Questions to Ask at an Informal Interview
For a job seeker invited to an informal chat, a coffee or a lunch about a role, with the hiring manager or a future colleague, where it is not always clear whether a job exists yet or whether the meeting counts. The questions follow the conversation: what this meeting is, the work, the team, what they are looking for and what happens next. The guide covers how relaxed to be and what to hold for the formal round, such as pay and offers.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
This meeting
Is there an open position behind this conversation, or are you still working out what the team needs?
Why ask it
There are three possible answers: a posted job, a job being shaped, or no job yet and a wish to know who is out there. Each one changes what the rest of the chat is for. If nothing is open, ask what would have to happen for a role to exist, and treat the meeting as a long introduction.
Where does today's chat sit in your hiring process?
Why ask it
Some employers count an informal chat as the first round and some hold it before any process has begun. If it counts, you are being assessed now, however relaxed the setting. Either way the answer tells you how much weight to put on the next hour, so ask in the first few minutes.
What made you want to meet me in particular?
Why ask it
A referral, a line on your resume or something you posted: whichever it was, that is what they already believe about you, so build on it. A vague reply along the lines of 'we are meeting a few people' suggests a wide net, and you will have more to prove.
How would you like to use the time: should I start with my background, or would you rather tell me about the role first?
Why ask it
Asking lets your host set how formal this is going to be, and saves you from launching into a pitch nobody asked for. A host who says 'just a chat' wants your summary in a couple of minutes, not ten.
Who else has a say in this hire, and would I meet them later?
Why ask it
The person buying the coffee may be the decision maker, or may be scouting for someone who is. A named manager and a rough order of meetings is a good sign. Not knowing who decides usually means the hire is at an early stage, so pace your expectations to match.
Has the role been signed off and budgeted, or is that still to come?
Why ask it
Ask it lightly, as a planning question. A role without approval can take months or never appear, and the person across the table may not control that. It is no reason to walk away, but it is a reason to keep your other applications moving.
Are you having conversations like this one with other people too?
Why ask it
The number tells you whether this is a search or a one-off meeting with you. Do not push for names or for where you rank. If you are the only one, ask what they would need to see to move ahead without a wider search.
I have not told my current employer I am looking. Can this stay between us for now?
Why ask it
Skip it if you are not working or your search is public. Otherwise say it early, because informal meetings often come about through mutual contacts, and news travels the same way. A host who hesitates is telling you to be careful what you share.
The work
What would the person in this role spend most of a normal week doing?
Why ask it
Let them talk, and listen for the split between the work in the title and everything around it, such as reporting, meetings and chasing people. A posting rarely gives you that ratio. A host who cannot describe a week is probably still defining the role.
What has changed that makes you need someone now?
Why ask it
Growth, a departure, a new client or a project that outgrew the team each point to a different kind of job. Growth and new business usually come with some patience. A sudden departure can mean a backlog is waiting, so ask what state the work was left in.
What is the company trying to do over the next year or two that this hire is part of?
Why ask it
A new product, a second site or simply more of the same clients: the answer shows whether the job belongs to a plan or fills a seat. Leave alone anything your host calls confidential. What they do share is worth bringing up again in a formal round, where it shows you were listening.
Who has been covering this work until now?
Why ask it
The answer is your handover. If one named person has been doing it on top of their own job, you would have someone to learn from and a relieved colleague. If it has been shared around or left undone, expect to spend the first weeks finding out what exists.
What would you want this person to have done by the end of their first six months?
Why ask it
Concrete results, such as a project delivered or a set of accounts taken over, mean they have thought about the hire. 'Settled in' with nothing behind it deserves one follow-up: what would tell them it had gone well? Keep a note of the answer for any later interview.
What is the hard part of this job that would never make it into a posting?
Why ask it
People say things across a cafe table that they would not write in an advertisement, which is the advantage of this format. A demanding client, a messy system or a tight budget are all workable if you know in advance. Be wary only when you are told there is no hard part at all.
Where has this job led for the people who did it before?
Why ask it
An example carries more than a promise: someone who moved up, moved across or left for a bigger job elsewhere. In a brand-new role there is no history, so ask what your host imagines it turning into. Keep it to one question at this stage, or it can sound as though you are already looking past the job.
