Questions to Ask at the End of an Interview: 40 Smart Examples
Forty questions grouped by what you need to learn, plus how many to ask, which to avoid, and how the answers help you choose.
Short answer
Always ask questions when invited, usually two to four, and prepare at least eight so you have backups. The strongest questions help you understand success in the role, the team, the manager and the next steps, for example: "What would a great first 90 days look like?" and "What are the biggest challenges the team faces this year?" Avoid questions you could answer with a quick web search, and save detailed salary and benefits questions for later in the process unless the interviewer raises them.
Why the questions you ask matter
"Do you have any questions for us?" is almost always the last stage of an interview. Many candidates treat it as a formality. It is actually two opportunities in one:
- To show how you think. Thoughtful questions signal preparation, curiosity and genuine interest. Career advisers at Virginia Tech note that asking questions makes candidates look interested, enthusiastic and engaged, and extends their time with the interviewer.
- To decide whether you want the job. An interview is a two way evaluation. The answers tell you about the work, the manager and the culture before you commit.
The second point is more important than it sounds. In ZipRecruiter's 2026 survey of job seekers, 21.4% of those who rejected an offer said they did so because the job duties were unclear. Asking the right questions in the interview is how you avoid accepting a role you misunderstood.
The manager matters especially. Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2025 report identified managers as the biggest factor in team engagement, and Gallup has reported that employees who feel supported by their manager are about 70% less likely to experience burnout. Questions about how your future manager works are some of the most valuable you can ask.
How many questions should you ask?
| Interview stage | Questions to ask | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Recruiter phone screen | 2 to 3 | Process, timeline, role basics |
| Hiring manager interview | 3 to 4 | Success measures, challenges, team, management style |
| Peer or panel interview | 2 to 3 per interviewer | Day to day work, collaboration, culture |
| Final round or executive | 2 to 3 | Strategy, priorities, growth |
Prepare at least eight questions, because some will be answered during the conversation. University career centers commonly recommend arriving with more questions than you expect to use. Write them down and bring them; checking notes looks prepared, not unprepared.
40 questions to ask, grouped by goal
Understanding the role
- What would a great first 90 days look like in this role?
- What are the most important results you would want to see in the first year?
- What does a typical week look like?
- How is success measured in this role, and how often is it reviewed?
- Why is this position open? Is it new or a replacement?
- What are the most challenging parts of this job?
- Which parts of the job description matter most to you, and which are secondary?
- What tools and systems does the team use day to day?
Why they work: they give you a concrete picture of the job and show you are already thinking about delivering results. Question 5 is especially useful: a new role suggests growth, while a series of short tenures may suggest a problem worth exploring.
Understanding the team
- Can you tell me about the team I would be working with?
- How does this team work with other departments?
- What are the team's biggest priorities this year?
- What are the biggest challenges the team is facing right now?
- How does the team share knowledge and support new members?
- What do you think makes someone successful on this team?
Why they work: you will spend most of your time with these people. The answers tell you whether the team is stable, overloaded, growing or reorganizing.
Understanding the manager
- How would you describe your management style?
- How do you prefer to communicate with your team?
- How often do you hold one to one meetings, and what do you usually cover?
- How do you give feedback?
- What do you enjoy most about managing this team?
- How have people in this role grown under your management?
Why they work: your manager has a large influence on your experience at work. Ask these directly to the hiring manager, politely and with genuine curiosity.
Understanding growth and development
- What learning and development opportunities are available?
- How have people previously in this role progressed?
- How does the company approach promotions?
- Is there support for certifications, courses or conferences?
- How are internal moves to other teams handled?
Why they work: they show ambition and help you judge whether the role can lead somewhere. See our guide on how to get promoted for what to listen for.
Understanding the company and culture
- How would you describe the culture here in three words?
- What do you enjoy most about working here?
- How has the company changed in the past year?
- What are the company's biggest priorities for the next year or two?
- How does the company support flexible or remote work in practice?
- How are decisions usually made on this team?
- What is something that surprised you after joining?
Why they work: they invite personal, honest answers. Listen for specifics, not slogans.
Understanding the hiring process
- What are the next steps in the process?
- When do you expect to make a decision?
- Is there anything else I can provide to help your decision?
- Who else will I be meeting with?
Why they work: they clarify timelines so you can plan follow ups and manage other applications. Most career centers, including the University of Connecticut's, recommend asking about next steps if the interviewer has not explained them.
Addressing concerns directly
- Is there anything about my background that makes you hesitant?
- How do my skills compare with what you need for this role?
- Is there anything you would like me to clarify from our conversation?
Why they work: they give you a chance to address doubts before you leave the room. Ask them calmly and respond without defensiveness.
For senior or strategic roles
- What would you need this role to achieve for the business in the next 12 to 18 months?
Why it works: it moves the conversation to business outcomes, which is how senior hiring decisions are made.
