100 Questions To Ask The Interviewer At The End Of Your Next Job Interview

At the end you’re job interview, you’ll usually be asked if you have any questions? You must say yes and ask a minimum of three questions. This shows that you’re interested in the role and want to take the interview further. If you’ve read the job description, looked at the company website and had a few interviews with the hiring team, there is no possible way for you to know everything about the company, the division and where your career lies within.

By not asking questions you’re showing that you’re not interested or worse still you’re arrogant and think you know everything — both of which hiring managers do not want within their team. We talk a lot about job interview preparation across this website. Preparing a list of questions to ask at the end of your interview is vital if you want a successful job interview.

Generally, candidates are so relieved to finish their job interview in good shape, that by the time it’s their turn to ask a few questions they’ve forgotten every question they wanted to ask.

Not Asking Interview Questions

It’s important to show that you’re a balanced person who can think for themselves. By not asking any questions, you’re simply suggesting you have not thought about the role in detail or are not interested in the position.

Companies do not want to hire this type of person and it’s likely you’ll not progress further. Preparing for your interview and writing a few questions down on paper shows that you’re taking the interview process seriously.

Over 100 Questions

To make sure you have enough questions to ask, below are over 100 questions that you could ask at the end of your next job interview. The list starts with two vital questions that will help you know whether you have a chance and when to follow up.

My advice, have a read of these interview questions and as part of your job interview preparation and make a note of a few that you think apply.

The First Question

Is there anything that you would like me to clarify or explain in more detail? This is a pivotal question to ask and allows the interviewer to re-cap your answers. Interviews generally move quickly and often hiring managers miss the answers to essential questions that could be the difference to you getting the job or not.

Good interviewers will sometimes pre-empt this question and ask you if there is anything else they should know about you or you want to clarify in more detail. It’s essential you resist the temptation to close the interview. We understand that you’ve been speaking for a long time, but it’s crucial that you use the opportunity to close the interview on a strong note. 

To answer this question, summarize your key strengths as this will help the interviewer remember why you’re a strong candidate, cover any key strengths that have not been mentioned that are relevant and show your enthusiasm for the position, company and most importantly, hiring manager.

The Second Question

What’s the next stage?  This the second key question that you must find out the answer to.  If you’re aware of the next stage and how many stages there are in the interview process, you can understand the chances of you being successful.

As an example, a typical hiring process will consist of three interviews with HR, the Hiring Manager and finally with the CEO/Business leader.  If you’re at stage one, and have not heard from the hiring manager for a few weeks, you can assume you’ve not been successful. 

On the same note, if you’re at stage three and are simply waiting for a decision or offer letter, it becomes straightforward to speed up that offer process by telling the company you have another offer. The key to everything is understanding the hiring process and where you fit into that hiring process.

10 Questions You Must Ask At The End of Your Job Interview

What questions should you ask in an interview that will make you come across as a mature, balance person? Below I have tried to explain some of the more common questions you need to ask in an interview and a few that you can use in your job interviews if you’re feeling confident.The last few questions focus on some basic sales/closing questions that you should be asking for an interview. Asking questions about the direction of the company shows that you’ve got an interest in the growth of the company and will work hard to achieve it, while asking sales or closing questions is a good way of finding out whether you’re going to get a specific role.

Remember, it’s also much easier to deal with any problems face-to-face than over the phone or over email.

  • Please can you describe the responsibilities for this position? – This should be discussed either in the job interview or during the interview, however if not, this is a great question to ask.  One point, if you’ve spent the last 20-minutes talking about the role and then you ask for the responsibilities, it could end badly.
  • Could you describe a typical week/day in this position? – This question is very similar to the question above however rather than the answer being in plain text, this question allows you to visualise what you will do. When I’m interviewing candidates, I often use the question, “what did you do yesterday” as a great way to find out what candidates did during the day. You can use this the same way to find out what you will be doing.
  • What are the priorities for the first three months? – This question gives the interviewer the chance to go into more detail about what the role requires within the first few months. It will also give you the opportunity to agree and explain why these priorities are suited to your experience.
  • How will this role evolve over the next five years? – Interviewers often ask the question “where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time,” and you can reverse this question to find out what the interviewer thinks this role will evolve into in 5 years. This question also allows the interviewer to imagine you personally in the position and as they explain how the role develops over the next few years, they will also be thinking about you developing in it.
  • Where do you think the company will grow to over the next three to five years? – This question gives the interviewer confidence that you’re going to stay with the company for the long term . Hiring managers like to take on candidates who they think they can grow and develop over a period of time. The worst thing for an employer is to take on a new person, invest time and effort to train and coach them on their weaknesses and then have them leave for one of their competitors.
  • Is this a new position? If not, what did the previous employee go on to do? – This is a great question to ask as it shows that you are both ambitious but also want to stay with the company. It also gives you the opportunity to ask the next question if the present employee was sacked.
  • What has the current incumbent found difficult with this role and how do you think this should be overcome? – If the past employee has been sacked due to making mistakes, you need to find out early what mistakes were made and therefore ensure that you’re not going to make these same mistakes. An interview is always a great time to do this, however, if you’re going to ask this question, please write down the answers as it does not half make you look silly if you get the role and make the same mistakes early on.
  • What are the next steps for the interview process? – This is a great question to ask if you’re at the initial stages of the interview process, as it allows you to find out how many interviews you will have, but also gives you an opportunity to find out who will be interviewing you and what they are like as a person. You can potentially use this information to help you with you job interview preparation for any second round interviews.
  • When can I expect to hear about a decision? – If you have other interviews or job offers this is best time to mention it. Interviewing elsewhere especially at their competitors shows that you’re the right fit and if they do not take you, their competitors might do.
  • Do feel there is any reason why you would not hire me? – This is a typical closing technique in sales, however its also a great question to ask as it both gives you a direct answer, but also gives you another chance reply to any doubts they have. Addressing doubts is much easier face-to-face than over the telephone or on email.

