Good Questions to Ask After an Interview
Questions to ask after an interview, from the last few minutes in the room to the weeks after the interview is over. They suit a phone interview as much as a panel in person, and they are grouped in the order you would use them: the job itself, starting with the staples about a typical day, the first three months and what the interviewer likes about working there; doubts about you that you can still answer; next steps and who decides; the follow-up questions to ask an interviewer by email, in your thank-you note or when it goes quiet; what to ask once there is an offer; and what to ask after a no, including how to ask for feedback.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
The job
What does a typical day or week look like in this job?
Why ask it
Ask them to walk you through yesterday or last week, since 'no two days are the same' gives you nothing to picture. If most of what they describe is something the posting barely mentioned, that is the job.
What would you want me to have accomplished in my first 90 days?
Why ask it
An interviewer who answers at once has already thought about what the job is for. Write down what they list, since it is likely to be what your first review looks at, and if it sounds like a year of work, ask which item comes first.
What is the biggest challenge facing whoever takes this job?
Why ask it
The reply is often the real reason the position is open: a backlog, a difficult handover, a system nobody likes. It also gives you something to use in your follow-up note, where two lines on how you have handled a similar problem are worth including.
What do you like most about working here?
Why ask it
Watch how fast the answer comes. Someone who likes the place may start talking before you have finished asking, and someone who does not tends to say 'the people' and stop. Put it to each interviewer you meet and compare.
How would you describe the culture on this team?
Why ask it
Ask it, then ask what a new person tends to get wrong in their first month. The unwritten rules come out in the second answer: whether people eat lunch at their desks, speak up in meetings, or reply to messages at night.
How will my work be measured, and how often is it reviewed?
Why ask it
Ask what the first review would look at and when it falls. If there are numbers, ask whether the last person in the job hit them, because a target nobody has met is a different thing from one most people clear.
What opportunities are there to grow or move up from this role?
Why ask it
Moving up, moving sideways and getting better at the same job are three kinds of growth, and not every employer offers all of them. Say which one you mean, then ask how long that step has taken other people here.
Who would I work with most closely?
Why ask it
Ask how big the team is, who is on it and where they are based. The colleague you would hand work to every day shapes the job as much as the manager does, and you may not have met them yet.
Who would I report to day to day, and is that someone I met today?
Why ask it
A panel may be led by someone senior who would rarely see you again. If the person you would answer to was not in the room, ask to meet them before you accept anything, or you would be agreeing to work for someone you have never spoken to.
What is your management style day to day?
Why ask it
Only worth asking the person you would report to. Follow the label they give with a case: how they found out the last time a piece of work was running late, and what they did about it.
What training would I get in the first few weeks?
Why ask it
Ask how long it was before the last new hire worked without someone checking. That gives you the real length of the training, whatever the induction schedule says, and a sense of how patient the team is with questions.
Does the company pay for courses, certifications or conferences?
Why ask it
Ask whether anyone on the team used it in the past year. A budget that needs three approvals, or that nobody has time to spend, is a benefit on paper only.
Where do you see the company in the next few years?
Why ask it
A senior interviewer may enjoy this one and a junior one may not know, so choose who you put it to. Bring the answer back to the job by asking what the plan would mean for this team: more people, new work, or the same work with fewer hands.
How long have you been here, and what has changed in that time?
Why ask it
Someone who joined last year and someone who has stayed for ten will describe two different employers, and both accounts are true. Whatever they say has changed, for better or worse, shows you which way the place is moving.
How long do people tend to stay on this team?
Why ask it
Short tenures are not always a warning, since a team that is growing is new by definition. Ask why the last one or two people moved on, and whether they went to another team in the company or left it altogether.
Did someone leave this job, or is it newly created?
Why ask it
A new position, a promotion, a resignation and a dismissal each set up a different first year. If the last person was promoted, ask whether they are still around to hand over. If they left, ask how long they stayed.
Is this a permanent position, and is the funding for it settled?
Why ask it
Cover for someone on leave, a grant-funded position and a role that depends on a contract being won are all fair things to offer, as long as you know. Ask how long the money runs and what happened to the people in such roles the last time it ran out.
Which project or account would I pick up first?
Why ask it
A named project or account means someone has thought about your first week. 'You would shadow people for a while' can be fine too, but ask who you would shadow and for how long.
