Job seekers often forget that a meeting with your potential employer is a two-way street; It’s not all about answering interview questions perfectly like you’re in an exam. Asking questions within a natural conversation can help you decide whether it’s a good fit, and make a memorable impression. Every edge counts, especially when the widespread use of AI tripled the average number of applicantsto 222 per opening by the end of 2024, according to Greenhouse.
In this guide, you’ll find key questions to ask in an interview, why engaging in each topic matters, and which subjects can hurt your chances. Considering 1 in 4 hiring managers said not asking questions was detrimental to the job seeker, according to an Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey, questions are among the top areas you should focus on getting prepped for.
Note: Brilliant questions won’t save you if your fundamentals are off. Before you step into the room, make sure you’ve mastered these essential job interview tips to lock down your body language, attire, and core preparation.
Questions to ask in an interview: the shortlist
Most interviews give you 5–10 minutes to ask questions. You can’t bring a 30-question list. These are the ones that matter most, whether you ask them directly or they come up naturally through conversation:
- What does a typical day look like in this role?
- What are the most important milestones for the first 30, 60, and 90 days?
- How would you describe the biggest challenges someone in this position faces?
- How does this role contribute to the organization’s broader goals?
- Can you tell me about the team I’d be working with and how long most members have been here?
- How would you describe your management style?
- What do new hires typically find surprising after their first few weeks?
- Have people previously in this role advanced within the organization? Where are they now?
- Do you have any hesitations about my background that I can address?
- What are the next steps in the hiring process?
That’s the shortlist, but knowing which questions to ask is only half of it. The rest of this guide breaks down every category in depth, with the context you need to walk in prepared.
What questions should I ask about the role?
Just as speaking face-to-face (or virtually) gives the hiring manager a chance to go ‘behind the scenes’ of your resume (usually leading with the infamous “tell me about yourself“), it also gives you a chance to go behind the scenes of the job description and gauge whether the position is something you’d genuinely enjoy. It’s the time to extract details and clear up concerns about whether the job ‘fits’ you.
Raise topics that bring out the hidden details behind the job description, like:
- What does a typical day look like in this role?
- Which projects would I take on first?
- How would you describe the biggest challenges someone in this position faces?
- How does this role contribute to the organization’s broader goals?
The hiring manager paints a clear picture of a typical week — specific projects, named collaborators, concrete deliverables. They can articulate how this role feeds into a broader organizational goal.
Vague responses like “it really varies” or “you’d wear a lot of hats” without any elaboration may signal a poorly defined role, unclear ownership, or a position that has historically struggled with retention.
What questions should I ask about performance metrics?
Understanding how success is measured lets you gauge expectations before you accept an offer. By asking the right questions, you can use the hiring manager’s answers to determine whether the targets are realistic and achievable with your current experience and skill set.
Topics that can shed light on performance expectations include:
- What metrics or goals will my performance be evaluated against?
- Can you outline the most immediate projects / important milestones for the first 30, 60, and 90 days?
- Tell me about the review process. How frequently are employees formally evaluated?
The hiring manager gives you specific metrics, named milestones, or a structured onboarding framework. They can articulate what “great” looks like at 90 days versus what “meets expectations” looks like.
Answers like “we’ll figure it out together” or “it depends on the business” with no further detail may indicate unclear expectations, a disorganized onboarding process, or a team that hasn’t thought carefully about what they actually need from this hire.
What questions should I ask about the team?
The conversation is also your opportunity to learn about team dynamics before your first day. You’ll get a clearer picture of how the position fits into the organization and who you’ll collaborate with most, including your future coworker.
Get to know your future colleagues by bringing up:
- Can you tell me about the team I’d be working with?
- Who will I collaborate with most closely?
- Can you tell me about my direct reports?
- Who would I report to directly?
- Which other teams work closely with this one?
You get names, tenures, and a sense of how the team actually operates day to day, not just headcount. The interviewer speaks about colleagues with genuine enthusiasm.