100 Further Questions You Could Ask At The End Of Your Job Interview 

  • Is this a newly created role?
  • If the answer is that the company released the old employee, then do ask what they did wrong? You don’t want to make the same mistakes again if the company chooses you.
  • What would you consider are the most important aspects of this job?
  • What are the key competencies necessary to be successful in this role?
  • What are the most enjoyable aspects of this role?
  • How would you describe the ideal candidate for this role?
  • Why do you think I will be successful in this job?
  • What advice do you have to help me perform at my best.
  • What decisions can I make immediately without having to ask permission from Senior Management?
  • What types of training opportunities do you offer within the Company?
  • What are the priorities of this position?
  • What have past employees done to succeed in this role in the past?
  • What would I need to do to impress you in the first three months?
  • What do you think are the most significant challenges I will face during the first three months?
  • How does the company acknowledge and reward outstanding performances?

Further Personal Questions To Ask

  • If I am offered the job, When would you like me to start?
  • How long is the probationary/trial period?
  • If I started tomorrow, what would be my top priority?
  • Can you give me a 12-month outlook on this role?
  • Where do you see this role going in the next three years?
  • Tell me about your induction program
  • Do you provide any non-financial assistance?
  • What benefits do you offer with this role?
  • Will I be eligible for this year’s bonus?
  • Are salaries increased yearly or is based on performance?
  • What are the performance expectations of this role over the next 12 months?
  • What do I need to do to be promoted internally?
  • What are the prospects for career growth?
  • What are the potential career paths within this department?
  • Is relocation to other countries a possibility within this department?
  • What the company’s policy on relocation to other cities?
  • Are there any opportunities for internal and external training?
  • How much personal training do you provide? Are employees allowed to choose the training that they take or is training simply provided by the company?

Further Questions About The Job

  • Are there any hazards on this job I need to be aware of?
  • How often do you have health and safety meetings?
  • Where do you keep your safety equipment?
  • What safety protocols do I need to be aware of?
  • What’s the budgeted salary for this role?
  • How does this salary compare to my piers?
  • Does the company provide an end of year bonus? How does this bonus work?
  • Does the company provide share options, profit sharing, retirement savings contributions, or pension?
  • How many times per year will my immediate supervisor meet with me one on one?
  • Who does this position report to?
  • Is my managers performance evaluated on how well they develop their team?
  • Who will review my performance? How does this process work?
  • Is there a specific criteria that my performance will be reviewed upon
  • What’s the background of the key people that I will be working with?
  • Could I meet with the team to understand the company culture and team culture?
  • What are the long and short-term goals for the department?
  • Could you tell me about a key success in the last year during this department?
  • How often does the team meet as a group?
  • Do you recognise success? If yes, how?
  • What are the teams major projects for this year?
  • How are the teams structured?
  • Do you encourage employees to keep up-to-date with professional developments in their field?
  • How do you help to keep employees motivated?
  • How approachable and receptive is management questions or feedback
  • Apart from the hard skills required to perform within this role, what soft skills do you think would best be needed to serve the company and position?
  • How does this position contribute to the company’s goals and productivity?

Further Questions About The Company

  • Why do the company employees enjoying working here?
  • Why do you enjoy working here?
  • What’s A Typical day look like whilst working in your team?
  • Where do you see the company growing to over the next five years?
  • Who do you think the companies top competitors are?
  • What is the companies market segment?
  • Why are you better than your competitors?
  • What problems does the company face over the next five years?
  • What challenge does the company face over the next 12 months
  • What knew products have been announced recently?
  • What knew products are in development?
  • What are the company’s strengths and weaknesses
  • What are the short-terms goals of your department?
  • What are the long term goals of the your department?
  • What are the short terms goals of the company?
  • What are the long-term goals of the company?
  • What is the dress code for the company?
  • Why do people leave your department?
  • Why do employees leave this company?
  • What’s the companies culture?
  • What do you think is the most important aspect of your company culture?
  • What’s the companies stance on employee involvement in social media?
  • Do you think there is anything that we have not covered that you think is important to know about working here?
  • How does the company like to celebrate it’s success?

Final Questions That You Should Ask

  • What the next steps in this job interview process
  • Who should i follow up with regarding feed-back from this interview and the next steps?
  • When should I expect to hear from you
  • Do you have any hesitations regarding my qualifications
  • If I wanted to improve my CV further, how would you suggest I do it?
  • How should I follow yup
  • If I don’t hear anything in a week, could I contact you directly
  • Can I contact you directly if I have any further questions
  • Would you like a list of references
  • Is there anything further I can do to show you that I’m a great fit for this job
  • Is there any reason that you think I will not be suited for this role?
  • Is there any reason why you would not offer me this opportunity?

Follow Up

Remember, the last part of an interview is how you follow up. Hiring managers are likely to have more than one candidate interview throughout the day. If you’ve ever done any meetings, you’ll know that when you meet five people in one, you can not remember the first person after you’ve finished all the meetings.

This is where the job interview follow up comes into play and why its so important to get right.  

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Nick Jones

My name Nick Jones, I am a professional Head-Hunter with over 20 years of experience working all over the world. I specialise in out-of-the-box job search strategies to get your CV directly to the hiring manager, thus skipping any ATS portals or recruiters who think they're important.

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