Finish Strong! Best Tips for Asking Questions at the End of Your Job Interview

Job Interviews are all about the questions you’re asked and how you answer them, and once you've answered your last question, you've reached the finish line, right? Actually – wrong! An important part of your job interview is often overlooked, but it can be a key to closing your interview strong and getting that job offer.

What is this? It’s the questions YOU ask your interviewers! It is very typical at the end of the interview for the interviewer to ask you, “do you have any questions for me?” This is not the time to be shy or try to wrap up your interview. This is the time to focus on two goals: first, you have the chance to ask questions that will help you determine if this job and this company could indeed be a fit for you and your needs. Your second goal is to use the chance to ask questions as one more opportunity to show how you are the ideal candidate for the job.

To do this, follow three steps:

1)      Personalize your questions. Before your interview, do research on who is interviewing you and their position(s) in the company. Learn what you can about the company itself, the division you’d be working in, and the role you’re applying for. This will help tailor your questions for this specific job, company, and most importantly, interviewer(s).

 

2)     Prepare 6 – 10 questions prior to your interview. Based on your knowledge of the job, company, industry, interviewers, and own career experience, you are probably already thinking of some questions you’d like to ask. Think of questions that will help you achieve both goals we already mentioned. Write your questions down in order of most importance! Chances are, there won’t be enough time to ask all of them.

 

3)     Reference your conversation. During the first part of the interview, you most likely chatted about different projects, the environment, questions, or resources for this job and company. Your interviewers may have mentioned a project, or some industry economics, etc. You are allowed to take (brief) notes if you realize you have a follow up question you’d like to ask later. Just write down these quick follow up questions on the paper with your prepared questions. This will help you add in some specific questions that will help get your answers, and also demonstrate to your interviewers that you were interested and engaged.

So, what types of questions will help you gauge the fit of this job and company with your needs and career aspirations, and help showcase what an amazing candidate you are? Here is a long list of question ideas to help you get started.

Sample Questions to Ask at the End of a Job Interview

Questions about the specific job

- What are your expectations for me in this role?

- What’s the most important thing I should accomplish in the first 90 days?

- What’s the performance review process like here? How often would I be formally reviewed?

- What are the metrics or goals that my work will be evaluated with?

- What are the most immediate projects that I would take on?

Questions about the team

- What types of skills is the team missing that you’re looking to fill with a new hire?

- What are the biggest challenges that I might face in this position?

- How do you see the responsibilities of this role changing within the next 6 months or year?

- Can you tell me more about the team I’ll be working with?

- Who will I work with most closely? What other departments or units will I interact with?

Questions for your potential boss

If the interviewer is your boss, you want to ask questions along these lines as well.

- How long have you been at the company?

- How long have you been a manager?

- What’s your favorite part of working here?

Questions about the company

Note: Don’t ask things that you can easily find with a quick Google search.

- What are the current goals that the company is focused on, and how does this team work to support hitting those goals?

- What gets you most excited about the company’s future?

- How would you describe the company’s values?

- How has the company changed over the last few years?

- What are the company’s plans for growth and development?

Questions about the culture

- How do you typically onboard employees?

- How do you engage employees who work remotely?

- What do new employees typically find surprising after they start?

- What’s your favorite office tradition?

- What’s different about working here than anywhere else you’ve worked?

- How has the company changed since you joined?

For many of these questions, you may have a fantastic response! For example, if you ask, “What types of skills is the team missing that you’re looking to fill with a new hire?” think of how you can show you bring some of the skills they mentioned! So, if they mention, “we have a strong group of big-picture thinkers, but we are lacking someone who is laser-focused on details,” and you know you are detail-oriented, now is your chance to show it! For example, “I certainly appreciate people who can think big-picture! It is great to know you’re hoping for someone detail-oriented because that is one of my strengths – I even scored a 9/10 in this category during my last formal review.”

 

As with any part of preparing for your job interview, practice! Practice asking these questions and tailoring them to your interviewers. Make sure you know they help you reach the goal of either understanding the job and company better, or showcasing your candidacy – or both! Only then, can you celebrate an interview victory!