45 Great Questions To Ask After An Interview (With Examples)

There’s one surefire way to impress your interviewer, and it’s to ask them great questions.

We often think of interviews as a one-sided conversation where the recruiter is just asking us questions and is the only one doing an interview. But an interview is your opportunity to ask them questions and interview the recruiter and the company as well.

Preparing questions for your interviewer is a crucial part of the interview process, but it can be tough to figure out where to start. We’ve come up with a list of engaging interview questions that you can try out at your next interview.

Key Takeaways:

• Being an engaged interviewee will set you apart from other candidates, especially if you come prepared with strong questions. Asking questions is just about showing your enthusiasm for the role and that you’ve spent time thinking about your fit for the job

• Asking follow-up questions at the end of an interview is a great way to learn more about the position, but it can also keep the conversation going. You might find a way to slip in more information about yourself and why you’re perfect for the job.

• When you approach a job interview as a conversation and an opportunity to learn more about the company as well as the position, you’ll be more likely to get a job offer.

10 Example Questions to Ask After an Interview

We’re going to take a look at the ten best questions you could be asking at the end of any type of interview, whether it’s face-to-face or virtual. Ask a handful of these questions, as long as they’re relevant, and you’ll be well on your way to being a stand-out applicant.

1. Is there anything you want me to elaborate on? You should always ask this question to create an opportunity to go more in-depth on a previous answer and gauge how you’re doing.

   If an interviewer tells you that they need more explanation from one of your responses, you’ll have a chance to revise an answer or give more detail. Other times, the interviewer will give you an indication of your performance, like telling you that you’ve answered all the questions very well.

2. What does a normal day in this position look like? Sometimes hiring managers forget to give you the most basic details of the role you’re applying for when you interview, so make sure to follow up and learn exactly what you’re getting yourself into.

   You’ll learn more about the position and expectations this way, which will help decide if this is the right job for you.

3. What challenges has the company faced recently? This is a great question to ask to show that you’re engaged and thinking about the company’s performance. It’s also an excellent opportunity to learn more about the company and pitch your skills to help the company overcome whatever obstacles are in its way.

4. What does your ideal candidate look like? If you move things into the abstract and ask what an ideal candidate looks like, you’ll have a chance to compare yourself to what the company is looking for.

   It will allow you to reiterate your qualifications and fit for the position or show you that you might not want this position after all.

5. What are the biggest challenges someone in this role would face? Again, bringing up challenges is a good way to show your engagement.

   When you ask about the most challenging parts of a job, you have an opportunity to assess whether you could handle it and reiterate how your skill set will help you overcome these challenges.

6. How would you describe the company culture? This question is a great way to gauge how your personality would fit with the company and your potential coworkers. Depending on their answers, could you see yourself working here and enjoying it?

   Taking a moment to ask about life at the company outside of your daily duties will help you figure out if this company is a good fit for you.

7. Is there anything else about this role or the company you can share with me? Just like you want to give the interviewer a second chance to ask you questions or clarify your previous responses, you should give them a chance to add something.

   Asking for general information on the job or the company could lead you to new information or just build better rapport with your interviewer.

8. How does the company encourage professional growth? Before you commit to a job, you want to make sure there’s potential for you to grow. Asking up front about future opportunities and how promotions work in a company is an excellent way to determine if you’ll have the potential to grow in your new job.

9. What other teams or departments should I expect to work with in this role? This question goes back to nailing down the particulars of the job you’re interviewing for.

   Asking about which departments you’ll collaborate with during the job is a great way to figure out what will be expected of you and what your duties will be. It’s also a good way to judge if you’ll be exposed to other elements of the company and working cross-functionally.

10. What do you like best about working here? Turning to a more personal question to close out your interview will give you insight into what an actual employee thinks of the company. It also allows the conversation to turn more personal, and it can help you build a relationship with the interviewer.

    Feel free to change this question to “what do you dislike about working here?” to learn more about potential red flags at the company.

Tips for Creating Questions to Ask After an Interview

These questions are just starting points for you to figure out what to ask at the end of an interview. You’re not limited to these ten questions at all, and it’s even better if you can come up with a few on your own that really speak to the position and the company.

You should show up to an interview prepared with some of our questions as well as a few of your own. Here are a few tips for coming up with questions for an interview:

• Review the job description. Job descriptions are often vague, with broad skills and responsibilities listed. But it’s worth taking another look at the job description to see if you have any questions about specific duties or skills that the position is asking for.

  This will not only clear up any confusion on your end, but also shows the interviewer that you’re attentive and detail-oriented.

• Research the company. If you can bring questions about any recent company updates or news, it will show the recruiter that you did your research, and you know what’s going on at the company.

  By doing your research, you might also find some questions about the company’s organization and how different departments work together that you can bring to the interview.

• Get to know the interviewer. Don’t be afraid to ask some personal questions about the interviewer, either as you get started with your interview or at the end. You can begin to build a friendly relationship with a few questions about their role and their time at the company before the interview starts.

• Think about your career goals. Where do you see yourself in a few years? Interviewers will probably ask you this question, but it’s a good idea to think about where you want to be and whether this company can help you get there or not.

  Think about questions to ask about growth potential, management potential, or other relevant topics about the future.