Is there a written job description yet, and could you send it to me?
Why ask it
Informal meetings often happen before anything is on paper. A document you can read at home lets you prepare properly for a formal round and compare what was said over coffee with what was written down. If none exists, ask whether today's conversation will feed into it.
How settled is the job at this point: could it still change depending on who you meet?
Why ask it
A job talked about before it is advertised can sometimes still be bent. Listen for which parts they call fixed and which they describe loosely, then mention one area where you would bring more than they asked for. Do not try to redesign the job over coffee.
Which tools, systems or clients would I be dealing with day to day?
Why ask it
This is a practical question that also lets you mention what you already know. Name your experience with anything they list, briefly, and be honest about what would be new. If the list is long and unfamiliar, ask how much time a newcomer gets to learn it.
Is the role permanent, a fixed-term contract or something still to be decided?
Why ask it
What each arrangement means for hours, benefits and notice differs by employer and by where you live, so ask how it works there and do not assume. 'Undecided' often means the form of the job depends on budget, which is worth knowing before you invest in more rounds.
Would I be on site every day, and how fixed are the hours?
Why ask it
Ask about the arrangement as this team practices it, since written policy and habit can differ. If the answer would rule the job out for you, it is kinder to both sides to learn that over coffee than at the offer stage. Leave any request for an exception until later.
What does the busiest stretch of the year look like in this job?
Why ask it
Every job has a season: month end, a launch, the holidays, exam time. When it falls and how long it lasts show what the workload peaks at. A good answer includes how the team gets through it. 'It is always busy' calls for a follow-up on how people manage to take time off.
The team
Who would I report to, and is that you?
Why ask it
In a formal interview the reporting line is usually stated. In a casual meeting it can go unsaid for an hour. If your host is the manager, the chat doubles as a look at your future boss. If it is someone else, ask when you would meet them, because you should not go far without it.
How big is the team, and who would I be working with most?
Why ask it
Names and roles show how well your host knows the team and where your job would sit in it. Listen for whether you would have peers doing similar work or be the only one. A lone specialist gets more freedom, and has nobody down the corridor to try an idea on.
What is the team in the middle of at the moment?
Why ask it
You learn what you would be walking into, and you get material for a formal round: mention the project by name and say where you could help. If the answer is a crisis or a deadline, ask whether the hire is meant to relieve it or will arrive after it.
How has the team changed over the past year?
Why ask it
Growth, departures and reorganizations all show up here without your having to ask about turnover directly. Several exits in a short time deserve one gentle follow-up about where people went. A team that has not changed at all can mean stability or no room to move up.
What is it like to work here that I would not pick up from the website?
Why ask it
This is the culture question without the word, which tends to bring out 'collaborative' and 'fast-paced'. A useful answer is a small true detail: who eats lunch together, how late the emails come, what happens when someone gets something wrong. If all you get is slogans from someone who works there every day, notice that.
What brought you to the company, and what has kept you there?
Why ask it
It gives your host a turn to talk about themselves, which an informal meeting needs. Compare the two halves: if what drew them in is still what keeps them, the place has lived up to its pitch. A long pause followed by 'the people' is polite filler, so ask what the people are like.
What kind of person tends to do well on this team, and who has found it hard?
Why ask it
The second half is the useful one. If those who struggled wanted more structure, more guidance or quieter days, check whether that describes you. Treat it as one person's view until someone else on the team says the same.
What is the manager like to work for?
Why ask it
One for a future colleague, never for the manager in person. Listen for detail, such as how quickly they reply or what they are like when a deadline slips, more than for the verdict. Do not fish for complaints: a peer who has just met you will answer carefully, and what they choose to praise is the real information.
Could I meet one or two people from the team before anything formal?
Why ask it
An informal stage is the easiest time to ask, because nobody has a set process to protect yet. A yes gives you a second view of the job. A no is not a bad sign in itself, since some employers keep a hire confidential, so ask whether it would be possible later.
What they want
What are you looking for in the person you hire?
