93 Questions to Ask in an Interview That Will Actually Tell You About the Job

We spend a lot of time preparing for the question we might get asked in an interview, but we can't forget to come ready with the questions we should be asking...

The interview belongs to you just as much as it belongs to your potential employer, so go in prepared to ask tough questions that provide a thorough understanding of the job, the company, your potential boss and coworkers, and where this job could take you in the future.

You won’t be able to ask everything on this list, nor will you need to, but this list of questions to ask in an interview will get you started.

Questions to ask early in the interview process

1. Is this a new role? If not, why did the last person leave? If so, why was this role created?

2. What would a normal workday look like for this new hire?

3. Why is this a great place to work? / Why should I work here?

4. How big is the company?

5. How big is the team/department?

6. How long have you been looking to fill this position?

7. Who is the manager for this position? How long have they been in that role?

8. What do you like about this company?

9. Tell me more about X, Y, or Z, listed in the job description.

Read more: How to Answer, "Do You Want to Tell Us Anything Else About You?" 

Interview questions to ask the recruiter

10. How does the typical interview process work and what is your timeframe?

11. What are the most important qualifications the hiring manager is looking for?

12. Tell me about the hiring manager.

13. What is something the hiring manager is really good at? Where could they improve?

14. Tell me more about the team I might be working with.

15. What’s turnover like at the company?

16. Why do you think I’m a strong candidate?

17. Do you have any reservations about my qualifications?

18. How did you find me?

19. How do you typically find candidates?

20. Do you have any advice for me as I begin interviews with the hiring manager and team?

21. Do you have any advice for me about ways I can strengthen my resume or cover letter?

Read more: "Do You Want to Tell Us Anything Else About You?" Answers

Interview questions about the job

22. What is the first project this new hire would take on?

23. What problems do you want this new hire to solve?

24. Where do you imagine the person who takes this role might be in one year? Three? Five?

25. How will you measure the success of the new hire in the first six months? First year?

26. What are the KPIs for this role?

27. What do you believe are some of the most important hard skills this new hire should have?

28. What are some of the most important soft skills this new hire should have?

29. What software/tools/materials will the new hire use?

30. How much travel is required for this job?

31. Will I be expected to lift heavy items?

32. What kind of training would I get before/during this job?

33. How will this new hire work with the team as a whole?

34. Will this new hire work with other departments or teams? What does that look like?

Read more: How to Answer, "Why Are You Looking for a New Job?"

Questions to ask your potential boss at a job interview

35. How might this role expand in the future?

36. What’s the next big project this team will take on?

37. Tell me about the other members of the team.

38. What do you like about the people you work with?

39. How would you describe your leadership style?

40. How often do you do performance reviews?

41. What is your performance review process?

42. How do you like to give feedback to employees?

43. What KPIs are you responsible for? How would this new hire support those?

44. What’s something this company is good at that its competitors are not? Where does the company need to improve?

45. What do you look for in new team members? Not just for this role, but in general.

Read more: Don’t Phone It In: 17 Tips for Nailing Your Phone Interview

Interview questions to ask potential coworkers

46. What do you like / not like about working here?

47. What drew you to this company?

48. What keeps you working here?

49. How will you work with the person hired for this job?

50. How would you describe the manager’s/boss’s/CEO’s leadership style?

51. Do you feel comfortable raising concerns to your boss? To HR?

52. Do you feel like your time outside work is respected?

53. Do you feel your roles outside work are as respected as your role as a professional?

54. Are you able to work from home when you need to?

55. Do you spend time with coworkers outside work?

56. Do you feel expectations for tasks and overall job performance are clear?

57. Do you feel like you’re valued here?

58. Do you feel like you’re treated equally?

59. Do you feel the boss respects your opinion?

60. How does the boss deliver feedback?

61. How would you describe the company culture?

62. What would you change about the company if you could?

63. What is something this team does really well?

64. What is something this team needs to improve on?

65. Tell me about a project that didn’t go as planned. How was that handled in the department?

66. Tell me about a project that was a huge success. How was that handled in the department?

Read more:How to Answer: Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?

Interview questions to ask about team and company culture

67. What is something your company/team/department does really well?

68. What is something your company/team/department needs to work on?

69. What kind of person tends to do well at this company?

70. What kind of person tends to struggle at this company?

71. How do you ensure employees feel comfortable taking their PTO?

72. How do you make sure employees feel comfortable raising concerns in the workplace? What avenues exist to do this?

73. How do you ensure women / people of color / people with disabilities / etc. are paid equally?

74. Are employees allowed to work remotely / work from home? How often and under what circumstances?

75. How does your company exhibit its values?

76. How did you choose those company values and how do they support employees’ success?

77. What is a common complaint you hear from employees?

78. How do you take care of your employees’ mental health / work-life balance?

Read more:5 Creative Interview Questions That Can Reveal Red Flags

Housekeeping questions

79. What are working hours? / Do employees work in shifts?

80. Do you provide medical/dental/vision benefits?

81. Can you guarantee a minimum/maximum number of hours per week?

82. Do you expect employees to work outside work hours?

83. Do you expect employees to work on nights and/or weekends?

84. How much PTO is offered? How is that administered?

85. What kind of fringe benefits do you offer?

86. What kind of learning opportunities (like tuition reimbursement, travel to industry conferences, etc.) do you offer? What percentage of employees take advantage of this?

87. What’s the expected salary for this position?

88. Do you offer a bonus structure?

Questions to keep the conversation going

89. What are the next steps in the hiring process?

90. When can I expect to hear from you next?

91. When do you hope to have the new hire start work?

92. Is there anything else I can provide you?

93. Do you have more questions for me?

Read more: How and When to Follow Up When You Haven't Heard Back After an Interview