At the end of any interview, your interviewer will ask you if you have any questions. The last thing you should say is, “No, I don’t have any questions.”
Your questions can impress your interviewer, but they can also help you determine if the position is a great fit for you. After all, you’ll be spending the majority of your time at your job, so it’s important to know exactly what you’re signing up for. Check out our picks for the 5 best–and most telling!–questions to ask your interviewer.
- What support and training resources does the company have in place for employees? This question is absolutely key–especially for interns and recent grads just starting out in the workplace. It will help you determine if the company is going to throw you headfirst into the deep end of the industry with a “Good luck!” or if they have resources in place dedicated to your success. If you’re the type of person who enjoys getting your hands dirty with new tasks, that’s great – then the former may work in your favor! If you know you’re going to need a little more support in your new role, you need to evaluate how the company trains new hires.
- What’s the work culture like? How do people interact with each other? Whether you’re the type of person who likes to chat up everyone at work or the type of person who likes to sit down at your desk and focus on your tasks, this question will help you determine how well your work ethic fits into the company’s culture.
- What keeps you up at night? You’re effectively asking your interviewer, “What types of challenges is the company currently facing, and what initiatives are you using to address them?” So often, when a company is pitching their mission or the role to you, they are giving you a picture through rose-colored glasses. While rose-colored is nice, you need a realistic view too. Every company has something that it is a work-in-progress, and this question will help you determine if the company is dedicated to its own improvement.
- What are the biggest challenges that people in this role have faced in the past? You can always learn from your predecessors. Asking about any roadblocks they ran into can help you prepare for this role–and can alert you to the things you should avoid. This question also highlights your employer’s expectations: Most companies are looking for a candidate who can do the job even better than the person who previously filled the role, so learning about prior performance can only aid your success. If the role is newly created, the next follow-up question for your interviewer should be, “What are some of the expectations for this role?” or “How do you envision success in this role?” Again, these questions will help you understand exactly what type of employee your interviewer is looking for.
- Why did you come to this company and what has made you stay? Knowing why your interviewer took the job–and what has kept him or her coming to work every morning–gives you insight into how employees view the company. It can also help you to gauge how passionate your interviewer is about the company. Does your interviewer seem excited talking about the company? Are the reasons that initially drew your interviewer to accept the position the same reasons that made him or her stay? Have those initial reasons multiplied during your interviewer’s time at the company? Your interviewer’s answer may help you to identify even more positives about the job than you noticed at first glance.
Remember: You need to be informed about the role you’re applying for, so always be prepared with questions at the end of your interview. If you don’t see your go-to interview questions in the list above, add them in the comments below!
