Interview prep: Questions you should ask

Hello!

Picture it: You’ve made it to the end of your interview for your dream job. You sailed through your reasons for applying and answered every behavioral and situational question with ease (thanks, STAR method!). You’re down to the final question: “Do you have any questions for me?”

No sweat. You knew they’d ask this question—they always do!—so you came prepared. Not only did you engage your interviewer, but you are also leaving the interview feeling even more confident that this is the career path for you.

So, what did you ask?

Questions to ask at the end of an interview

An interview is an important time to discuss your experience, skills, and interest in a position—but it’s also a conversation. You’re interviewing the company as much as the company is interviewing you.

Asking thoughtful questions during an interview can achieve a lot. For starters, it signals to the hiring manager that you’re a conscientious job-seeker who’s interested in the role. It’s also how you can figure out if you actually want to work there. Just as your interviewer is deciding whether you’ll be a good fit for their company, this is your opportunity to determine whether this company and this role are going to help you achieve your goals.

Think about what you expect this role to be like, if you get it. Are there any gray areas that your interviewer could clarify for you? Some common things to ask about may be:

• The role and daily responsibilities: “What might a typical day in this role involve?”
• How your performance will be measured: “How do you measure success?”
• Future growth opportunities you’d be moving toward: “How do you help employees grow as professionals?”
• Your potential manager and team structure: “What kind of feedback and support would I receive?”
• The company culture: “What do you love about working at this company?”

Before an interview, take a moment to write down some questions—around five is a good start, but some people feel more comfortable preparing closer to 10 questions. This way, if any of your questions come up during the interview, you can ask them mid-conversation and still have more on hand to ask at the end of the interview.

As you move through the interview process and get answers to your questions, you might want to ask different interviewers similar questions to compare answers—or find new ones to ask.?

Want more questions? Here's a list of 30 questions to ask and tips for choosing the best questions for your needs.

Keep practicing

Remember: If you’ve made it to the interview, you’ve already demonstrated that you have the skills and experience your interviewer is looking for. Now, it’s time to show your personality. Here are some courses to help guide your interview prep:

• To feel like a more confident speaker, try the University of London’s Finding Your Professional Voice: Confidence & Impact. This course is available for free and only takes about nine hours to complete.
• For an overview of the interview process, try Big Interview’s The Art of the Job Interview. You’ll explore common interview questions and learn how to answer them in a single course.
• For an in-depth exploration of the interview process, try the University of Maryland’s Interviewing and Resume Writing in English Specialization. Here, you’ll spend more time examining interview preparation, successful interviewing tips, and how to answer common questions.

With that, our interview series ends. If you have any more questions, feel free to leave them in the comments. We are going to take some time off and will see you in the new year!

Have a career question you’d like us to answer next? Share it below. And, as always, we welcome YOUR advice and experience in the comments.