Asking questions during or at the end of your interview is crucial. It gives you a chance to better understand what your potential team and manager is looking for, show how you align with that, and leave an impression that will make you stand out.
Questions are also a way to make sure that company and team is a good fit for you. This may be more relevant later in your career when you want to find a position and team that aligns with your work style and values. But no matter when you are in your career it’s still important to get an understanding of who you’ll be working for and with.
General
The job description mentions ____, can you tell me more about that?
Most of the time, job descriptions aren’t written well and there are things in there that 1) I’m not comfortable with/fluent in, 2) seem out of place, or 3) are interesting, yet generally out of scope for the particular job I’m applying for. Either way, getting clarity on something like “collateral design” or “research and testing” will help you understand what you’d actually be responsible for.
“What’s the team size and structure?”
Here’s where you get to find out if you’ll serve as the solo-representative of your skillset or will have a team to work with. You can also dig into the management structure a bit and find out who you might directly report to, where they fit into the bigger organizational structure, etc.
“What are YOU looking for in a team member?”
This question always yields different answers from different people — and I always ask it to anyone I speak to. This will give you insight into the kind of qualities your team/managers/the company might be looking for. And it gives you a chance to see if you can/want to meet those expectations, introspectively.
“Is there room to grow within this role and explore new areas of my field?”
Think “if I stay here for 1+ years, will there be new responsibilities/advancement opportunities”? Most companies have “tracks” for the roles they offer that often include new skills, learnings, tasks, etc. But some don’t — and the only thing that “grows” is potentially your pay, but most commonly your responsibilities, over time.
“Does the company support extended learning, like additional training or conferences?”
This will give you a sense if the company is invested in “we have a need and want to fill it right now” versus “we have a need and want to invest in the right person(s) to grow beyond our current needs”. In my career, I’ve found attending conferences to be invaluable, and most companies have training budgets that will pay for, or at least help, your attendance to these kinds of events.
“XYZ sounds awesome, can you tell me more about it?”
If there’s something on their website (like a department or service) or something that comes up in discussion that’s particularly interesting to you, ask more about it! Remember, this is your chance to get more information, too.
“What’s a typical day in ‘the life’?”
This question never gets answered the same way, and is often something that doesn’t reflect the absolute truth, regardless — but that’s the best part of asking it. You can reinforce/anchor the patterns you identified in your research through this question. You might also find out some things about the culture.
“How’s the work-life balance? General hours? Dress code?”
This question almost always comes out of the “typical day” question, but they go hand in hand and serve different purposes. While the “typical day” question allows for a “creative” answer, this question is more direct. You should want to know if they expect 40, or 80, hours per week out of employees. Or if they offer flexibility of work location (like remote days, etc), or schedules (some employers want folks in by 9 am, some 10 am, etc). And most importantly, are you expected to wear formal attire? Or can you wear a pair of pants with your favorite graphic tee/a sundress that you really like?
“Glassdoor had a lot of sentiment about XYZ, can you help me dissect it?”
Like I mentioned above, Glassdoor can help you identify patterns, but it can also be a black hole of negativity — and seldom do people go to online submission forums to write nice things. Give the company a chance to defend something that you identified as a red flag, or better yet, reinforce something positive you saw.
“What are the next steps after this interview?”
Always ask this question if you are interested in continuing with the interview process. For one, it shows you’re interested, but more importantly, you’ll know what’s expected of you before your next touchpoint. Sometimes that’s waiting for a call, sometimes that’s sending over availability for an onsite meeting. You don’t know until you ask. Plus, it’s nice knowing that an interview process might take 6 weeks versus 2, or that there’s a team interview versus a one-on-one with the manager, etc.
To assess if a job/company is the right opportunity for you, and understand what a new role with a company would look like, ask the hiring manager thought-provoking questions.
“They also give you a high-level peek at the culture and camaraderie of the company/hiring manager you're interviewing with. If you like what you hear, you now have a point of access to share why you're the person for the job based on responses A, B, and C from the hiring manager.”
These questions also open more conversation for you to share your workplace values
What does success look like in the first 30, 60, and 90 days in this position?
What is the ideal contributor in this role doing on a day-to-day basis and why does that make them successful?
What are you looking for in soft skills of a candidate that will make them a great fit in this position?
Can you explain the work environment and the team I would potentially have access to/be working with?
Good hiring managers love it when you show up to an interview prepared to ask multilayer questions about how the team's process works. It shows that you're thinking about how you'd do the job, and not just how to land it. Plus, it helps show off your knowledge-elicitation skills and gives interviewers a chance to talk about something they care a lot about - which tends to make them like you more!
Examples:
How does your organization work with stakeholders to identify useful research questions? Who initiates projects? Who defines project success? What does the project output usually look like?
How does your organization allocate researchers to projects? Is it 1 to 1? If in teams, how large? How long do researchers stay working with a single stakeholder or project, or on a consistent team?
“Hard” questions to ask the Hiring Manager before accepting the job offer:
Above all, during your phone screens & interviews look for signs of open, honest, and authentic conversation[.] Interviews are a two way street.
If these questions shock you, you’re probably not used to working in a high trust environment.
Ask about the last employee who left & why
⚠️ Ilana Pinsky, MS: I don’t agree asking the first one. It’s really none of your business and also probably information that is confidential. A better question to ask is “is this a new position or a backfill?”
⚠️ Imran A.: The first question comes in picture if the answer is backfill, perhaps you may get false answer regarding why last emp. left however in my perspective this is an opportunity to hiring manager to give candidate clear picture regarding expectations/requirements so they can do justice with the role.
Ask about work-life balance policies, WFH, Hybrid plans, and flexible hours
Ask how they get employee feedback
Ask how often feedback is collected
Ask how often you’d meet and talk with your manager, and skip-level manager
Ask about the last time an employee failed an assignment and how it was handled
“What were some obstacles the previous employees in this role faced and how would you recommend the next employee best prepare for those?”
[Tells you] if others faced task oriented obstacles or people/management obstacles.
“What is the team dynamic like? And what personalities are best suited for the team? For example, does everyone get along pretty well or are you frequently handling conflict resolution?”
[Tells you] if it’s going to a chill environment or a hostile/toxic one.
Suresh Babu Selvaraj: what opportunities/challenges can they expect to be offered to learn and grow professionally.
Ending Questions & Addressing Concerns
Ask about any hesitations they have
Asking for feedback shows desire to learn and grow, and willingness to hear critical feedback. You’ll always need to be able to discuss weaknesses without being defensive. Cite past experiences or current steps and/or learnings you’re taking to ease their worries.
“Do you have any remaining reservations about hiring me that I could address?”
“Is there anything else I can share or discuss to support my fit for this role?”
When ending an interview, it is IMPERATIVE to have the opportunity to rebut any concerns the hiring manager may have with your candidacy.
I always frame it as “what are the key characteristics that you’re looking for in a successful?” (So I can do a final repitch using their own language) and then I ask “what’s the timeline for your decision and next steps?” That’s usually when I’ll hear they’ll call me in a day or two or “we will be in touch” which means they didn’t feel the chemistry.
