interview Questions

Preparing for a Behavior-Based Interview

Follow Up Email After Interview

Negotiate Salary – How to Determine Your Desired Salary

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