By the end of this guide you'll have a shortlist of questions you can actually use, a sense of which ones to put to a recruiter versus a hiring manager versus a future teammate, and a clear idea of what each answer tells you about the job.
The closing minutes of an interview are still part of the interview. What you ask shows how you think about the work — and it's your only chance to check whether this job is worth taking before you're deciding on an offer.
How to use these questions
Prepare more than you'll use. Indeed suggests aiming to still have around five questions left by the end (Indeed, undated), while CareerOneStop notes candidates typically get time for two or three (CareerOneStop, undated). Harvard Business Review advises that if the interviewer turns to you with five minutes left, pick the two or three that matter most to you and choose them ahead of time (Harvard Business Review, May 2022).
Match the question to the person. Recruiters handle process, timelines and often the pay range. Hiring managers know the day-to-day work and what good looks like. Future peers will tell you what the team is actually like. Ask a Manager notes that phone screens usually allow fewer than five questions, while later-stage in-person interviews may allow many more (Ask a Manager, February 2013).
Bring your list on paper and take notes. Harvard Business School alumni guidance recommends note-taking to keep track of what you're told and to help you form follow-up questions (HBS Alumni, undated).
About the role
1. What does a successful first 90 days look like in this role? Tells you whether there's a plan for you, or whether you'll be improvising from day one.
2. What are the biggest challenges facing whoever takes this job? Surfaces the problems that aren't in the advert — backlog, a difficult client, a system nobody wants to touch.
3. Is this a new role, or am I replacing someone? A new role means you'll be defining it; a replacement means there's a standard, and possibly a reason the last person left.
4. Which parts of the job take up most of an average week? Job descriptions list everything. This tells you what you'd actually spend your time on.
5. Who would I work with most outside the immediate team? Shows how much of the job is influence and coordination rather than solo delivery.
6. How is performance in this role measured, and who decides? Tells you whether success is defined by numbers, judgement, or someone's mood.
7. What would you want the person in this seat to have fixed or improved by the end of the first year? The answer is the real brief for the job — more honest than any posting.
8. What's the hardest part of this job that people underestimate? A candid answer signals a manager who won't oversell; a blank one is worth noticing.
About the team and manager
9. How would you describe your management style? Tells you how much autonomy, check-in and direction to expect — and whether the manager has thought about it.
10. How often would we meet one to one, and what usually happens in those meetings? A concrete answer suggests regular feedback; a vague one suggests you'll be managing yourself.
11. How does the team communicate day to day — meetings, chat, written updates? Helps you judge whether the rhythm suits how you work, especially if the team is spread across locations.
12. How does the team handle disagreement about priorities? Tells you whether decisions get made or escalated, and how safe it is to push back.
13. How has the team changed in the past year? Growth, churn or restructuring all shape what your first months would be like.
14. What do you enjoy most about working with this team, and what would you change? Asking for both halves usually gets you a more honest answer than asking only about the good part.
About growth and training
15. What does progression look like from this role? Shows whether there's a path, a ladder, or only whatever you negotiate later.
16. How does training usually happen here — on the job, formal courses, time set aside? Tells you whether development is budgeted and protected or squeezed into spare hours. This varies enormously by employer and country.
17. How do people get feedback, and how often? Annual reviews only, or a habit of regular conversation — the difference affects how fast you improve.
18. Where have people who did this job well gone next? Real examples are the strongest evidence that internal moves happen.
19. What skills does the team expect to need in two years that it doesn't have now? Tells you where the work is heading and whether you'd be learning or standing still.
About the company
20. What are the organisation's priorities for the coming year, and how does this team contribute? Shows whether the team sits near the centre of the plan or on the edge of it.
21. How would you describe the culture to someone who joined last week? Concrete examples beat adjectives. If you only get adjectives, ask for one example.
22. What changes are coming that might affect this role? Reorganisations, new systems and funding cycles all matter and rarely appear in the advert.
