Questions to Ask in an Interview as an Interviewee for Competitive Edge & Astonishing First Impression

There are so many questions to ask in an interview, but the key lies in asking the right questions in the right quantity! You must know how to proceed so that it doesn’t offend the interviewer and maximizes your chance of getting selected. That is what you will learn in this inclusive and up-to-date article.

Based on important labels, many questions are categorized below for ease of navigation and implementation. Use questions that resonate most with you and leave what you feel can be skipped without any consequences. 

Why Asking Questions in an Interview Matters

Having a list of questions to ask in an interview helps you demonstrate your interest in the job and assess the culture of the company. You can better clarify job expectations as well, additionally creating your image as a proactive employee. 

• Demonstrate your interest: That shows that you have done your research well. It puts you across the table as a responsible person. People who ask their interviewer questions have a higher chance of getting selected. However, those questions must be relevant and to the point. 
• Assess company culture: Asking questions helps you learn about the prevailing culture of the company. That, in turn, lets you know if you would like to work with the company and its people or not. 
• Clarify job expectations: In asking your questions, if you don’t get satisfactory answers, that means the company might not be able to stand up to your expectations. If you come to learn about it after the selection, you will have to quit later, suffering from immense botheration. Thus, it is a better choice to ask questions at the time of the interview itself. 
• Shows your proactive approach: Only well-prepared and responsible human beings ask questions before making big decisions in life. Thus, if you have questions to ask interviewer, that will portray you as a proactive person before the person taking your interview.   

Along with the questions, if you want to increase your chance of getting the job, also learn how to write a cover letter for an internship. That will provide you with an additional edge. 

Questions to Ask About the Role

If you need good questions to ask at interview as interviewee about the role, consider the following set. The table shows key questions regarding skills, responsibilities, idealness of the candidature, experience level, challenges involved, budget, etc. 

Questions to Ask in an Interview About the Role
1.	What does my typical day or week look like in this role if I get selected?
2.	What are the most immediate projects that need my attention instantly?
3.	Can you please show me by example what projects I’d be working on?
4.	What kind of candidate do you see as ideal and would like to work with or have in your company?
5.	What kind of skills and experience do you want in your candidate?
6.	What qualities does someone need to have in order to be successful in this position, according to you?
7.	What types of skills do you want to add to your team to achieve the desired level of productivity?
8.	What are the biggest problems or challenges that someone in this position would face?
9.	May I know about the budget that I will have to work with?
10.	Is this a new role, or will I be taking the position that someone is leaving soon?
11.	Do you expect any fluctuations in the main responsibilities for someone working under this role in the next 6 months?

Careerzeno Handy tip: Along with preparing your questions, you must also have good resume skills as well to stand out from the competition.

Careerzeno Guidance: These are model questions as provided in the table above or below. You can modify these as per your specific needs and requirements. 

You can also implement the following strategy for learning more about the company you want to join, rather than just going through its website! The screenshot below is a thread from the original poster r/askmanagers on Reddit. 

Now, let’s move towards questions about the team and company culture. 

Questions to Ask About the Team and Company Culture

The major good questions to ask in an interview regarding the team and company culture are summarized in the tables below. These touch upon the team you will work with after selection, reporting heads, the nature of the daily report, expectations from the new hire, etc. 

A. Questions to Ask in an Interview About the Team
1.	May I be allowed to know about the team I might be working with?
2.	Who will I be working with most closely in particular?
3.	Who do I need to report to directly for the daily work completed by EOD?
4.	May I be allowed to know about the components of my direct report at this moment?
5.	What do you want from a candidate to add to the existing team? What qualities are you looking for?
6.	What are the team’s biggest strengths and challenges in your opinion that I might need to work under?
7.	What is the size of the team I will have to work with?
8.	Am I the only addition to the team, or will there be more hires after me?
9.	Will the team I work with after selection operate independently or in coordination with other departments?

B. Questions to Ask in an Interview About the Company Culture
1.	Should I expect work culture to be more collaborative or independent here?  Or Will I have to work completely independently after selection, or will there be guidance from seniors?
2.	How does the team form and maintain interpersonal relationships to work as an integral unit?
3.	May I know about the last company event the team members had together for bonding?
4.	What kind of group activities are allowed among employees in this company?
5.	Can you pls tell me about the last company event you did together with the team?
6.	Does the team lunch together?
7.	What do you and the team usually do for lunch?
8.	Do the employees here have separate fun times together besides working hours or weekly?
9.	Does the company allow joint events among different departments to facilitate inter-departmental collaborations?
10.	Does the company allow for annual paid trips together?

Careerzeno Guidance: You can also add your own questions to this list here. And make sure that no important aspect is skipped at the critical moments of the interview!

Questions to Ask About Growth and Career Development

All the questions to ask during interview regarding career development must contain all the key factors. They should revolve around the onboarding process, professional development opportunities, availability of stretch assignments, chances for upskilling, etc. Consider the table below for key questions in this category.  