What made the last good hire on this team work out?
Why ask it
You get a description of success drawn from a real person and not from a job description. Hold it up against yourself honestly: if what they praise is patience with late changes, then late changes are the job.
What do people who do this job find most frustrating about it?
Why ask it
Frustrations come out more specific than 'challenges': the scheduling, the software, one demanding client, approvals that take a week. Decide on the way home whether you could live with the one they named, because it is unlikely to be gone by your first day.
Is there anything happening on the team right now I should know about: a reorganization, a departure, a deadline?
Why ask it
Offering three ordinary examples makes it easy to answer without feeling interrogated. A team in the middle of a restructure or a deadline will give you a different first month from the one in the posting.
What time do people really start and finish, and how often does that stretch?
Why ask it
Left to the close and asked plainly, it sounds like planning and not reluctance. Listen for whether the long days come at known points, such as a month end or a launch, or whenever something goes wrong.
How many days would I be expected on site, and who decides that?
Why ask it
The useful half is who sets it: company policy, the manager, or you. An arrangement that rests on one manager's preference can change the week that manager moves on, so if it matters to you, raise it again when there is an offer.
How much travel does the job involve?
Why ask it
Get it in nights away per month and not as a percentage, which hides whether it means one long trip or a day out every week. Ask too how much notice people usually get, and whether costs are paid up front or claimed back.
Is there anything I would need to have before starting: a car, my own tools, a license, a certificate?
Why ask it
In some jobs the cost of starting falls on the new hire: a vehicle, a toolkit, a qualification that has to be current. Better to hear it now than in the welcome email, and fair to ask whether the employer pays for any of it.
What pay range has been set for this role, and is there any movement in it?
Why ask it
If the posting gave no range, the end of the interview is a fair time to ask, and some recruiters would rather settle it on the first call. Hearing a range below what you need saves both sides several weeks.
Does that figure include bonus, commission or overtime, or is it base pay alone?
Why ask it
Two employers can quote the same number and mean different things by it. Ask which part is fixed and which depends on targets, and how often the variable part has paid out in full.
Could I see where the team works before I go?
Why ask it
Five minutes walking through the office or the shop floor shows you what an interview room cannot: how loud it is, whether people look up, what is on the walls. For a remote job, ask to see the board or the channels the team runs on.
What would you tell a friend who was thinking of applying here?
Why ask it
Asking for the version they would give a friend loosens the official answer. Notice which comes first, the good part or the warning, and whether they glance at a colleague before they speak.
Your candidacy
Is there anything on my resume, or in what I said today, that gives you pause?
Why ask it
If there is a doubt, this is your one chance to answer it yourself and not have it discussed after you leave. Reply to what they name with a single example and do not argue. Some interviewers are not free to say, so take 'nothing comes to mind' at face value.
Was there anything in my answers today you would push back on?
Why ask it
Harder to ask than to hear. A specific objection gives you something to answer while you are still in the room, and a polite 'no, nothing' tells you that any doubt lies somewhere other than in what you said.
Is there an answer I gave today that you would like a better example for?
Why ask it
An interviewer can leave with a box half ticked because your example was thin. A second one offered on the spot, or in two lines that evening, may be all it takes to finish the job.
I do not think I answered one of your earlier questions well. Could I try it again?
Why ask it
Use it once, and only for a question that mattered. Keep the second attempt to a few sentences, because a long one makes the first attempt look worse than it was.
Is there a requirement in the posting you are not sure I meet?
Why ask it
Pointing at the posting gives them something concrete to pick from, which is easier than voicing a general worry. If they pick one, say plainly how you would close the gap, then ask how much weight it carries, since a posting can list more than the job turns out to need.
Is there anything about how I would fit with the team that you are still weighing?
Why ask it
A doubt about fit is harder to voice than a missing skill, because there is less evidence to point to. Asking makes it sayable, and what they describe tells you about the team as much as about you.
What would make you confident you had found the right person?
Why ask it
Their answer is the scoring sheet said out loud. Write it down as soon as you leave, and build your follow-up note around the item you covered least well today.
From what you have heard today, where do you think I would be useful first?
Why ask it
It asks them to picture you in the job, which is a different exercise from assessing you. The answer shows which part of your experience landed, so you know what to lead with in the next round.