Frequent mentions of recent turnover, difficulty answering how long team members have been there, or noticeably guarded language around team dynamics are worth noting. High turnover in a team is one of the most useful data points you can surface in this conversation.
What questions should I ask my potential manager?
If you’re meeting with the person who would be your direct supervisor, possibly the CEO, you have a unique opportunity to learn what working closely with them would actually be like.
Gain insight into their leadership approach by exploring:
- How would you describe your management style?
- How long have you been managing this team?
- Has your role evolved since you’ve been here?
- Why did you join this organization?
- Can you tell me your favorite part about working here?
They answer the management style question with self-awareness and specifics — not just “I’m collaborative” but what collaboration actually looks like for them week to week. Bonus: they ask you what kind of management style works best for you.
Difficulty answering why they joined the organization, or a noticeably short tenure managing this particular team, is worth following up on. You’re not just evaluating the role — you’re evaluating the working relationship you’d be entering.
What questions should I ask about the culture?
Your pre-research will reveal the organization’s stated values and mission. But the only way to learn how those translate into day-to-day culture is by hearing from the people who live it and gaining valuable insights from their experiences.
Explore what it’s really like to work there:
- How would you describe the work environment for the team, especially concerning remote work?
- How does the team form and maintain bonds?
- Can you tell me about the last team or organization-wide event?
- What do new hires find surprising after their first few weeks regarding professional growth?
- Could you tell me what makes here different than any other workplace you’ve been?
They answer the management style question with self-awareness and specifics, not just “I’m collaborative” but what collaboration actually looks like for them week to week. Bonus: they ask you what kind of management style works best for you.
Answers that stay entirely abstract (“we really value transparency here”) without a single supporting example may mean the stated culture and the lived culture don’t fully match. Listen for what they say when you ask what new hires find surprising: that question tends to produce the most honest responses.
What questions should I ask about growth and development?
Bringing up professional development signals the interviewer that you’re thinking long-term about your career. It’s also important to confirm that there is a meaningful trajectory and you’re not just someone they’re bringing in for a quick stopgap or temporary fix (unless that’s already explicit). Feeling stagnant in a position could send you back to searching elsewhere all over again.
To explore potential growth, bring up:
- Are there any training programs available to employees?
- What professional development resources are available
- Is there a clear career path for employees?
- Have employees previously in this role advanced or moved around? Where are they now?
- Are there opportunities for stretch assignments where I can build new skills?
The hiring manager can name specific people who previously held this role and where they went — ideally upward within the organization. Named examples signal that advancement is real, not aspirational.
If no one in recent memory has been promoted from this position, or if the interviewer pivots quickly away from the question, you may be looking at a role with a low ceiling. That might be fine depending on what you’re looking for — but it’s worth knowing before you accept an offer.
What questions should I ask about hiring next steps?
Asking about next steps isn’t presumptuous; it’s a quiet signal that you’re organized, serious, and respectful of everyone’s time. According to our State of the Job Search report, nearly 1 in 4 recruiters (24.42%) specifically cite professional follow-up as something that makes a candidate stand out. Closing the conversation with a clear question about what happens next puts that instinct to work before you’ve even left the room. It also keeps you from spending the next three days refreshing your inbox with no frame of reference for when or whether to expect a response.
Ask about next steps with questions like:
- Is there anything else I can answer for you that will be helpful?
- Do you have any hesitations I can address here?
- Can I answer any final questions for you?
- What are the next steps in the interview process?
What topics should I avoid bringing up?
Some questions are a professional faux pas if asked too early. Leaving a positive impression isn’t just about what you bring up — it’s about what you hold back.
Steer clear of:
- Starting salary
- Benefits package
- PTO timelines
- Flexible scheduling or custom hours
- Four-day workweek availability
- Basic facts about the organization that you could find through research
If the hiring manager offers up this information or steers towards the topic (for example, leading with a question about salary expectations), jump in cautiously. Otherwise hold off until the final stages or after receiving an offer.
