20+ Questions To Ask During An Interview (When You Don’t Know What To Ask)
By: Jordan Bucknor ‘22
If you have ever been interviewed, or have even just talked to a career representative at a career fair, you’ve probably heard this question at the end of the conversation: “Do you have any questions for me?” Too often many of us are so grateful to have just gotten to the end of an interview, we brush past that final question, not even realizing the power it holds. I didn’t even realize until recently just how much of a tool this question can be. The right questions can turn an okay interview great, and make a great interview even better!
But what exactly should you ask? What if you think you don’t have any questions? What if you just can’t think of anything?
Don’t worry! Here are twenty-two easy questions that’ll be sure to aid your next interview or career fair, regardless of the type of job or how sure you are that you have “covered everything” already.
Logistic-Based Questions —
1. Could you walk me through what a day in this position would be like?
It is important to know if what you are applying for will match your expectations. It would really suck to go through a trouble of an interview, end up getting the job, just to end up disappointed that you are not doing what you expected to.
2. What is the time commitment for this position?
Being a college student means that you will most likely be working this job part time, so it is important to know if you will be able to manage the work with along with your class assignments.
3. What does success look like in this position, and how do you measure it?
This lets the interviewer know that you are serious about doing well in the position. Furthermore, you’ll know exactly what you need to do to impress your employer in the future.
4. What do you see as the most challenging aspect of this job?
Knowing the good is just as important as knowing the not-so-good. If you know what to expect, you can better prepare for it.
5. How would you describe the working culture here?
It is often hard to gauge a company’s culture from the outside, so there is nothing like feedback from someone with personal experience. While the interviewer is most likely to present the organization in the best light, their experience will still give you a taste of what to expect. You’ll gain insight into what qualities the organization values and whether or not you would feel comfortable in that environment.
6. What kind of training programs, if any, are available to your employees?
When beginning a new job, knowing that there will be a brief training period to help assimilate you into the environment will alleviate some pressure. If there isn’t one, then you know you’ll have to make time to prepare.
7. How does this role contribute to larger company goals?
It is hard to truly excel at a task if you do not understand it. Similarly, it can be hard to be passionate about a project if you do not see the larger purpose of it. By understanding the importance of your role in the larger scheme of things you can really take all of your tasks to heart and know how to best aid the company.
8. Will I be working with a team and if so, can you tell me a little about each of them?
Show the employer that you are already in game mode!
9. What are the most important milestones that you would like to see someone accomplish in the first few months?
Show that you are already looking ahead to the future and planning to excel in the position!
10. Are there opportunities for professional development? If so, what do those look like?
Whether you are only looking for something to fill your resume or looking to build a lasting career, it is important to be aware of whether you’ll be faced with stagnation or growth in a certain position.
Interpersonal Questions —
11. Who would I be working most closely with?
First days are often the hardest, so anything you can learn beforehand you for it will help ease your nerves and make everything go a lot smoother.
12. How would you describe your management style?
This shows that you are considerate to the ways of others and already considering how to achieve the best work with in collaboration with the interviewer. This also presents a great opportunity to talk about your soft skills and how/if your working styles will compliment each other.
13. If selected for the position, what are two or three things I could do to lighten your load or more immediately help you achieve organizational goals?
This is a great question to demonstrate that you are already thinking ahead about how to best assist your future employer. You’ll be given an opportunity to directly pitch your skills in relation to how you can help and the more specific you get, the more they’ll remember you!
Application Questions —
14. What makes a candidate stand out in the application process at a company of your caliber?
If you are not yet applying to a position, but rather planning to do so in a couple of years and want to know how to best prepare yourself, this is a great question to ask! Nothing wrong with planning ahead!
15. What type of people tend to really thrive here, and what type don’t do as well?
This is a great way to learn the most important qualities needed to do well in a specific job. What puts this question above simply asking about the “ideal employee” is that you can also see how employers view those they deem “not as successful.” Do they describe them with kindness or hostility? Take note!
16. What’s your timeline for the next steps?
This is a respectful way to ask when you’ll find out if you’re hired or not and when it might be time to begin checking out your other options.
17. Do you have any hesitations about my qualifications?
This question puts you in a vulnerable position and is bound to make anyone feel a bit nervous, but it also conveys a huge deal of confidence in your ability to take criticism. You can get a sense of how good your chances are and get an opportunity to politely defend your qualifications.
18. Can I answer any final questions for you?
This is an easy way to make sure you’ve covered everything the interviewer is curious about and a perfect question to ask if you feel like you’ve talked about absolutely everything. It also shows that you really care about doing well in the interview and making sure the interviewer has all the information.
Personality-Based Questions —
19. What is your favorite part about working at this company?
Not only can this question connect you with the employer, possibly putting you in their good graces, but it’s a great opportunity to learn niche things about the company you wouldn’t be able to find out by just searching online.
20. What is one of the most interesting projects or opportunities you’ve worked on?
Not only can you learn about cool things the company might be working on, but observing the interviewers excitement (or if they are excited) about a specific project is another way to tell if the company is the right place for you!
21. What gets you most excited about the company’s future?
This shows that you are invested in the lasting well-being of the company and paints you as a team player.
22. Why did you decide to work for this company?
By understanding what motivates your colleagues, you can not only connect with them better in the future, but perhaps learn something interesting about the company that will motivate you as well!
Bonus: Questions Not To Ask —
Anything that could be found out from a quick Google search! It’s a waste of the little time you’ll have with the interviewer and conveys pretty clearly that you didn’t do the proper research beforehand.
Questions about future benefits or vacation time. It can give off the wrong impression if you haven’t even begun working yet and are already worried about taking time off or what kind of perks you’ll get. Just focus on the work first!
Any question that would put the interviewer on the spot or make them uncomfortable.
Anything surrounding background or social media checks. It’ll just come off as suspicious!
Remember that an interview goes both ways. You are deciding if you want to work for a company just as much as the company is deciding if they want to work with you. You have just as much to offer to them as they do to you — remember that!
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