Last Updated: November 6, 2018.

30 questions to ask in an interview

It’s the end of the interview and your potential employer asks: “have you got any questions?”

Your mind goes blank.

You know you need to ask something, but what?

We’ve all been there.

Knowing which questions to ask in an interview is kinda hard when you’re under pressure, but let me tell you something: it gets easier with experience.

It also gets easier when you know the secret of why you should ask questions during interviews.

Let me explain.

What you will learn

• Why you need to ask questions in an interview.
• What questions to ask in an interview.
• 30 example questions to ask in an interview.

Let’s get started.

Why you need to ask questions in an interview

The whole purpose of the interview process for a potential employer to sound you out.

They want to know:

• Whether you can actually do the job.
• Whether you’re suitable for the job.
• Whether they think you’ll fit well into the team.
• Whether you’re the best candidate for the job.

Your aim during the interview is to prove to your potential employer that all four of these things are true.

Finding the right questions to ask in an interview is a big part of that.

But once you enter an interview knowing what a potential employer wants, finding the right questions to ask becomes a whole lot easier.

Trust me.

It’s taken me dozens of interviews over the years to realise this, but once I did I found the interviews ran a lot more smoothly. There was a better flow, my confidence grew and I found my potential employer a lot more positive.

That’s not always to say that I got every job I applied for - nothing can guarantee that.

There are reasons why you may not get a job and let me tell you: not all of them have anything to do with you.

The hiring manager could leave, funding for the role could run out or even the need for the role could no longer be required.

It’s true, I’ve seen it happen.

So the best you can do is to optimise your chances.

How?

• By making sure they know that you can do the job.
• By making sure they know you’re suitable for the job.
• By making sure they know you’ll fit well into the team.
• By making sure they know you’re the best candidate for the job.

Knowing what questions to ask in an interview can definitely enhance that.

What questions to ask in an interview

So what questions should you ask during an interview? Anything that enhances your chances of letting your potential employer know that you’re the right person for the job.

Since that’s your entire aim during a job interview, it makes perfect sense that your questions be geared that way too, right?

Of course it does.

So what questions should you ask? Hold your horses, we’re not there just yet.

Let’s start off with the basics.

The first rule of questions to ask in an interview is: not all of your questions need to be at the end of the interview .

During job interviews at the start of my career, I remember sitting in front of interviewers silently, absolutely intimidated.

I was like a deer caught in the headlights; I barely said a word and when I did it was all quiet mumbles.

When the usual " any questions ?" came at the end of the interview, I asked stupid questions about dress code and things like that - if I asked anything at all.

I understand now, that’s not somebody a potential employer wants on their team. I came to the interview and displayed a total lack of communication and probably gave the impression I wouldn’t work well with others because I barely spoke.

Also, how were they supposed to know whether I was either capable or suitable to do the job? I barely said a word, so I definitely didn’t demonstrate that.

And I certainly wasn’t the best candidate for the role because of it.

I didn’t have a hope in hell of getting those jobs.

Of course, what I should’ve been doing is actually contributing to the interview. I should’ve been actually listening to what the interviewer had to say and asking questions as and when one entered my head.

That way, the interview would’ve had a better flow and would’ve been more like a conversation rather than something formal.

It would’ve also probably put both me and the interviewer more at ease and displayed to the interviewer that I was genuinely interested in both the role and being a part of the team.

And that’s the whole point of this article: now I know why I should ask questions, I now actively look for opportunities to ask questions during the interview.

And that brings me nicely to the second rule of questions to ask in an interview is: make sure your questions aren’t forced and fit with the flow of the conversation.

The last thing you want to do is force a question when there’s no need to or bombard the interviewer with an overwhelming barrage of questions.

It will have an adverse effect on the flow of the interview and make it look like you’re throwing questions in there just for the hell of it.

Pick your questions carefully and make sure every question serves the purpose of making the interview believe you’re the best candidate for the job.

Questions are just the start

I am aware that this article is all about what questions to ask in an interview, but knowing what questions you need to ask or why you need to ask them isn’t the end.

It’s just the beginning.

The truth of it is, your questions to a potential employer should be geared to getting an answer in which gives you an opportunity to demonstrate that you’re the best candidate for the job.

That’s quite a complex concept to take in, so let me give you a general idea of how this works.

1. The interviewer is explaining something about the role.
2. You ask a question related to that aspect of the role.
3. The interviewer answers your question.
4. You relate it to something you’ve done in a previous role.

You see how that works? Let me break it down.

• Your question demonstrates your interest in the role.
• Relating it to something you’ve done in a previous role demonstrates you can not only do the job, but you already have done the job before .

Now that you know how it works, let’s take a look at some real-world examples.

30 example questions to ask in an interview

To properly examine this concept in detail, we need to examine some real-world examples of this process in action.

To do that I’ll take a look at some of the interview questions I’ve asked in the past, how the interviewer has answered them and finally how I have demonstrated I’m the perfect candidate for the role.

Because I’m a web developer by trade you’ll find these questions answers will be based around a web developer role, but they can be adapted for any other job interview quite easily.