Is there a part of this job you think I would find hardest?
Why ask it
A gentler route to a doubt: they describe the job and not your shortcomings, yet whatever they pick is where they think you are thinnest. Agree where it is true and say what you would do about it in your first month.
What would you want the next interviewer to dig into with me?
Why ask it
Whatever they name is what today's conversation left open, so prepare for it first. If they say nothing in particular, ask what the next interviewer cares about most.
Before you write up this call for the hiring manager, is there anything I should clear up?
Why ask it
One for the end of a phone interview with a recruiter, whose summary may be all the hiring manager sees of you before the next round. A date that does not add up, or a reason for leaving that came out muddled, can be put right in a sentence while you are still on the line.
Is there someone I have not met whose view will count, and would a short call with them help?
Why ask it
The deciding opinion sometimes belongs to a person who was not in the room and knows you only from a resume and someone else's notes. Offering twenty minutes costs you little. Take a no without pressing, since some processes do not allow it.
Would you need anything from me on work authorization or relocation before you could make an offer?
Why ask it
A visa, a move or a license transfer can stall an offer that everyone thought was settled. Raising it yourself lets them check with HR while they are still deciding. What an employer has to verify differs by country, so ask what they would need to see.
Is there anything else you need from me: references, a work sample, anything in writing?
Why ask it
Now and then something is outstanding that nobody has chased, such as a transcript or a portfolio link that did not open. Sending it the same day means your file is complete when they sit down to compare candidates.
Next steps
What happens next, and by what date should I expect to hear?
Why ask it
Ask for a day and not a range such as 'a couple of weeks'. A named day gives you a fair reason to write once it has passed, and a long pause before the answer suggests the timetable has not been agreed yet.
Who else would I meet if I go forward, and what would they focus on?
Why ask it
The answer gives you the number of rounds left and a different thing to prepare for each. If nobody can say who you would meet, the process is at an early stage or loosely organized, and either way you can plan for a longer wait.
Who has the final say on this hire?
Why ask it
A decision your interviewer can make alone tends to move faster than one that goes to a committee or needs sign-off two levels up. The name also tells you whose questions today carried the most weight.
After a phone screen like this one, who chooses the people invited to a full interview?
Why ask it
The recruiter who rang you may pass on everyone who clears a checklist, or the hiring manager may read the notes and pick three. Knowing which tells you whether the call itself was the test or only the gate in front of it.
If I have not heard by then, who should I check in with?
Why ask it
Agreeing the check-in now turns a nervous chase into a step they have already said yes to. Take down the name and the address, since the person to write to may be a recruiter or coordinator you have not met.
Is there anything that could hold the decision up: a budget sign-off, someone on leave, another interview still to run?
Why ask it
The date you were given assumes nothing slips. If you hear the likely snag now, a quiet week later reads as the approval they mentioned and not as a verdict on you.
How far along is the search: am I one of the first people you have seen, or one of the last?
Why ask it
The first candidates seen may wait longest, because the team wants to meet the rest before deciding. It also gets at where you stand without asking how you compare with the others, which interviewers tend to sidestep.
What form does the next round take, and is there anything I should prepare or bring?
Why ask it
A panel, a task and a walk around the site each need different preparation, and a half day in person may mean taking time off from your current job. Asking now is easier than emailing a scheduler who does not know the answer.
How soon do you need this job filled?
Why ask it
A team that needed someone last month tends to decide quickly, and one hiring for next quarter can take its time with you. If their date is sooner than you could manage, say so before you leave and not at the offer.
Could I have your email address, or should anything I send go through the recruiter?
Why ask it
A thank-you note sent to the no-reply address a scheduling tool used will not be read. Get the address and the spelling of each name while you are still in the room. If the employer routes everything through a recruiter, send your note that way and ask for it to be passed on.
At what point would you contact my references, and could I warn them first?
Why ask it
References give a better account when they know the call is coming and what the job is. If one of them works at your current employer, say so now and ask that they are left until an offer is on the table.
I am talking to other employers at the moment. If one of them moves quickly, who should I tell?
Why ask it
It puts a clock on the table without making it a threat, and it gets you a name to call on the day a deadline arrives. Leave it out if it is not true, because the natural reply is to ask who.
