7 Great Questions You Should Definitely Ask Your Interviewer— and 3 You Shouldn’t

Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash

If you’ve interviewed for a job, you’ve probably experienced it.

At some point during the interview, your interviewer has looked over their notes, put down their pen, and said something like “Well, I think you’ve answered all of my questions. What questions do you have for me?”

During the decade I’ve spent in recruiting and HR, I’ve interviewed hundreds of candidates. I’ve noticed that candidates’ responses in this moment tend to fall into one of three categories:

About 85% of people ask two or three of what I call “vanilla” questions. Vanilla questions are… fine. They’re inoffensive, but kind of bland. More on this later.

About 10% of candidates claim not to have any questions. Maybe they‘re trying to respect my time. Maybe there’s a cultural reason they’re holding back. More likely though, they either aren’t thoroughly prepared or simply aren’t that interested. Needless to say, this isn’t a great impression to make.

Then there’s the 5%… the candidates that ask me great questions.

Great questions are questions that 1) go beyond the surface level and show that the candidate is genuinely interested in learning about the opportunity; 2) reveal something exciting about the candidate; and 3) require an atypical level of thought and consideration to answer, making them memorable.

So, what are these questions? There are dozens of great questions, and the following isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list, but here are seven examples.

1. “Can you tell me about a time the company (or the company’s leaders) embodied its core value of [name of core value,] even when it was difficult to do so?” Why it’s a great question: it shows me that the candidate has researched our core values and that it’s important to them that we’re genuinely committed to those values.
2. “What’s a behavior that’s not tolerated at your organization? Can you give me an example?” Why it’s a great question: this is the values question from a slightly different angle. It tells me the candidate cares whether we have integrity to our values — and that they likely will too, if hired.
3. “How does the organization define and measure success?” Why it’s a great question: it tells me that they’re interested in being part of a successful, accountable team. Successful people want to know how they’ll succeed.
4. “If I were to join your team, how could I add value within the first 90 days? And what would it look like for someone to exceed your wildest expectations within the first 12 months?” Why it’s a great question: similar to #3, it tells me that they want to succeed and add value, but has the added bonus of prompting me, their interviewer, to visualize them doing so.
5. “Based on what you know so far, in what ways could I add to your existing culture and how will this be assessed in the interview process?” Why it’s a great question: it challenges me, the interviewer, to identify what this specific candidate will bring to our organizational culture. It also tells me the candidate is savvy to the concept of “culture add” vs “culture fit” and they will likely embrace diverse viewpoints and perspectives.
6. “What are some ways that your organization is working to create an inclusive environment?” Why it’s a great question: it tells me that they care about working for a company where all people are respected and valued and that they will likely contribute to creating that kind of environment.
7. “Imagine it’s the year 2025. What has the company achieved in the last five years and how has this role contributed to those achievements?” Why it’s a great question: it’s a fun and memorable twist on the more typical “What is the company’s vision for the future?” question. It tells me they care about making a meaningful impact on the organization as a whole.

Then, there are the not-so-great questions.

We’ve all heard the popular wisdom that there are no bad questions. However, in an interview, I’m evaluating everything the candidate says and does for clues about who they are and what’s important to them. In this context, some questions don’t create as great of an impression.

Here are three questions to avoid.

1. “What’s your favorite part about working there?” Why it’s not a great question: this is the ultimate “vanilla” question. There’s nothing wrong with this question; it’s just that almost every candidate asks this, so it’s not very memorable. A better question to ask: “What’s been most surprising to you about working at [name of company]?” or “What’s been your favorite moment so far during your time with this company?”
2. “What’s the company culture like?” Why it’s not a great question: there are descriptions of our company culture on our website, in the job post, and in numerous blog posts, articles, and workplace award write-ups, all of which are readily available online, so this question can suggest that a candidate didn’t do much research prior to the interview. A better question to ask: “I read [X, Y, or Z] while researching the company culture. Can you share an example of what that looks like in practice?”
3. “Can I [bring my dog to work / work from home / wear sandals and board shorts to work every day]?” Why it’s not a great question: it suggests that the candidate is in it for the perks — especially if it’s the first (or only) question they ask. A better question to ask: “What are the top two or three things that employees most appreciate about working at your company?”

Other not-so-great questions: yes/no questions (you’ll probably get incomplete information in response), a series of rapid-fire short answer questions (your interviewer could feel interrogated), questions that are answered in the job posting (did you read it?), or irrelevant personal questions about your interviewer (even if your intentions are good, this can feel invasive).

Questions are how we communicate what matters to us, so they reveal a lot about someone. Great questions can sway my opinion in a candidate’s favor, even if the rest of the interview was just okay. And really great questions make me jump up from my seat when the interview’s over to go tell someone — anyone — about the fantastic candidate I just met.

Next time you interview for a job, don’t miss your chance to be that candidate.