Interviews are an important time for you to impress a potential employer with your extensive knowledge of an industry or excellent people skills.
However, interviews are not only valuable for the employer to learn more, but are also useful for determining whether or not a job is right for you.
To get a fill for a company in an interview, there are questions you can ask to successfully get an idea of what will be expected of you, what opportunities for advancement exist and what it’s like to work there.
Here are some useful questions to ask during an interview, broken up into different relevant sections:
Questions about the Company’s Future/Goals
- What does the company see as being its primary goals, and how does the team help achieve these goals?
- Where do you see the company being in the next five years?
- What excites you the most about the potential future of this company?
- What are the current plans for growing the company’s brand and products?
Job-Centric Questions
- What is a typical day like at the company/department?
- How likely are the main responsibilities associated with my job to change in the next year or so?
- What do you find leads to success in this company?
- What obstacles will I face in my position, if hired?
- Am I filling a new role for the company, or one that has existed before?
- What immediate projects and tasks will I be taking on, if hired?
- What skills are you looking to fill with the candidate that you hire?
Performance Related Questions
- What sort of performance do you expect from me in the first year of being hired?
- How will my performance be evaluated?
- What are the most important goals I should aim for within my first 3 months of employment if hired?
Work Culture Related Questions
- What sort of places does the team usually go to for lunch?
- How would you describe the team and company culture here?
- Do people normally develop bonds outside of the office environment?
- What is the biggest company change that has occurred since you’ve been working here?
- What was the last team event that happened?
- Are there any office traditions that exist in this workplace?
- What is the main difference between this work environment and ones you have been a part of in the past?
Questions for the Interviewer
- What brought you to work for this company? In what ways is it different from other companies you have worked with?
- How long have you been working for this company?
- Have you changed positions within this company since being hired?
- What is your favorite thing about working for this company?
Questions Regarding Training and/or Professional Development
- What training programs or assignments will I need to complete once being hired?
- What opportunities for professional development and advancement exist?
- If there was a person in this position before me, where are they in the company now?
Questions about Team Members
- Who will be my direct superior who I will report to?
- Can you possibly tell me more about the people I’ll be working with and supervising? Can I meet them?
- Will more people be employed in my department within the next year?
- Which other departments work very closely with the team I’ll be joining?
Closing Questions
- What steps will I need to take after the interview process?
- Will any other information on my part be helpful in your hiring decision?
- Do you have any concerns about my background or skills?