Chief People Officer/Startup Advisor/Angel Investor. Helping to build more humane workplaces.
I've interviewed thousands of candidates in my professional career and one of the biggest missed opportunities for candidates is asking the interviewer thoughtful questions. Asking questions not only exhibits your interest in the role and your level of curiosity, but it gives the interviewer a sense for how you think. It's an opportunity to stand out against other candidates. In my experience, the best questions are the ones that show the candidate is truly assessing what it's like to work there and whether the company/role is the right fit for them, vs. just trying to land the job. No matter how many interviews you've had as a candidate, it's critical to come prepared to every interview with at least 2-3 thoughtful questions that ideally are specific to that interviewer. Some generic questions that most candidates ask: ❌ What is the culture like? ❌ What is work/life balance like? ❌ What do you like about working there? These questions are better than no questions at all, but you can generally get the answers to these questions from reading Glassdoor reviews, and they aren't a great use of the time you have with the interviewer. Instead, ask more detailed questions, like: ✅ What are some of the most interesting challenges the team has worked through recently? How did you collaborate with other teams to get the best outcomes? ✅ What does success in this role look like 6 months, a year, 3 years from now? ✅ I understand the company's values are X, Y, and Z. Can you share with me how those values have showed up in decision making recently? ✅ What has caused previous people in this role to be successful or unsuccessful in the role? What advice would you give a new hire to set themself up for success in this role? These are just a few examples, but what's really important is putting thought into the questions and showing your interest and curiosity. What are some of your favorite questions to ask interviewers?
How can I ask a question that will reveal if the manager is micromanaging or not? Lately suffering a lot with this
Erica Galos Alioto, love this post. This is a good opportunity to remind the person interviewing to account for at least 5 minutes (preferably 10 minutes) of the interview for questions. In my opinion, it's not fair to the person interviewing to "run out of time" or ask if they have questions with less than 30 seconds left to go. Saying "if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our recruiter," doesn't replace that precious 1:1 time. Like Erica says, question time is a win-win for both parties so it should be a priority for everyone involved!
Erica, I really like the questions you suggested! They show genuine interest and a deeper understanding of the role and company. One of my favorites to recommend to candidates is, "Can you describe a typical day or week in this role?" It can help them visualize the day-to-day and see if it aligns with their strengths. And the more info you get from an interviewer, the more data points you have to be able to highlight your own strengths as related to the opportunity, either in that specific convo, an interview with another team member, or in follow up messaging after the interview.
That final question listed is excellent. It’s important to know if someone has been in the role before, and what lessons emerged from that person’s tenure. My favorite question to ask is, “What has been harder to achieve than you expected it would, and why do you suspect it has gone that way?” It forces them to decide on the fly how and where to be honest with you, as you sit on the outside looking in. It will show you how transparent they are and will be with you.
I like asking “if we were to work together, in 6 months time, what would I learn about you that I wouldn’t pick up in the interview process?”
Couldn’t agree more. I would never bother to go for a role without genuine interest and excitement about the company, so my questions always go deep. Sometimes too deep for the interviewer, so there’s that! 😂
A few of my favorites that I ask: - What has been your experience with the company’s senior leadership team? (How they answer this one - or DON’T answer this one - can be very telling.) - What kind of person succeeds at this company, and what kind of person tends to struggle? - What are some things you do to promote psychological safety within your team? - What do you wish you’d known before starting here? - What is your biggest pain point right now?
Love this! I am interviewing for a job this week and in the process of crafting my questions. This is super helpful! Thank you!
Completely agree, Detailed questions are the way to go! It helps you realize if the company is truly a good fit for you, while showing genuine interest in the company
Southeast Regional Director @ REI
2wTwo questions I always ask: What is your favorite benefit? What is something you/your team are working on that you think "If we get this right, it will really make a difference."