Questions to ask at the end of the interview

Your turn. What to ask, what never to ask, and how it changes with the person across the table.

One rule to remember

Three questions. The first one about the work. The last one about next steps.

1
The work. One question about what you would actually do. The first month, the hardest part, how the day runs. This is the question that shows you've imagined yourself in the job.
2
The people. One question about the team or the manager. How they work together, what they need from the person they hire, how long people have been there.
3
Next steps. One question that closes the meeting. What happens next, who you'll meet, when you'll hear back.

Quick check

Pick your role. Five questions a candidate might ask the recruiter, one at a time. You decide: good or bad.

These five work for every role when you're talking to the recruiter. What the recruiter can answer barely depends on the job.

Would you ask this?

1 / 5

“What does your company do?”

Build your list

Write down the three you plan to ask. We'll tell you which ones to keep, which to drop, and what to ask when they answer.

Coming soon

Write down the three questions you plan to ask and pick who you're asking. We'll check each one against that person and the job posting.

Who are you asking?

Your three questions

Takes a minute. Have the job posting open.

For each question, you get back:

A verdict. Keep it, reword it, or drop it.
The reason. It's already answered in the posting, it's the wrong person to ask at this stage, or the wording puts them on the spot.
A follow-up line. What to say when they answer, so the question turns into a conversation.

Now the why

Where good questions come from

Who can answer what, a bank to borrow from, three for your job, and the ones to leave out. Read it once, then come back to your list.

Question bank by topic

Each question comes with what the answer tells you. Pick the ones you actually want answered.

Who are you asking?

Owns the process: the steps, the timeline, who you'll meet, the schedule, and the pay range if it isn't posted. Not the day-to-day.

Topic

“Why is this position open?”
What the answer tells you. Growth or turnover. A long pause is also an answer.
RecruiterHiring manager

4 more in this topic, for other interviewers

“What does a typical day look like in this role? And what does a bad day look like?”
What the answer tells you. The real workload. The second half gets the honest version.
Hiring managerTeam
“What would I be working on in the first month?”
What the answer tells you. Whether they have a plan for you or will figure it out after you start.
Hiring manager
“How much of the week is [the main duty from the posting], and what fills the rest?”
What the answer tells you. The posting versus the job.
Hiring managerTeam
“Which tools and systems would I use every day?”
What the answer tells you. Whether your experience transfers and how current the setup is.
Hiring managerTeam

Three questions for your role

Three questions per role, one line each on why. Pick the one you care about most and add it to your three.

1
“How far ahead is the schedule set?”
Shift stability. Ask the manager, not as your first question.
RecruiterHiring manager

2 more for your role, to ask in another round

2
“How many contacts does a rep handle in a typical shift, and how is that tracked?”
Volume, and whether the targets are reasonable.
Hiring managerTeam
3
“What happens when a customer's issue is outside what I'm allowed to fix?”
The escalation path, and how much you're trusted.
Hiring managerTeam

[brackets] are yours to fill in.

What never to ask

“What does your company do?”
It's on the website. The question tells them you didn't look.
“No, I think you covered everything.”
The last thing they write down is that you had nothing. Keep next steps in reserve for exactly this moment.
“How soon could I take a week off?”
At a first interview it sounds like you're planning your exit before you've started. Time off is an offer-stage question.
“How did I do?”
They can't answer that, and now they have to find a polite way to say so. Ask about next steps instead.
“How many other people are you interviewing?”
Nothing you can do with the answer, and it sounds anxious.
“What are the company's biggest weaknesses?”
It puts them on defense. “What is the team still working on?” gets you the same information and keeps them on your side.

Ask it differently

Some things you need to know. The problem is the timing or the wording, not the question.

Instead of “How much PTO do I get?”
“What does the schedule look like, and how is time off handled on the team?”
When. Hiring manager, after you've talked about the work. Or wait for the offer.
Instead of “Can I work from home?”
“The posting says hybrid. What does that look like week to week?”
When. Anyone, if the posting is unclear. Not as your first question.
Instead of “What's the salary?”
“Is there a pay range for this role?”
When. The recruiter, only if the range is not posted. Many states now require it in the posting, so check first.

Ask about what worries you

The questions above are a start. The ones that matter most are the ones you're not sure how to ask.

Coming soon

What do you want to know before you say yes to this job? Write it the way you'd say it to a friend. We'll turn each worry into a question that is easy to ask, and tell you who to ask it and in which round.

Or start from one of these

Overtime and the busy seasonWhy the last person leftHow remote actually worksThe pay rangeWhether the team is stableRoom to grow

A short chat. Two or three minutes.

For each concern, you get back:

The question. Worded so it is easy to ask and easy to answer honestly.
Who to ask, and when. The recruiter, the hiring manager, the team, or the final round. Some things wait for the offer.
What a good answer sounds like. So you know what you heard, and what to ask if the answer is vague.