Matching questions to the interviewer
| Interviewer | Best questions | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Recruiter | Process, timeline, team overview, salary range if they raise it | Detailed technical questions |
| Hiring manager | Success measures, priorities, management style | Questions only HR can answer |
| Future peers | Day to day work, collaboration, tools, culture | Questions about their pay or performance |
| Executive | Strategy, priorities, how the role contributes | Low level operational detail |
Questions to avoid
| Avoid | Why | Better alternative |
|---|---|---|
| "What does your company do?" | Shows you did not research | "How is the new product line changing the team's priorities?" |
| "How much vacation do I get?" (in a first interview) | Can sound like your focus is time off | Ask HR after an offer, or "How does the team manage workload around busy periods?" |
| "How quickly can I get promoted?" | Can sound impatient | "How have people in this role grown?" |
| "Do you monitor internet use?" | Signals distrust | "How does the team balance focus time and collaboration?" |
| "Did I get the job?" | Puts the interviewer on the spot | "What are the next steps?" |
| Yes or no questions | Give you little information | Open questions starting with how, what or why |
Salary is a special case. If the recruiter raises pay early, it is fine to discuss a range. Otherwise, detailed negotiation is best saved for the offer stage. See our guide on how to negotiate a job offer.
Bonus follow ups for remote and hybrid roles
If the role is remote or hybrid, add one or two of these to your list:
- How does the team stay connected and share information across locations?
- Which meetings are expected to be live, and how much of the work is asynchronous?
- How do new remote team members get onboarded and meet colleagues?
- How is performance measured for people who work remotely?
- Are there core hours or time zone expectations?
- How often, if at all, does the team meet in person?
These questions help you judge whether remote work is genuinely supported or merely tolerated. Our guide to finding remote jobs covers what to look for in more detail.
Questions by career stage
| Career stage | Questions that land well |
|---|---|
| Student or graduate | "What does training look like in the first few months?" "What did previous graduates in this program go on to do?" |
| Early career | "How do people get feedback on their work?" "Which skills would help me grow fastest here?" |
| Mid career | "Where does the team need the most help right now?" "How much autonomy does this role have over decisions?" |
| Manager | "How is the team performing against its goals, and where is it struggling?" "What support do managers get here?" |
| Executive | "What would success look like for the business in 18 months?" "What are the biggest risks you see?" |
| Career changer | "What helps someone from outside the industry ramp up quickly here?" |
Choosing questions that fit your stage shows self awareness and helps you collect the information that matters most to your next step.
How to use the answers
Questions are only useful if you listen. During and after the interview, note:
- Specific vs vague answers. "We review progress in weekly one to ones and quarterly goals" is better than "We are very supportive".
- Consistency across interviewers. If the manager and peers describe the role differently, ask a follow up.
- Red flags. High turnover, unclear priorities, a manager who cannot describe their style, or reluctance to explain why the role is open.
- Green flags. Clear success measures, concrete examples of growth, honest acknowledgment of challenges.
After the interview, write down what you learned within an hour, while it is fresh. It will help with your thank you note and, later, with comparing offers.
Example: turning answers into a follow up
The best interview conversations feel like a dialogue, not a list. Here is how one prepared question can lead to a stronger exchange.
You: What are the biggest challenges the team is facing this year?
Interviewer: Honestly, onboarding. We have doubled our customer count, and new clients are taking too long to go live.
You: That is helpful to hear. At my current company we cut time to go live from six weeks to four by creating a standard launch checklist and a weekly check in. Is the bottleneck mostly on the technical setup or on getting the client's team trained?
The follow up shows you listened, connects your experience to their problem and gives you more information to judge the role.
How to close the interview
After your questions, end with a short, confident summary:
"Thank you, this has been really helpful. Hearing about the plan to expand the onboarding program makes me even more excited about the role, because it is exactly the kind of work I did at Brightline. I look forward to hearing about next steps."
Then send a brief thank you email within 24 hours, referencing one specific point from the conversation.
Building your question list for a specific interview
A simple method to prepare:
- Pick two questions about the role, two about the team, two about the manager, one about growth and one about next steps.
- Add two questions based on your research: a recent product launch, expansion, report or news item.
- Order them from most to least important, so if time is short you ask the best ones.
- Cross out any that get answered during the interview, and listen for a chance to ask a follow up instead.
This links naturally to the rest of your preparation. If your opening answer to tell me about yourself highlighted a particular strength, a question about the related team priority lets you close on the same theme.
Frequently asked questions
Is it bad to have no questions at the end of an interview?
Usually yes. Saying you have no questions can suggest low interest or limited preparation. If everything was covered, ask about next steps, or ask a follow up on something the interviewer said.
How many questions should I ask at the end of an interview?
Usually two to four, depending on the time left. Prepare at least eight so you have backups if some are answered during the interview.
Can I bring my questions written down?
Yes. Bringing a short list of questions, on paper or a notepad, shows preparation. Avoid reading long scripts from your phone.
Should I ask about salary at the end of the first interview?
Generally not, unless the interviewer raises it. Salary is best discussed with the recruiter or at the offer stage, when you have more information and more leverage.
What is the best question to ask at the end of an interview?
There is no single best question, but "What would a great first 90 days look like in this role?" works in almost every interview. It shows you are focused on results and gives you concrete information about expectations.
Sources
- Questions to ask at the end of the interview to make you shine, Virginia Tech Career and Professional Development (January 2025)
- Concluding the Interview, University of Connecticut Center for Career Development
- How Employers Win Top Talent in 2026 (Job Seeker Confidence Survey), ZipRecruiter (2026)
- State of the Global Workplace 2025 (summary), Gallup, reported by ASIS International (April 2025)
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