The 21 Best Questions to Ask in an Interview

When prepping for a job interview, you probably focus most of your time on how you’ll answer their questions. But, it’s also important you prep questions to ask in an interview.

Asking questions during a job interview is important for a couple reasons: it helps you make your decision about the position, and it shows your interviewer you’re thoughtful and attentive. 

The best questions to ask in an interview are ones that can’t be googled or found on their website, and ones they haven’t already answered. That shows you’ve done your research on the company and have been paying attention during the interview.

This goes over:

• Employer expectations at the end of an interview
• What kinds of questions should you ask an employer?
• What makes a good question to ask an interviewer?
• 18 questions to ask in an interview
• The controversial job interview question (and if it’s actually a good question)

Alright, let’s dive into what an employer expects when you ask questions, the types of questions you should ask, what makes a killer interview question, and the best interview questions to ask!

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Employer Expectations at the end of an interview

I know I’ve already mentioned it, but it’s important enough to repeat: an employer expects you to ask questions to ask in an interview. They want to see that you’ve put time and thought into the details of this position, and that you’re taking the opportunity seriously.

Even if you feel desperate for a job, you still need to get clarification about the specifics. And interviewers don’t need to know you’re feeling desperate- they’d rather see you put consideration into the position!

Yes, they want you to ask questions, but employers also expect you to ask good questions. Don’t ask them something that could easily be found on their website or that they’ve already answered in the interview.

A little prep will help make it easier to ask questions during your interview, so you don’t get flustered in the moment. Let’s go over how to prep your questions, and then the top questions to ask in an interview!

What kinds of questions should you ask an employer?

Like I said, it’s important you don’t ask things they’ve already answered, but there are other qualifications for good questions to ask an interviewer.

First, make sure you’re asking the questions you need answers to. If there’s a big piece missing from what you want to know about this job, that’s what you need to ask first. 

For example, if they haven’t gone over what a typical day looks like or how your performance is reviewed, those are great questions to start with!

Another type of questions to ask in an interview are ones that build rapport with your interviewer. It’ll deepen your connection and broaden your understanding of the company. 

And, honestly, people love to talk about themselves. So, why not learn something about your interviewer and give their ego a little boost?

You can also ask questions about the company’s diversity and inclusivity initiatives. Before you ask those, though, do some research to try and prejudge how they’ll feel about the question (but, tbh, if you think they’d react poorly to being asked about it, then think about if you really want to work for a place like that).

Whether you ask it openly or directly ask, “How does your company support movements like Black Lives Matter?” is up to you and your personality. 

Asking about their inclusivity is a great way to use your privilege, whether you have white privilege, straight privilege, cis privilege, or male privilege, to let employers know that high-quality candidates care about diversity (so they better care too!)

Wondering about the importance of allyship and advocacy at work? Press play on this incredible Ted Talk by Janet Stovall:

Finally, you can ask questions about the company’s goals and plans for the long term future. It’s a great way to show you care about the company’s success and are interested in being part of it!

Now that we’ve gone over the types of questions to ask an interviewer, let’s quickly cover what makes a killer interview question to ask employers then dive into the top interview questions!

Feeling nervous about your job interview? Check out these Confidence Boosting Job Interview Affirmations!

What makes a good question to ask an interviewer?

The most important part of asking a good question during your job interview is research. The day before your interview, read over the company’s website and social media profiles to see what questions they answer and which questions you have. 

A good place to start is reading their mission and vision statements and values. These are the core of the company’s decision making and goals, so they’re a great thing to base some questions off of. You can be specific by asking something like, “How does this position embody the company’s values of X and X?”

Just make sure the questions you ask aren’t obvious or already answered. The best way to prep is to research and brainstorm your questions a day or more before your interview. Then, have the list with you during your interview and quickly ‘x’ off questions they answered or track them mentally.

Always prepare more questions than you plan on asking, so you have backups ready and don’t end up fumbling to come up with questions!

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Alright, let’s dive into my top questions to ask in an interview! Remember to pick questions that best fit your personality and the company. Also, tweak them however you need to fit your voice and the position! Then, I’ll quickly cover a viral job interview question I always see and why I say it’s a bad idea!

 

Questions to ask in an interview

1. What professional development opportunities are available for new employees?
2. What goals does your company have for the next year?
3. What does success look like for this position? How do you measure it?
4. What does a typical day for this position look like?
5. What do you believe sets your company apart?
6. What are this company’s greatest strengths?
7. What’s your proudest achievement since you’ve worked here?
8. Is there a mentorship program for new employees?
9. How is this position evaluated?
10. How has your company committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment?
11. How has your company supported the Black Lives Matter movement?
12. What does training and onboarding for this position look like?
13. What are your goals for the first 6 months of this position?
14. Does this position have a high turnover rate?
15. How would you describe the company’s work environment?
16. What are the next steps in your hiring process for this position?
17. How does this position embody the company’s values of X and X?
18. How does this position help achieve the company’s mission of X?

The controversial questions to ask in an interview

There’s one job interview question I always see going viral as “the all time best interview question to ask” and I want to address it here.

The question is: “Is there anything on my application that concerns you?” or “Is there anything on my resume that concerns you?”

Personally, I’m not a fan of this question for a few reasons. The biggest reason I don’t like it is because it puts your interviewer on the spot and in a potentially uncomfortable situation. 

This question is often praised because it “gives you a chance to explain away their concerns,” but it ignores one crucial point- interviewers are people too. And having to answer that question would make a lot of people I know uncomfortable- hbu? 

People don’t like confrontation and it’s a very confrontational question.

A couple other reasons I’m not a fan are:

• It makes the end of the interview negative and moves their thinking away from all of the wonderful things about you! You want them to reflect on the positive things about you, instead of forcing them to dwell on the negatives
• They could have a bad reaction to it. Like I said, it could make them feel uncomfortable or awkward. Even more than that, if they really hate it, they could shut down or immediately write you off.

If you want to ask a unique question, try one that has your interviewer reflect on the positives about you or reminds them why you’re so amazing!

Here are a few ways I’d flip the negative question, “Is there anything on my application that concerns you?” into a positive one:

1. Which of my experiences stands out to you?
2. Which of the experiences we’ve discussed relates to this position the most?
3. What experience in my resume speaks most to this position?

See how questions like those get them reflecting on the relevant, great things about your experiences? Your goal in your job search is to stand out because of how amazing you are, not address every concern they might have.

Employers expect you to ask questions at the end of your job interview: it shows you’re thoughtful and have put effort into the process. 

The best questions to ask in an interview are helpful and well-researched. Some of my favorite interview questions to ask an employer are, “What does success look like for this position? How do you measure it?” “What do you believe sets your company apart?” and “What’s your proudest achievement since you’ve worked here?” 

Finally, I don’t recommend asking the viral question, ““Is there anything on my application that concerns you?” Instead, stick to the positives and focus your interview on how amazing you are!

The best way to stand out during a job interview? An inside connection at the company! Watch my free workshop to learn the exact strategies to reclaim your career with networking!