At what stage should I ask the interviewer?
Not every question belongs at every stage. The topics you raise — and when you raise them — shape the impression you leave just as much as how you answer. Use this as a quick reference to keep your conversation focused, timely, and professional from the first minute to the last.
Advanced strategies: tailoring the ‘Q&A’ on the fly
Shape questions based on who you’re speaking to
Knowledge and insights depend on who’s sitting across from. A sharp candidate first assesses the person’s position and rank, and adjusts accordingly.
The “listen and chase” strategy
Having strong questions ready is the baseline. The real skill is knowing when to put your list down and follow your nose.
At the end of a response, resist the urge to immediately jump to your next number on your Q&A list. Listen for the unexpected detail — the tension point, the word they hesitated on, the challenge they mentioned in passing. That’s where your best follow-up lives.
Here’s a simple framework to keep you on track:
- Raise the prepared topic.
- Listen actively. Make a brief note of anything unexpected.
- Follow up naturally: “You mentioned [X]—can you tell me more about how that played out?”
- Let the dialogue evolve. A prepared question opens the door; a strong follow-up is how you walk through it.
Candidates who made the conversation feel like a real exchange — not a checklist — make an imprint.
How can I manage all of these job interviews?
When you’re exploring multiple opportunities at once, it’s easy to lose track of which topics you’ve already covered and which roles still need follow-up. Jobscan’s Job Tracker gives you a centralized workspace to keep every opportunity — along with your tailored resume, cover letter, and notes — in one place.
Each opportunity card includes a Notes tab where you can draft the specific topics you want to raise with each hiring team. Jot down what you’ve learned from your company research, flag areas you want to explore further, and note details from previous rounds so you’re never caught off guard.
After your conversation, you can use Job Tracker’s built-in thank-you note generator to craft a personalized follow-up in seconds. Enter a few details — like who you spoke with, the type of meeting, and any standout moments from the discussion — then click the blue “Thank You Note” button.
The tool generates a polished follow-up message that references the specifics of your conversation. You can review and edit it before sending, making sure it reflects the rapport you built during the discussion.
FAQs
Aim for five to eight prepared topics, spread across different categories like the role itself, team dynamics, culture, and growth. Five gives you enough variety that you won’t run dry even if the conversation has already covered a few naturally. Eight keeps the list manageable enough that you’re choosing where to go, not reading from a script.
Yes, and hiring managers generally view it as a positive signal. Try to bring a notebook rather than use your phone. Even if you’re only using your phone to reference notes, it can read as distracted. A hiring manager glancing over can’t tell you’re checking your prepared questions versus checking a message. A notebook with handwritten notes signals preparation in a way a phone screen simply doesn’t.
Don’t skip it entirely — use it as a chance to go deeper. Try something like: “You actually touched on this earlier, which I appreciated — could you expand on [specific detail]?” This shows you were listening closely and want to explore the topic further, which leaves a stronger impression than moving on to something unrelated.
It can. Lead with questions about the role and team — these show you’re focused on the substance of the position. Save broader topics like culture and growth for later in the conversation once you’ve built some rapport. If you’re running short on time, prioritize the areas that will most influence your decision about whether to accept an offer.
Logistical details like the hiring timeline, next steps, or anything the hiring manager didn’t have time to cover are perfectly appropriate to follow up on via email. It keeps the live conversation focused on the meatier topics while still showing you’re thorough and proactive. Just keep follow-up emails brief and specific.
Not necessarily — some conversations run long because the discussion is going well. If you sense time is running short, say something like: “I want to be respectful of your schedule — would it be all right to send a couple of follow-up topics by email?” This is graceful, professional, and still gets you the information you need.
Looking for a complete pre-game playbook beyond just what to ask? Check out our comprehensive guide on how to ace an interview from the moment you log in or walk through the lobby doors.