Let’s get started.

What are the day to day tasks for the role?

This is a great question to ask because it’s a gateway to being able to demonstrate to the interviewer that you are capable of doing the job.

The thing with this question is that you probably won’t have a need to even ask it. Why? Because during the interviewer will most likely explain the day to day tasks.

BUT if the interviewer doesn’t explain the day to day tasks of the job you’re applying you absolutely have to ask it.

In either case, it’s important to listen to what the interviewer has to say.

Why?  Because it's a great opportunity for you to demonstrate you can do the job.

Think about it.

The interviewer is literally telling you what they do on a day to day basis and if you can let them know you have that kind of experience then that's a massive step forward for you.

The key here is to listen what the interviewer has to say and organically try to contribute. Try to mention having experience in whatever aspect of the day to day activities they’re explaining in an organic way, without trying to shoehorn anything in.

One great way to do this is with follow-up questions.

Follow-up questions are great because:

• You’re showing an interest in the role.
• You’re engaging the interviewer and making a connection.
• You’re mining for information that can benefit you.
• You’re demonstrating knowledge and experience in the area.

So for my coders job example, some follow up questions could include:

• How do you currently implement [coding language]?
• What framework do you use for [coding language]?
• Do you use anything else with [coding language]?
• How do you test your code?
• Is there a test department?
• Is there a release process?
• What release tools do you use?
• Do coders do the releases or is that a different department?

After asking your follow-up questions listen to the answers and again try to respond with your experiences or opinions organically that help demonstrate you can do the job.

Such responses could be:

• Oh yes, I’ve implemented [code] like that previously.
• Oh great, you have a test department! I’ve previously worked in company’s that don’t have testers and thought it was detrimental to the development process.
• Oh, you use [release tool]? I’ve used that before too. I thought it was super easy to use.

What qualities are you looking for in a candidate?

This is another great gateway question that will help you find out the type of worker they want to hire.

From there, you can organically bring up scenarios and situations in the past that clearly indicate to the interviewer that you possess the qualities they’re looking for.

What is the future of the business?

This is a great way to show interest in the company and the job and it will demonstrate that you care about the company.

It’s also a good opportunity to ask a number of follow-up questions to further state your interest.

For a coding role, I usually also try to fit a couple or more of the following questions to display a credible interest in how they operate:

• What projects are coming up?
• What coding languages and frameworks will be used in that project?
• How will that project be structured? What departments will be involved?
• How will that project be managed?
• What are the milestones for that project?
• When do you expect that project to be delivered?

Of course, this line of question is also great because it benefits you too .

I think a lot of people applying for a job forget that interviews are a way for the candidate to size up the company too.

Questions regarding the future of the company are a big part of that and could help you decide whether the company is right for you.

For example, if they don’t seem to have any future plans or are purposefully vague, you might want to consider whether they do actually have a future or perhaps not a future with you in it.

What I mean by that is, what if they only have work for the role for the immediate future? After that, they don’t really have that much planned. I would be dubious about that as it doesn’t suggest there’s a lot of job security there.

Sure, something might arise, but what if it doesn’t? I’ve heard a few horror stories of roles such as this where one the work has been finished they’ve been fired or made redundant because of it.

What would the career path be if I were to get the role?

This is another important question and goes hand in hand with the previous question about the future of the company.

It’s another indication that you’re interested in the role and your future with the company.

Also, depending on the interviewer's response, further organic follow-up questions could include:

• What would I have to do to progress to the next level?
• If there’s a bonus structure: what would I have to do to earn the bonus?
• If there are set goals you must meet in the bonus: what kind of goals are they? Could you please provide an example?

And much like the previous question, it’s also a great way to work out whether the role is right for you.

What do you like about working there?

This is another great question to ask, because not only does in engage the interviewer and adds to your interaction with that person, but it’s also a great way to again judge whether the company is a good fit for you.

Depending on their answers, there a number of organic follow-up questions you can ask:

• Are there any regular social events?
• Are there any team building events?
• Do you like the company culture?
• Are there any team lunches?
• Are the working hours flexible?
• Are there opportunities to work from home should the need arise?

When will I hear from you next?

It’s important that at the end of the interview you let them know that you want to proceed and the best way of doing this is asking when you'll hear from them next.

In some cases, it's also a really good way of judging what they think of you as a candidate.

For example, if they sound eager when they answer you,  it's a really good sign they like you as a candidate.

Conclusion

So let's sum up what we've learned in this article about questions to ask in an interview.

• Your main focus in a job interview is to prove to the potential employer not only you can do the job but you're the best candidate for the role.
• Don't focus on what questions to ask in an interview, focus on why to ask them.
• You don't have to wait until the end of a job interview to ask questions. Ask them when the chance organically arises.
• Use questions to mine the interviewer for information about the role and then make sure you validate yourself as the best candidate for the roles based their answers.

Did I leave anything out?

I hope this article has painted a clearer picture of what questions to ask in an interview and job interviews in general, but if you feel I've not been clear on anything or you want me to expand on anything just let me know.