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What to ask interviewer?
What questions would you ask an interviewer when they turn the table over and say "do you have any questions?" What about if you are meeting a panel for a second interview? other than salary and benefits questions.
Brittany Cyran, MPH (she/her)
Customer Success & Public Health Professional
34
08/02/20 at 10:39PM UTC
Great question! I'll definitely be saving this thread as well. Here are some additional questions I like:
- Could you share a recent win or exciting initiative you are working on? (It's fun for people to talk about something they are excited or passionate about.)
- What challenges are top of mind for you right now?
- What does success look like for this role (or team) in 1 year? 2 years?
- What are your expectations for how we will work together?
Judith RohatinerFull Stack Software Engineer, UX UI
18
07/31/20 at 7:48PM UTC
It's very hard to ask relevant questions when your on the spot like that. Great idea to have a few prepared. Here are my gotos:
General
How is my expertise relevant to this team? What unique value do you think I can add?
How do you evaluate new technologies? Who makes the final decisions?
Product
Tell me about the main products I would be working on please.
What is your team's biggest challenge right now?
Culture
What was something you wish someone would have told you before you joined?
Technical
How would you describe your engineering culture?
What is your stack? What is the rationale for/story behind this specific stack?
What resources does the company have for new hires to study its product and processes? Are there specifications, requirements, documentation?
Hope this helps!
JuliaJust a girl trying to find her purpose in life!
376
07/30/20 at 5:15PM UTC
So a few good ones that I like are:
-What are the key responsibilities for this role? What does the typical day look like while in this position?
-Is it possible to move up in this company from this role?
-Who will I be working most closely with while in this role? Who will I be reporting to?
-What's the most challenging part of this role?
And I like to close it out with a more personal question:
-What's your favorite part about working for this company?
This lets them know you are interested in more than just your potential role. It'll also be a good indicator of whether or not they talk excitedly about their position and the company.
These are my go-to questions! You probably don't want to ask NO questions; however, don't ask questions that were already answered either. Show them you're paying attention.
Good luck with any potential interviews!!! :)
Emily Hirsch Katz
32
07/29/20 at 2:47PM UTC
These are all great questions. An interview is just a conversation to see if you are a good fit (for both parties!) I would add "What do you expect from the person in this role in the first 30/60/90 days?"
Gwyn GaubatzUser-Obsessed Product Manager
45
07/28/20 at 11:24PM UTC
I love this thread! So many great questions outlined above. Some of my go-tos:
What does an average day (or week) look like for you? How do you spend the majority of your time - focused work, emails, meetings, etc.? What does an exceptional day (or week) look like?
What systems and apps do you use personally or company-wide that are critical to your day-to-day?
Who are the key stakeholders you work with on a regular basis? On a less frequent basis?
How do other stakeholders/orgs view this role/team (e.g., as a roadblock, ally, leader)?
Can you describe the relationship between and ? How does this team collaborate with other cross-functional orgs?
How strongly defined is the hierarchy any/or functional silos? Is it easy or difficult to connect with skip-levels and/or connect directly with peers in other organizations (as opposed to going through management)?
How does the company measure performance on an annual basis? Company-wide and individual?
When and how is feedback provided, and by whom? Is feedback one directional or reciprocal? Chain of command or 360/cross-functional?
In addition to performance feedback, what do review cycles and feedback for design, project, and document iteration look like, and how are they handled?
How does the company define and celebrate successes?
How does the company define and respond to failure? What is the general focus when problems arise (e.g., finding a solution, identifying cause, allocating (or avoiding) blame)?
What have you observed to be the primary causes of conflict between individuals/teams/orgs within the company, and how are conflicts typically resolved?
Can you tell me about the last "crisis" that you had to deal with? How did it surface/escalate, what made it a "crisis," how was it dealt with, and what was the fallout? What was the client/organizational response to the resolution?
How did your company respond to the coronavirus public health crisis?
What is the ratio of men to women in leadership roles within the company (i.e., depending on how stratified titles are, director and/or VP and above)?
(to a woman) Do you feel you have an equal seat at the table as compared to men in a similar role?
(to a woman) Do you feel respected and trusted when making contributions or decisions to the same degree as men contributing in a similar role?
Also, think about any aspects of your current/previous jobs that you really appreciated OR really found toxic, and draft questions to suss out those aspects of a prospective employer. If you are changing jobs to a similar or related role, think critically about how your functional role operates within the team and the company at large, and ask questions to help identify similarities/differences to your own experience re: org structure, management style, processes, functional orientation (e.g., technical vs. strategic vs. other), the pace of the business, and expectations and growth opportunities for the role.
The more focused your questions are, the more you will appear engaged and thoughtful about the realities of the job opportunity, and demonstrate that you are actively trying to understand what your future with that company can (will!) look like.
Soyoung ChoiSeasoned career woman with CS, IT and Stat
55
07/28/20 at 8:38PM UTC
I always ask if they offer training and what the expectation for this position 5 years from now on and how they can help the person to grow. that is just a few to start but it is really depending on where your interview is at though.
Julie Chatman, MBA CISMCybersecurity Strategy & Transformation
500
07/24/20 at 3:14AM UTC
This question helps me assess what the work environment is like: What do you enjoy about working here?
This is an important parting question: I want to make sure I've answered all of your questions because I am very interested in working with this company/org/group. Do you think I'm a good fit for this role?
Lady PeleRetired Project Manager
3.96k
07/23/20 at 12:16PM UTC
Some of the questions that I like to ask:
What will the first deliverable be for the new hire?
What defines success for this role/new hire?
What teams/areas interact with this role?
What is the most important contribution this role should make to the team/department?
How are expectations defined and measured?
Anonymous
07/22/20 at 8:09PM UTC
Thank you all. Great questions. I appreciate your help.
Steph McDonaldRecruiter doing cool things at Zapier
299
07/22/20 at 6:53PM UTC
What concerns do you have about my background and experience with regard to this role?
This gives you an opportunity to reconfirm your fit and also shows you aren't afraid of feedback.
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