Questions to Ask in an Interview About Growth & Career Development
1.	May I know what the onboarding process looks like here?
2.	What are the learning and professional development opportunities available to employees working here?
3.	Will there be stretch assignments for upskilling at the practical level?
4.	Are there opportunities available for advancement within the team I will be working with?
5.	Will I get to represent the company at conferences suitable for my level?
6.	May I know, by example of a previous employee, how much one can progress over time in this position?
7.	How do you want to see a new hire perform within 30, 60, and 90 days after selection and successful joining?
8.	How does the company reward a new hire who has been delivering stellar performance for the past 12 months?
9.	What is the performance review process of this company?
10.	What metrics or goals will my performance be evaluated against for career progression opportunities?

Note: These questions will boost your impression before the interviewer if your resume highlights stellar career growth and achievements in the past as part of the workforce!

Questions to Ask at Different Interview Stages 

If you are scheduled to go through a three-stage interview process, it is normal to feel what questions to ask in an interview! Your questions must be to-the-point and relevant to save time and frustration for the interviewer. Certain key queries you can add to your list of questions for a phone interview, first interview, and second interview are provided below. 

1. Phone Interview 

This is the primary stage in the interview process. At this level, the questions one should ask have to be related to joining urgency, qualities being sought, salary range, work schedule, and more, as provided below. 

Questions to Ask in an Interview at Telephonic Stage
1.	How early do you want an ideal candidate to start in this position?
2.	What qualities are you looking for in someone in this particular role?
3.	What is the range of the salary that you are offering in this position?
4.	What is the work schedule for this job? Is it rigid or flexible?
5.	Do you offer work from home if required?
6.	(For a contractual job) Is there any potential for this job to become permanent or full-time?  Or Do you also offer a full-time opportunity in this position?
7.	Do you want me to elaborate on my skills more specifically for this role?
8.	What are the steps ahead as part of the interview process?
9.	When should I expect to hear back from you?

Note: If you are new to a long, multi-staged interview process, do thorough research about it in advance. You will find ample phone interview tips on the internet from valid sources.

2. First Interview 

During the first interview, your questions should shift towards a more serious tone. You must ask about your key responsibilities, assessment procedures, qualities needed for success, upskilling opportunities, etc.  

Questions to Ask in an Interview at First Interview
1.	How would you describe the responsibilities of this role?
2.	What are the goals and targets that I need to periodically accomplish? Will those goals be created by the seniors without me?
3.	What is going to be the review process with respect to my performance? At what intervals will that take place, for example, yearly, monthly, or weekly?
4.	What qualities do you think are important to be successful in this role?
5.	Who do I need to report to if I get selected for this position?
6.	Will there be any opportunity to go up the ladder within the hierarchy of the company?
7.	Does the company provide upskilling opportunities if required due to industry-wide technological changes?
8.	What are the next steps in this interview process?
9.	When can I expect to hear back from you this time?

3. Second Interview 

This is mostly the final stage in the interview process. All you need to do is ask questions related to the current goals of the team, the company, the idealness of the candidate, growth opportunities within the company, etc. 

Questions to Ask in an Interview at Second Interview
1.	What are the major goals the team I need to be part of is working on right now?
2.	What are the key goals of the company that all teams need to collectively achieve?
3.	What do you look for in an ideal candidate?
4.	Are there opportunities for growth in this position?
5.	Does the company provide continuous training opportunities?
6.	How long will the probation period be?
7.	How many chances do I stand to be able to complete the probation successfully, according to you, as per my current skill level?
8.	Will there be any further steps in this interview process?

Questions to Avoid Asking in an Interview

You should avoid these questions at all costs because they will make you look incompetent, desperate, immature, and other negative qualities, as provided in the table below.

Interview Questions for Interviewer to Avoid
1.	What does the company do? (Note: That shows that you haven’t done your part of the research well.)
2.	After how much time will I be able to take advantage of paid time off?
3.	Can I take every Monday off during football season? (Note: Or any such type of questions to enhance your leisure time)
4.	How much is the monthly childcare allowance?
5.	Do I have the liberty to dress the way I like?
6.	When can I join the company? (Note: Instead, how early do I need to join the company if I get selected?)
7.	Can you pls tell me if I got selected by EOD because I have so and so to do in the case of non-selection?

Dos and Don’ts When Asking Questions in an Interview

The following table deals with dos and don’ts if you have questions to ask in an interview.  

S.No.	Dos	Don’ts
1.	Ask questions that are basic, relevant, and to the point.	Don’t ask too personal questions about the interviewer.
2.	Say yes when you are asked if you have any questions by the interviewer.	Don’t ask anything that shows that you are desperate to join. It will allow you to bargain optimally later.
3.	Listen to the interviewer carefully. So, it shows that you are genuinely interested in the position available.	Don’t directly ask when they want you to join after the final round of the interview. Ask when you should expect to hear from them.
4.	Only ask questions that you are confident about or related to the substantial research	Don’t research and formulate your questions at the time of the interview.
5.	At the time of the telephonic interview, ask all the basic questions related to working days, daily working shift duration, paid leaves, etc.	Don’t ask anything that can be answered quickly by a simple Google search.

Conclusion

You must have a list of reasonable questions to ask in an interview. That will put you across the table as a responsible and well-informed individual. Most companies appreciate critical thinking in their candidates and employees. 

Thus, preparing interview questions to ask your interviewer is going to be a worthwhile move. However, note that you should only ask as much as concerns the particular role for which you are applying! 

FAQs

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