• Think about performance reviews. Do you know how someone in this position would have their performance reviewed? If you don’t, you should ask about performance reviews and success measures to make sure you’re on the same page as your potential employer about what good performance looks like.

• Consider the team you’ll be on. It’s a good idea to get a lay of the land as you go through the interview process. Think about questions involving team layouts and who your coworkers or manager would be, and see if you can envision yourself working with them.

• Think about the next steps. Often interviewers will tell you what the next steps of the hiring process are and when you should expect to hear back from them. If they don’t give you any indication of what the next step is, definitely ask them about it.

  You can even ask if there’s anything else you can provide (like references or a portfolio) to help them make their decision.

• Get into the details. If you’re interviewing with someone within the department you’re applying for or who would know about a position’s particulars, feel free to ask field- or industry-specific questions.

  Ask about what their KPI (key performance indicators) or other success measurements look like so you have an idea of where the company stands and how you can support it.

• Keep boundaries in mind. Despite the best intentions, sometimes questions can be misunderstood and make you look bad.

  Think about how you phrase questions and avoid common interview faux pas when creating questions for an interview.

• Take notes throughout the interview. You should have a few questions prepared before the interview starts, but you can also keep track of any questions that come up during the interview session.

• Consider the interviewer’s background. In the course of your research on the role and the company, you should also look into the interviewer’s background — are they a recruiter who primarily serves in a strictly HR role, or are they a hiring manager who’d also be your supervisor if hired?

  The answer to this question makes a big difference in how you approach both answering and asking questions during your interview.

  For example, it doesn’t make sense to ask questions about hyper-specific KPIs or technical details of the job to a person who doesn’t have the answers. Worse than not making sense, it makes you look like you don’t fully grasp who you’re speaking to, which is not a great look at an interview.

  On the flip side, if you can ask questions that are highly relevant to the interviewer, you’ll stand out as an interviewee who really did their homework.

• You can ask questions during the interview. You don’t need to save all your questions for the end of the interview — in fact, if you have a bunch of questions to ask, it’ll be a little awkward to ask several in a row as the interviewer is trying to wrap things up.

  For a more natural feel, ask questions at appropriate moments. For instance, if you were to ask about the day-to-day responsibilities of the job after a 30-minute conversation about the job, the hiring manager might think you’re reading from a script at best and a little daft at worst.

• Send a follow-up email. There’s a lot to keep track of during an interview, and sometimes a question can slip your mind, or there just isn’t enough time to get through all your questions.

  If that’s the case, don’t forget that you should always send a follow-up email after an interview to thank your interviewer for their time — within 24 hours of the interview.

  In this email, you can also include a question or two that you didn’t have a chance to ask. Don’t send over a whole laundry list of questions, but you can definitely include one or two that are most relevant.

• Brainstorm a question in case you’re rejected. Unfortunately, not every interview can end with a job offer. It’s a good idea to have a question ready to send over to your interviewer if you don’t get the job. That way, you can improve for your next interview.

35 More Questions to Ask Your Interviewer

We’ll give you plenty more options of what to ask during or after an interview, but there’s no way you’ll actually get to ask a hiring manager or recruiter all of these. Browse through and choose a handful that you think are most important, or just use this as a tool to brainstorm valuable questions of your own.

Questions about the company:

• Where do you see the company in five years?

• What are the biggest opportunities the company has right now?

• Can you tell me more about [company-specific approach or management style]?

• What is the leadership ethos of [company name]?

• What’s something that most people don’t know about this company?

Questions about the job:

• What are the most urgent and important tasks of my job?

• How has this role changed over the years or is this a new position?

• What goals would you like met in the first 30/60/90 days on the job?

• Do you think the responsibilities of this job are likely to change in the near future?

• How long is the training period for this job?

Questions about yourself:

• What sort of accomplishments are most valued in this position?

• What are some of the most exciting projects coming up?

• How does your company feel about [recent change in field/industry-specific technology or process]?

• Do you think that my achievements with [achievement mentioned earlier] would translate well into this role?

• Where do you see someone with my skill set contributing the most?

Questions about the team:

• What is this team’s process for taking a project from an idea to a finished product?

• How many people would I be working with?

• Who will I be working with most closely?

• How does team collaborate? Is there a decision-making hierarchy, regular meetings, etc.?

• What is the team most excited about right now?

Questions about training:

• What would my training period look like?

• What professional development opportunities are available for employees?

• Do you endorse or support employees who seek out further education?

• Are there opportunities to attend field-specific conferences in this role?

• How do you promote employee up-skilling?

Questions about challenges:

• What mistakes have past employees in this position made?

• What competitor are you most concerned with right now?

• Have there been any major pain points in this department lately?

• How does the company combat low morale?

• How are conflicts resolved here?

Questions about the future:

• What are the next steps in the hiring process?

• What is the typical career path for someone in this position?

• Where have successful employees in this role moved on to?

• How many people have joined the company recently?

• Do you see the company growing more in the next few years?

Author

Amanda Covaleski

Amanda is a writer with experience in various industries, including travel, real estate, and career advice. After taking on internships and entry-level jobs, she is familiar with the job search process and landing that crucial first job. Included in her experience is work at an employer/intern matching startup where she marketed an intern database to employers and supported college interns looking for work experience.