Do you let every candidate know the outcome, or only the person you choose?
Why ask it
Some employers contact only the person they hire, and if this is one of them, a silent month is your answer. If they do reply to everyone, ask whether feedback comes with it and who it would come from.
Following up
Would it be useful if I sent a short note on how I would approach the problem you described?
Why ask it
Ask before you send. An invitation turns an essay nobody asked for into something they are waiting for, and if they say no you have lost nothing. Keep whatever you send to one page.
Could you pass my thanks on to the others on the panel?
Why ask it
For when you met four people and have one address. It gets your thanks to the whole panel without guessing at email formats, and it gives your contact an easy reason to mention you again.
We covered a lot by phone. Could you send me the full job description and the name of the person I would report to?
Why ask it
After a phone interview you may have nothing in writing except the advert, and whatever the caller said about the team lives in your memory alone. The document is easy for them to send, and the reply gives you an address to write to when the date they named has passed.
You mentioned a pay range on the call. Could you confirm it by email so I have it right?
Why ask it
A number heard once over the phone is easy to mishear, and a range in an email is something both of you can point to when an offer is drafted. Put it in the same message as your thanks, where it reads as checking your notes and not as a demand.
Did the work sample I sent reach you, and is there anything in it you would like me to explain?
Why ask it
Attachments get caught in filters and portals lose uploads. Confirming receipt is an honest reason to write, and inviting questions about the work gives them an easy way to reply.
Would you mind if I connected with you on LinkedIn?
Why ask it
Some interviewers accept every request, and some keep candidates at a distance until the search has closed. Asking first means you never have to interpret a request left unanswered. If they hesitate, leave it until there is a decision.
Have you had any feedback from the panel yet?
Why ask it
One for a recruiter, in-house or agency, who may hear the debrief before you hear anything. Ask what the panel liked as well as what they doubted, since the first tells you what to repeat in the next round.
Is there any update on the timeline you gave me?
Why ask it
Send it a couple of working days after the date they named, to the contact they named, with the job title in the subject line. A check-in that can be answered in one sentence is more likely to get one than a restatement of your interest.
Should I still hold the dates you mentioned for the next round?
Why ask it
A practical question is quicker to answer than a request for news, and it reminds them you are arranging your week around their calendar. If the dates have gone, ask when new ones will be set.
Are you still the right person to ask about this role?
Why ask it
Recruiters change desks and hiring managers go on leave in the middle of a search. One line asking who has the file now can restart a thread that went quiet for reasons that have nothing to do with you.
Has anything changed about the role or its timing since we spoke?
Why ask it
For the second week of quiet. It gives them an easy way to say the position is on hold or has gone to an internal candidate, both of which are easier to write than a no addressed to you.
Am I still being considered for this role?
Why ask it
The direct version, for when two softer check-ins have gone unanswered. Add that a no is fine and you would simply like to know, which makes it easier for them to send one.
Is it worth my applying for the other opening on your site, or would that complicate this one?
Why ask it
At some employers two live applications are routine, and at others they make a candidate look unsure of what they want. The recruiter knows which kind this is, and asking shows your interest is in the company and not only in one job.
Would you like me to check in again next week, or wait to hear from you?
Why ask it
It hands them the pace and gets you a straight answer about whether silence means wait or means no. If they say wait, wait.
I have another offer and need to reply by Friday. Is a decision before then possible?
Why ask it
Name the real deadline, and do not send this at all unless the offer exists. It is fair to both sides: an employer who was going to choose you gets the chance to move, and one who was not can tell you so.
After an offer
Could I have the offer in writing before I reply?
Why ask it
Details given on a call are easy for two people to remember differently. Asking for the written version is routine, and it is where a title, a start date or a bonus that came up in conversation either appears or does not.
How long do I have to decide, and is that date firm?
Why ask it
Get the date from them instead of guessing at one. If you need longer because another process is finishing, say how much longer and why: three more days with a reason is easier to grant than an open-ended pause.
What start date do you have in mind, and is there any flexibility in it?
Why ask it
Check what notice you owe your current employer before you reply, and whether you want a few days between the two jobs. Whatever date you agree should appear in the written offer, since your resignation will be timed around it.
How was this figure arrived at?
