Interview questions: Do you have any questions for us?
Towards the end of a job interview, the hiring manager will likely ask if you have any questions for them. This is a great opportunity to clarify anything you may be unclear about to do with the role, the team or the company. It also shows you’ve given careful consideration to the job.
Asking thoughtful interview questions can help you decide if the company and role are a good fit for you. In this guide, we cover why interviewers ask this question and provide some example answers to give you a starting point.
What the interviewer wants to know
Most hiring managers will expect some end-of-interview queries from you, which is why they give you the opportunity to ask. While this may seem like they’re simply following interview etiquette, it’s also a way to get insight into how serious a candidate you are.
By asking questions such as, ‘How many people are in the team?’, and ‘Can you tell me more about the team’s objectives this year?’, you’re showing you’ve listened to them speak about the role, have done your research, and are genuinely interested in the position. Asking relevant questions also shows your critical-thinking skills in action.
How to prepare for the question
You can ease interview nerves by being well prepared. The more prepared you are, the more confident you’ll feel and the more competent you’ll seem to the hiring manager. Here are some tips to help you come up with good questions for the interviewer.
Research the company and role beforehand
It’s good practice to learn about an organisation before heading into a job interview. By taking a look at the company’s website and social media profiles, you get a better understanding of their culture, their size, their competitors and their main objectives. You may be interested to learn more about who you’ll be working with, any company events, or their commitment to training. Write down any questions that come to mind when you do your research.
Review the job description and make notes
Reviewing the job description is always a good idea before an interview. It allows you to brush up on the requirements of the role and become familiar with the essential criteria. It also gives you an opportunity to see if any important information is missing that you’d like to ask about, such as work hours, working location (on site, remote, hybrid, etc.), main day-to-day duties, and how performance is measured. Make notes of anything you’d like to know more about.
Make a list of questions and priorities them
Based on your notes, write down a list of questions about the role and the company, then put them in order of importance. Realistically, there’ll only be time in the interview to ask up to three questions, depending on the seniority of the role, so choose the ones that are most important to you. When you have three top questions, commit them to memory and practice asking them out loud.