Why ask it
Put it early enough that you can use the answer. Hosts usually name two or three things, and the first one out tends to matter most. Match one of them to something you have done before the coffee is finished, in a sentence or two, without turning it into a speech.
What kind of background did you picture when you first thought about this hire?
Why ask it
Their picture may be a certain industry, a number of years or a type of employer, and you are being measured against it whether or not it is said aloud. Where you differ from it, name the difference yourself and say what you bring in its place.
From what you know of me so far, where do you see a fit and where do you see a gap?
Why ask it
It is easier to ask over coffee than across an interview desk, and the answer may be the most useful thing you take home. If they name a gap, give one short example that speaks to it and move on, since arguing the point costs more than the gap does. A host who sees no gaps can still tell you what a formal interviewer would be likely to probe.
Which part of my experience would be most useful for me to tell you more about?
Why ask it
It keeps you from reciting your whole resume and shows which line on it caught their eye. Tell that one story properly: the problem, what you did and what came of it. When the answer is 'all of it', choose the piece closest to the problem they described earlier.
Is there anything on your wish list that I could learn on the job, or do you need it all from the start?
Why ask it
Where they draw the line shows how much of a stretch they will accept. An employer willing to train is a better bet for a career changer than one who wants someone fully formed. Be honest about which side of the line you fall on, since it will come out in a formal round anyway.
What would make someone the wrong person for this, even with the right resume?
Why ask it
Hosts tend to answer with a story about a hire that did not work, and the trait they describe is one they are quietly checking you for. If it is something like needing a lot of direction or disliking client contact, think honestly before you say it is not you.
Would it help if I sent you some examples of my work after this?
Why ask it
A sample turns a pleasant conversation into evidence, and offering it gives you a reason to write the next day. Ask what kind would be most useful, and send one or two pieces, not a folder. Take out anything confidential to a past employer first.
Is there anything practical on my side, such as my notice period or a move, that you would want to know now?
Why ask it
Practical obstacles are better raised by you than discovered later. State the fact plainly and ask whether it is a problem. How much notice you owe and whether relocation or remote work is possible depend on your contract and their policy, so check both before you promise a date.
Next steps
If we both want to keep talking, what would the next step be?
Why ask it
Ask while you are still at the table, not on the sidewalk outside. A good answer has an action and an owner: 'I will speak to HR and email you by Friday.' If it is 'let's stay in touch', ask who you should check in with and when, and put that date in your calendar.
What does the formal interview stage involve, and who runs it?
Why ask it
Knowing whether a panel, a task or a presentation lies ahead lets you prepare, and shows you take the role seriously. Processes differ widely between employers, so do not assume this one matches your last. If they have not designed it yet, the hire is earlier than it sounded.
Should I also apply through the posting, or will you pass my details on yourself?
Why ask it
Some employers need an application on file whoever recommends you, and it is an easy step to miss after a friendly chat. Ask how it works there. If your host offers to forward your resume, send it the same day with a short note they can paste straight into an email.
When do you hope to have someone in the role?
Why ask it
The date shows how urgent the hire is and whether your own timing could work. 'Yesterday' suggests a fast process and a busy first month. 'Sometime next quarter' means there is no rush on their side, so do not turn down other interviews while you wait.
Is there anything you would like me to prepare or think about before we speak again?
Why ask it
It signals that you expect a second conversation without presuming one. Some hosts will name a topic or ask for a portfolio, in which case do exactly that and no more. When there is nothing, spend the time on the problem they described today.
At what stage do you usually talk about pay, so I can raise it at the right time?
Why ask it
This asks about the process and not the number, which is as far as an informal meeting should go. If your host volunteers a range, thank them, write it down and do not negotiate over coffee. Whether and when employers share ranges varies by place and by company, so ask how they handle it.
If this particular role is not the right one, is there another team I should be talking to?
Why ask it
Hold it until late, and use it only if the chat has shown a mismatch. Asked too early, it sounds as if you have given up on the job in front of you. A host who names another manager has just given you a referral, so ask whether you may use their name.
What have I not asked that would help me decide whether to go for this?
Why ask it
Hosts sometimes save the awkward detail, such as travel, a reorganization or a boss who is leaving, for a moment like this. Ask it, then drink your coffee and wait. Whatever comes out is worth raising again in a formal round.