Why ask it
Calmer than a counter-offer made blind, and more useful. If the answer is a pay band, ask where in the band you sit and what would put you higher. If it is based on what you earn now, you can say what the job is worth to you instead.
Is there any room on the salary, or on something else if the salary is fixed?
Why ask it
Where base pay is set by a grade or a scale, the movable parts may be elsewhere: vacation days, a review after six months, the start date. Which of those can move differs from one employer to the next, so ask what is open before you name a number.
When would my pay first be reviewed, and what would that review look at?
Why ask it
A lower start matters less if there is a dated review with stated criteria. Ask for it in the offer letter, because a review promised in conversation depends on the person who promised it still being there.
Which benefits come with the offer, and when does each one start?
Why ask it
A benefit that starts on day one and one that starts after a waiting period are not the same thing, and a summary sheet may not say which you are getting. Ask for the full document, and ask directly about anything you rely on.
Is the offer conditional on anything: references, a background check, a medical, proof of qualifications?
Why ask it
Ask how long each condition usually takes and what happens if one is delayed. Many people hold their resignation until every condition has cleared. What a conditional offer commits the employer to depends on where you are, so have them spell out what would cause it to be withdrawn.
Which of the things we discussed will be in the contract, and which are informal?
Why ask it
Remote days, a promised project, a training budget: anything that helped persuade you belongs on this list. What is informal can still be real, but you should know which is which before you sign.
How much notice would each side have to give, and is it different during a probation period?
Why ask it
Easy to skim past when signing. Ask what applies during any probation and after it, and what has to happen for probation to end. Whether notice is required at all depends on the country and the contract, so ask how it works there.
Could I speak to someone on the team before I give you my answer?
Why ask it
With an offer in hand this is a reasonable request, and how they handle it is information too. Ask that person what they would change about the job, and notice whether the answer sounds like their own.
What tipped the decision my way?
Why ask it
Not vanity. Whatever they name is what they think they have hired, and it is what your first months will be measured against. If it is a skill you think of as a sideline, say so now.
What do you need from me between accepting and the first day?
Why ask it
Proof that you can work in the country, bank details, an equipment order, a security pass: each has a lead time. Asking gets you the whole list at once, and shows you whether anyone is in charge of your arrival.
After a no
Would you be willing to tell me one thing that would have made me a stronger candidate?
Why ask it
Asking for one thing is easier to answer than asking for feedback, because it fits in a sentence. Thank them for whatever comes back and do not argue with it, even if you think it is wrong.
Would a five-minute call be easier for you than putting feedback in writing?
Why ask it
Some hiring managers will say on the phone what they would not put in an email, and some employers allow neither. Offering the choice costs them nothing, and if the answer is no you can let it go without asking a second time.
Was it a gap in my experience, or how I came across on the day?
Why ask it
The two call for different fixes. Experience takes time or a different kind of role, while interview performance takes practice and can change by the next one. Not everyone will answer, and some employers have a policy of saying nothing.
Was there a stage where I lost ground: the phone screen, the task or the final panel?
Why ask it
A whole process is hard to sum up, so a general request for feedback after an interview often comes back as 'it was very close'. Naming the stages gives them something to point at, and shows you which one to rehearse before your next application.
Did the person you chose have something specific that I lacked?
Why ask it
You are not asking who they are, only what decided it. Sometimes the answer is something you could not have changed, such as an internal candidate or years on one particular system, and hearing that makes the rejection easier to put down.
Were the salary expectations I gave a factor?
Why ask it
Worth knowing before your next interview, because the number you quote is something you can change overnight. If the answer is yes, ask what the range turned out to be.
Which skill from the posting would you suggest I build before I apply for a role like this again?
Why ask it
This points the feedback at what you do next, which can be easier to give than a verdict on the day. One named skill, such as a tool or a kind of project, is something you can go and get, then mention when you write to them a year on.
Has the position been filled, or is the search still open?
Why ask it
A no because someone else was hired and a no while the job is advertised again mean different things. The second suggests the brief changed or nobody matched it, and it is fair to ask what they are looking for now.
Would you consider me if this role, or one like it, opens again?
Why ask it
Hires fall through and second roles get approved. A candidate who took the no gracefully and asked to be kept in mind is an easy call to make when that happens. Ask whether you should reapply or whether they will keep your details.
