Top Questions to Ask In an Interview to Stand Out to Recruiters
A part of being an engaged and memorable candidate is preparing questions to ask in an interview. Because according to recruiters, the worst response to “Do you have any questions for me?” is “No.”
In this guide, you’ll find ideas of questions to ask in your next job interview, why to ask them, and which questions can hinder your performance.
Questions about the role you’re applying for
Job seekers often forget that interviews are a two-way street. It’s not all about answering common interview questions. Asking questions about the role can help you decide whether it could be something you’d enjoy doing.
Ask questions that will provide information beyond the job description, like:
What does a typical day look like in this role?
What are the most important projects I would take on?
What are the biggest challenges someone in this position would face?
How does this position contribute to the organization overall?
Questions about performance metrics
Understanding the measures of success in the role lets you know expectations before you accept a job. You can use the interviewer’s answers to determine whether the expectations are manageable and if it would be a good fit.
Some questions that can shed light on performance expectations include:
What metrics or goals will my performance be evaluated against?
What are the most important things I should accomplish in the first 30, 60, and 90 days in the role?
What is the performance review process like? How often will I be formally evaluated?
Questions about the team
You can use the interview to learn more about the team and its dynamics before you start the job. You’ll better understand how your position will fit into the organization and who you’ll interact with most.
Get to know your team in the interview with questions like:
Can you tell me about the team I’d be working with?
Who will I work with most closely?
Can you tell me about my direct reports?
Who will I report to directly?
Which other teams work closely with this one?
Questions for your boss
If you’re interviewing with your potential boss, you have the unique opportunity to hear more about what working closely with them would be like.
Gain insight into your would-be manager’s experience by asking:
What’s your management style like?
How long have you been a manager?
Has your role changed since you’ve been here?
Why did you come to this company?
What’s your favorite part about working here?
Questions to avoid in a job interview
Some questions are a professional faux pas. Leaving a positive impression is more than just what you do ask—it’s what you don’t ask.
Avoid questions like:
What’s the starting salary?
What benefits do you offer?
When does my PTO kick start?
Can I make my own hours?
Do you have a 4-day workweek?
What does your company do?
If the interviewer offers up this information at the start—great! But hold off on these questions until the last stage of the interview or upon the job offer.
With these few tips, you are good to go…
