101 Questions To Ask In An Interview

It is always common to Hear “Do you have any questions for us?” when the interview comes to a completion. Or is it?…

The interview is still on! Now comes the time to ask questions, but asking the right questions will only differentiate you from the pack of others who are also interviewing for the same position.

This is your time to shine, ask the right questions. Below are 101 questions broken up into categories which can come in handy when asking question in an interview.

Remember to take a notebook with you and jot down the answers provided if necessary to show that you are indeed interested in their answers.

Enjoy the list.

24 Questions About The Position

These questions relate specifically to the job that you have applied for. They can range form asking the people interacting with the position or even down to what is required.

1. Can you tell me about the people I will be working with?
2. Who is the manager I would be working for?
3. Why has this position become available?
4. What are the main responsibilities of the position?
5. Can you describe a typical workday or week in this position?
6. What is the typical ratio between employees to managers?
7. How many people will I be working with?
8. Are there any best practices documented for this position?
9. Are there any difficult areas you see within the role where you would like to see more focus and improvement on from the future employee?
10. Does the position require overtime?
11. Is working from home permitted?
12. Does the position require me to travel?
13. Apart of the daily routine for the position how much time goes into meetings compared to work time?
14. Are there opportunities for advancement in this position?

The following questions are not usually asked during an initial interview. The employer may discuss these directly, but often they will not be discussed until after you have been offered a job.

15. What is the pay range for this position?
16. Is there a benefits package?
17. Is there an employee pension plan?
18. How soon would a new employee be eligible for these benefits?
19. How many vacation days are there per year?
20. What is the overtime policy?
21. Are there any emergency or sick days?
22. Are there flexible hours and how do they work here?
23. How long is the typical lunch break here?
24. Is the dress code here formal, semi-formal or casual?

19 Advanced Questions About the Position

The following questions are a bit advanced in where they may need to be focused towards either the hiring manager for the department of which the position is for.

25. What is the most challenging aspect about this position?
26. What skills do you think are most important for this position?
27. What are the characteristics of a over exceeding employee here?
28. How long will training last before one starts the work for the position?
29. What are the things in the past you liked to see achieved within this position but didn’t?
30. Can you tell me about the training process for this position?
31. How long has an employee stayed in the similar position I am applying for?
32. What do you see as the most important areas to focus on in my area?
33. Can you describe some successes of people who had this job before me?
34. Can you describe some difficulties people had within this position prior to when it was open?
35. Can you describe some of the challenges faced by people who had this job before me?
36. Are there any social programs within the organization to promote communication?
37. Is there a possibility for this role to change into another depending on future requirements or are the responsibilities set in stone at the moment?
38. Is the original person who had this position available to speak to? Are they still with the organization?
39. Would you consider the timelines for duties in this position to be aggressive?

When the job position is new within the company, you might ask:

40. Can you tell me what led the company to decide to create this new position?
41. Is this new position a combination of different positions or just one?
42. How are goals for this position measured?

22 Questions to ask the Hiring Manager

These are questions to ask your future manager or department head who is directly involved in the decision to hire you. Sometimes there may be an individual working within the department itself.

43. Is seniority based on how much time one invests into the role or the work produced from it?
44. How many people work in this office or department?
45. Can you tell me about the management style of the company?
46. What are the major challenges you currently face as manager?
47. How would you describe the ideal candidate for this position?
48. How does this department fit into the company’s five-year plan?
49. Why did you choose to work with this company or organization?
50. What kind of management style do you have?
51. What are your goals or vision for this department?
52. How do people in the department communicate with each other?
53. How do you usually communicate with department members?
54. Do you as a manager encourage further education and professional development?
55. Do you appreciate initiatives by the future employee?
56. How would you work with a department member to promote and help him/her achieve their goal?
57. Is the department atmosphere formal or informal?
58. Are there any regular check-ins or update meetings?
59. How do you manage your time?
60. How do you manage you department member’s time?
61. How are you evaluated by the company?
62. How do you keep it challenging for the employees within the department?
63. Do you admire a more process oriented approach to performing tasks or do you like to leave it up to the employee?
64. What have been the department’s greatest successes within the past two years?

26 Questions About The Company

These are questions about the company culture, organization and management. HR and or the hiring manager would also be able to answer these questions if used.

65. How would you describe the company culture?
66. How many offices are there for this organization?
67. What is your company’s biggest challenge?
68. What are the company’s goals for the next 5 years?
69. What are the new products or services the organization is currently working on?
70. How much growth has the company experienced within the previous year?
71. How does this company measure success?
72. How does the company evaluate employee performance?
73. How does the company encourage employees to balance their work and personal lives?
74. How does this company encourage diversity?
75. Can you tell me about the company’s mission statement?
76. Does the company support training and professional development?
77. Is the organization open to suggestions and feedback from their employees?
78. How is the communication between separate departments bridged between employees?
79. Are there any peer to peer evaluations?
80. Are there any peer to peer training programs arranged and if so how are they managed?
81. How is the organization structured?
82. What do you consider the organization’s biggest assets are?
83. Is the organization a privately held company and if so why?
84. How long has the organization been situated at this location?
85. How does the organization market its products/services?
86. Does the organization hire from outside first or from within?
87. Who would you say your biggest competitors are and how does this organization compare?
88. Is it possible to go through the company’s business model?
89. Who is your main competition?
90. What makes you better than your competitors?

11 General HR Questions

The following questions are broad enough to ask HR of which would be able to answer these with enough details.

91. What do you like about working here?
92. What do you find challenging about working here?
93. When do you hope to make your decision?
94. When should I expect to hear from you?
95. What is expected in the next interview if there is one?
96. Does the role encourage a focused area to work in or a collaborative environment?
97. Are there any professional development plans ready for employees to follow?
98. Are there any educational plans created for employees to follow in order to increase knowledge within the role?
99. Are there career paths defined for employees in order to understand where they can end up?
100. Have there been any layoffs in the past two years?
101. Do you foresee any layoffs in the new future?

These are 101 questions you can ask during an interview or when given the chance to. It is always important to remember to ask the right questions in an interview. No matter if you are told that the interview is over, always remember that you can still be judged by the questions you ask your future employer.