Is there another team or role here where you think I would fit better?
Why ask it
Interviewers sometimes like a candidate for a job they were not interviewing for. It costs one line to ask, and an introduction from inside tends to be read more carefully than a cold application.
How long should I wait before applying here again?
Why ask it
Some employers set a gap before a rejected candidate is looked at again, and some have none. Knowing saves you an application that would be filtered out unread.
May I stay in touch, and is this the best address for that?
Why ask it
Only ask if you mean to do it. A short message when you have something relevant to report, such as a new qualification or a finished project, keeps the door open without asking them for anything.
Closing the interview and following up
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Which group for which moment
- The job, Your candidacy and Next steps are for the room, in the minutes after you are asked whether you have any questions. Take one from each group before you take a second from any, and make the question about next steps your last.
- Following up is mostly for writing: the post-interview note you send that evening and the check-in once the date has passed. One question per message, so that it can be answered in a line.
- After an offer waits until there is an offer. Contract terms and benefits raised at a first interview are questions nobody in the room can answer yet.
- After a no is one short message, sent within a day or two of the news. Choose one or two questions from the group and leave the others.
The last five minutes
- Pick three questions, not ten. Interviews tend to run short of time at the end, and working through a list past the scheduled finish is not how you want to be remembered.
- Ask whether anything gives them pause, even when the conversation has gone well. It is the only moment you can answer a doubt before it is discussed without you.
- Put the date they give you into your calendar before you have left the building, along with the name of who to contact.
- Avoid asking how you compare with other candidates. It puts the interviewer in an awkward position, and you are unlikely to get a candid answer.
The follow-up email after an interview
- 1Send it within a day, to each person you met separately if you have their addresses, and keep it under six sentences.
- 2Mention one specific thing from the conversation instead of thanking them for their time in general. It shows you were listening, and it makes the message recognizable when they reread it a week later.
- 3If a concern came up, answer it in two sentences with evidence, then stop. Do not reargue the whole interview.
- 4If you promised something, attach it. A note that arrives with the work sample already in it does more than a paragraph of enthusiasm.
- 5Do not rewrite an answer you fumbled unless the question mattered. Reopening a small slip only draws attention to it.
- 6After a phone interview, write to the person who rang you even if that was a recruiter and not the hiring manager. Ask one thing the call left open, such as the pay range or the written job description, so there is a reason to reply.
Questions to ask yourself that evening
- What did they ask about most? That is a better guide to the job than the posting.
- Which answer would I change, and is it worth two sentences in the follow-up?
- What did I not find out that I would need to know before saying yes?
- Did I walk out more interested or less? Write it down before an offer or a silence rewrites it.
- Which questions caught me out? They are the preparation for the next interview, whoever it is with.
When you hear nothing
- Wait until two working days after the date they gave you, then send one short message to the named contact asking whether there is an update and confirming you are still interested.
- One follow-up, then one more a week later. Beyond that, treat the process as stalled and put your energy elsewhere.
- Silence has many causes that have nothing to do with you: a budget approval, someone on leave, an internal candidate. Do not read a decision into a slow week.
- If you receive another offer, say so plainly and give the real deadline. It gives them a reason to decide now, if they were going to choose you.
- If you are turned down, ask once for feedback, briefly and without arguing. Not everyone is allowed to give it, and the people who do are worth staying in touch with.
When the answer comes
- Thank them for an offer and ask for it in writing before you say anything about the figure. You do not have to answer on the phone.
- Put all your questions about an offer into one message or one call. Five sent together read as care, and five sent a day apart read as cold feet.
- Reply to a rejection within a day or two, in three sentences: thanks, one question, and that you would like to be kept in mind. Then leave it.
- Whatever the outcome, tell the people who gave you a reference what happened. You may need to ask them again.
Common pitfalls
- Asking questions the interviewer already answered, which suggests you stopped listening once you started rehearsing your own list.
- Saving all the practical questions about hours, travel and pay for after an offer, then discovering the job does not work for you.
- Sending a follow-up longer than the conversation called for. Six sentences get read, and six paragraphs get skimmed.
- Chasing daily, or writing to several people at the organization at once. They are likely to compare notes.
- Treating a warm conversation as a commitment. Wait for the written offer before you turn anything else down or resign.