May I stay in touch if nothing comes of this right away?
Why ask it
Plenty of informal chats end with no role and a good impression, and that is still worth having. A yes gives you permission to write when you see a posting or have news of your own. Keep it to a short message every few months, each with a reason for writing.
How to handle an informal interview
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you go
Treat it as an interview in a relaxed setting
An informal interview is still a meeting about a job, and your host will form a view of you whatever it is called. Prepare as you would for a first round: read about the employer, know your own story and have two or three examples ready. The difference is in the delivery. You are having a conversation, so nothing should sound rehearsed.
Find out what you can in advance
When the invitation arrives, it is fine to ask who you will be meeting, roughly how long they have and whether there is a role description you could read first. The reply often shows how formal the meeting will be. If it shows nothing, the first two questions under This meeting will.
Dress one step up from the setting
A cafe does not call for a suit unless the industry does. Aim for what people at that employer wear on a day they have a meeting, and if you cannot tell, ask whoever set it up. Bring a copy of your resume and a notebook, and leave them in your bag unless they are needed.
Choose six or seven questions
The whole list will not fit into one coffee. Take one or two from each group, put the ones under This meeting first and keep the rest in reserve. If the chat is with a future colleague and not the manager, lean on The work and The team, and save What they want for whoever decides.
During the chat
Let your host set the tone
Follow their lead on small talk, pace and how soon the job comes up. If they spend ten minutes on the weekend, do not steer back to business. If they open with 'so, tell me about yourself', it is an interview in all but name, and your answers should be as considered as they would be in an office.
Coffee and lunch manners
Arrive a few minutes early and find a table where you can hear each other. Order something simple that you can eat or drink while talking, at about the price of what your host chooses. If they offer to pay, accept and thank them. If they do not, pay your share without comment. Keep your phone out of sight.
Ask and answer in turn
A good informal interview is close to an even exchange. If you have asked three questions in a row, offer something about yourself that connects to the last answer. If you have been talking for several minutes, stop and ask one. How the conversation felt is part of what your host takes away.
Be relaxed, not careless
Friendly settings invite candor, and that cuts both ways. Do not criticize your current employer, share anything confidential or make a joke you would not make in an office. Your host may be asked afterwards what you were like, so assume anything you say can travel.
What to hold for the formal round
Pay and benefits
Asking what the job pays over a first coffee can make the money look more important to you than the work, and your host may not know the figure anyway. Ask when pay is usually discussed, as in the Next steps group, and leave it there. Customs and rules about sharing pay ranges differ from place to place, so if you need the range early, ask how they handle it.
If they ask what you are looking for
Sometimes the host raises money first. You do not have to name a number on the spot. It is reasonable to say you would like to understand the role fully before discussing pay, and to ask whether there is a range for it. If you do give a figure, make it one you have looked up for that kind of job in that area.
Offers, start dates and conditions
Do not ask whether you have the job, and do not set hours, title or working from home as conditions. Ask how things work on the team and note the answers. Negotiation belongs after an offer, with whoever is authorized to make one.
If they offer you the job on the spot
It can happen, especially where the person across the table owns the decision. Thank them, say you are very interested, and ask for the offer in writing with the details and a few days to consider it. It is reasonable to ask everything you would have asked in a formal round before you accept.
Afterwards
Write the same day
Send a short thank-you message that mentions one thing you learned and one way you could help with it. If you promised a resume, a work sample or an introduction, attach it to that message so it does not become a separate chore.
Write down what was said
Within the hour, note what the role is, who decides, what they are looking for and what the next step was. Informal meetings leave no paper trail, and a formal interviewer may ask what you already know. Your notes are also how you will compare this job with others.
Keep your search going
A warm coffee is not an offer, and a role that is not yet approved may never open. Carry on with your other applications until something is in writing. If another employer makes you an offer in the meantime, it is fair to let your host know that your timing has changed.
If you hear nothing
Wait until the date they gave you, or about a week if they gave none, then send one brief message asking whether there is any news and restating your interest. If that goes unanswered, send a final friendly note that leaves the door open, and move on.