Questions to Ask an Interviewer

When you interview for a role you should always prepare questions to ask your interviewer(s). Interviewers commonly reserve time during an interview to allow a candidate the opportunity to learn more about the company and job by asking, “Do you have any questions for me?”

When preparing questions for an interviewer it’s important to consider who is interviewing you, and what is their professional expertise? Below you’ll find types of professionals who could be involved in interviews you’re invited to, along with examples of questions that match their role scope.

❓Questions for Recruiters, Talent and Human Resource (HR) Professionals

Professionals associated with recruitment or talent tend to see the company or departments from a big picture perspective. These professionals are commonly brought in to assist in the facilitation of a hiring process for an open role. Many companies utilize recruiting professionals to screen candidates by having them review application materials and conduct initial conversations. HR professionals tend to be generalists when it comes to company knowledge, with the exception of “technical” recruiters who will have more insights into a technical role's skills and responsibilities.

When engaging with recruiters, be mindful of whether or not the recruiter is external or internal to the company. An external recruiter may have less direct insight into company culture and dynamics, whereas an internal recruiter hires exclusively for the company they work for. To gain insight into this, you can ask a recruiter:

Do you work directly for [company name] or are you an external recruiter?

Here are a few general questions you can ask recruiters or talent professionals regardless of whether or not they’re internal or external:

Is this a new role? How did it become available?

What does on-boarding and training look like for a new hire joining this company?

What is the hiring timeline and interview process for this role?

Who can I expect to engage and meet in the next interview rounds? Will I have the opportunity to connect with the manager of this role?

How does the company support employees in continued professional development and growth?

If the talent professional is internal, you can ask:

What do you most enjoy about working for [company name] and bringing on new team members?

Can you talk to me about the company’s culture? What skills or attributes make a good candidate a better fit?

Do you have any tips and advice you’d give for a candidate who progresses and prepares to speak to the manager or colleagues that overlap with this role?

❓ Questions for Potential Colleagues and Teammates

Some companies give candidates the chance to meet with individuals who work directly with or adjacent to an open role. You'll often meet colleagues in panel interviews. When invited to a panel with mixed departmental expertise, develop questions that everyone can engage with and answer. Interviewing with potential colleagues gives a candidate insight into team dynamics, interdepartmental relations, personalities they could be working with, and a perspective on the day to day or week to week. Colleague interviews are often used to measure cultural fit, and see how you'll mesh with others.

Questions you ask potential colleagues, regardless of expertise, can explore their take on the company and their expectations for someone joining the team:

What do you most enjoy about working here? What have you found to be the biggest challenge?

What factors helped you decide to accept a role at this company?

What advice do you have for someone considering this company and this specific role?

How do you see this role interacting with yours? How can my role support the work you're doing?

What expectations would you have of me as I got started in the role? What tasks and outcomes would you hope I prioritize?

Notice the last two questions have your interviewer considering you as an already hired candidate they'd be working alongside. Such a mental exercise can help your interviewer look at you as a potential teammate. Asking them to envision you in the role can hopefully help you standout and make you memorable against other candidates.

Here are questions that can be used for colleagues who share you expertise:

What are some of your favorite initiatives or projects you've worked on here at [company school]?

Can you share what technical projects or tasks you're working on right now?

How does the team collaborate or support one another in their work? Do we meet regularly to do project/product reviews or stand-ups?

[If the company works with external clients] What does the relationship between this role and the client typically look like? How do we take client feedback and incorporate it?

What have you learned since joining the company? Have you been able to explore or pick up new technical skills?

If you're unclear about technical aspects of the company, ask questions like:

What is the tech stack used here? What do you find yourself using most often?

How are issues or bugs tracked and resolved?

What does the typical workflow for a product or initiative look like here? What are some standards or expectations [developers/data scientists] are expected to uphold?

❓ Questions for Managers

Supervisors can make or break a professional's experience at a company. If you get to interview with a manager take advantage of the opportunity to gain insight into a future boss’s management style.

Management style questions you can ask:

How would you describe your management style? Do you have a specific communication style?

How do individuals you've supervised describe you?

What are you hoping I would accomplish in this role? What will my top priorities be?

How do you set expectations or provide feedback?

What are some successful personal or team initiatives you have led in your role?

❓ Questions for Executives

Executive level interviews are commonplace at smaller companies, start-ups, or for interviews for senior level roles. The type of executive who interviews largely depends on the function of the role you're interviewing for. Asking an executive what the day to day of a role looks like is a poor question, as they tend to be more concerned with the bigger picture of a role, team or department. Remember, they’re trying to drive the entire company towards growth and success.

Here are a few examples of questions better suited for executives:

Of the goals and initiatives being taken on by the company right now, which are the ones that most excite you?

How can my role support your goals and vision for the company? What expectations do you have for the person who takes on this role?

What are some of the challenges the company is currently facing? How can this role help overcome those challenges?

What do you hope every new employee understands about the company and its mission or vision?