23. How does the organisation handle office, remote or hybrid working, and is that settled policy? Arrangements differ by employer, site and country, and some are still in flux — better to know now than after you've signed.
About next steps
24. What are the next steps in the process, and when would you expect to be back in touch? Gives you a date to work to and tells you how organised the hiring is. Harvard Business School alumni guidance recommends asking about next steps towards the end of the conversation (HBS Alumni, undated).
25. Is there anything about my experience you'd like me to clarify before I go? Your one chance to answer a doubt while you're still in the room, rather than guessing at it afterwards.
Questions to avoid
None of these are forbidden forever. Most are just wrong for this moment, or phrased in a way that works against you.
| Don't ask | Ask this instead, or wait |
|---|
| "So what does the company actually do?" | Do the reading first, then ask something that shows you did: "I saw you've moved into X — how does that change the work of this team?" |
| "How much holiday do I get, and what's the pension like?" | Save the detailed package questions for the offer stage. One career coach argues the only appropriate time to raise salary and benefits is at offer stage, letting the interviewer raise it first (UpJourney, April 2024) — though views differ, see the FAQ below. |
| "How soon can I be promoted?" | "What does progression look like from this role?" Same information, without suggesting you've already left the job you're interviewing for. |
| "Do you monitor how long people are at their desks?" | "How does the team communicate day to day?" You'll learn the same thing about trust without sounding defensive. |
| "How did I do?" or "Do I have the job?" | "Is there anything about my experience you'd like me to clarify?" It invites the same feedback without putting the interviewer on the spot. |
| "Why did the last person leave?" put bluntly to a panel of future peers | "Is this a new role, or am I replacing someone?" Neutral, easy to answer, and it usually gets you the story anyway. |
Frequently asked questions
How many questions should I actually ask?
Prepare eight to ten and expect to ask two or three. CareerOneStop says candidates typically have time for two or three at the end (CareerOneStop, undated), and Harvard Business Review suggests picking the two or three that matter most if you're given about five minutes (Harvard Business Review, May 2022). Indeed frames it as aiming to still have around five questions in reserve by that point (Indeed, undated). MIT's career advising is blunt that candidates are expected to have several questions ready (MIT Career Advising & Professional Development, October 2025). Later-stage, in-person interviews often leave room for more than a short phone screen does (Ask a Manager, February 2013).
What if they've already answered everything during the interview?
Don't say "no questions" — CareerOneStop notes that asking nothing can read as a lack of interest or curiosity (CareerOneStop, undated), and HBS Online describes it as a red flag at any stage (HBS Online, October 2017). Instead, name what you learned and build on it: "You covered the first 90 days, which was my main question — can I ask a follow-up on how the team splits work with [the other team]?" That shows you listened. If something occurs to you later, Indeed notes you can send it as a follow-up after the interview (Indeed, undated).
Can I ask about pay?
Opinion is genuinely split, so read the room. One recruiter points out that a first interview is often the most natural time, since many recruiters state the range at the end of a screening call or ask for your expectations (Wesleyan University Career Center, January 2025). A career advisor adds that if the employer doesn't raise it, it's appropriate for you to — but whether the person in front of you knows the figure depends on whether they're a recruiter or the hiring manager (Swarthmore College Career Center, August 2024). Ask a Manager notes candidates can now generally raise pay up front, unlike the older convention of avoiding it (Ask a Manager, July 2022), while some coaches still prefer to keep it to the offer stage (UpJourney, April 2024). As a rule: ask the recruiter, not the panel. Note also that rules on what employers may ask you differ by location — SHRM reports that 22 states and 21 cities or localities prohibit salary history inquiries by employers (SHRM, December 2023). Check current local rules and published pay ranges rather than relying on a general guide.
Should I ask questions during the interview or only at the end?
Both. If the conversation naturally opens a door — they mention a system change, a new team, a tricky client — ask then, while it's relevant. Keep your strongest two or three for the end, when you're invited. Take notes as you go so you can drop the questions that have already been answered and avoid asking something you were told twenty minutes earlier.