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Questions to Ask the Interviewer: 40 Good Questions for the End of an Interview

40 good questions to ask at the end of an interview, grouped by what they tell you: the role, success, the team, the manager, the company and next steps. Which to ask a recruiter, a manager or an executive, and what not to ask.

By Amine Boukioud Updated 6 min read
The Huru mascot at a meeting table, pen over an open notebook, raising one finger to ask a question

The short answer: always have questions ready for “Do you have any questions for us?”. Prepare five and expect to ask two or three, because some will be answered along the way. The best ones are about the work itself: what success looks like, the biggest challenge in the role, how the team works and what happens next. Save salary and benefits for a later stage unless the interviewer raises them. Below are 40 questions by topic, which to ask whom, and what to avoid.

Why your questions matter

The University of Iowa’s Pomerantz Career Center puts it bluntly: “Being unprepared to ask questions shows a lack of interest and enthusiasm for the job and the company.” Your questions also do two things for you:

  • They show how you think. A good question shows you’ve read the job description and understood what the role is for.
  • They tell you whether you want the job. The answers about the manager, the team and the first months are information you can’t get from the job posting.

How many questions to ask

Prepare five, ask two or three. The University of Alabama Career Center notes that two to five is typical, and that having extras ready matters because some will be answered during the interview. If the interviewer has already covered one, don’t ask it again: say so and ask something that builds on it. “You mentioned the team is growing. How will the role change as it does?”

40 good questions to ask, by topic

The role

  1. What would a typical week look like in this role?
  2. What are the most important things to get done in the first three months?
  3. What’s the biggest challenge the person in this role will face?
  4. Why is this position open?
  5. How has this role changed over the last year or two?
  6. Which parts of the job description matter most to you?
  7. What does the role own on its own, and what is shared with other teams?

Success and performance

  1. What would success look like at the end of the first year?
  2. How will my performance be measured?
  3. What separates someone who’s good in this role from someone who’s great?
  4. Where have people who did well in this role gone next?
  5. What’s one thing you’d want the new person to do differently from the last one?
  6. How often would I get feedback, and in what form?

The team

  1. Who would I work with most closely, day to day?
  2. How is the team structured, and how big is it?
  3. What’s the team working on right now that you’re most excited about?
  4. How does the team handle disagreements about priorities?
  5. How do new people get up to speed on the team?
  6. What’s something the team does well that you’d want to protect?

The manager

  1. How would you describe your management style?
  2. How do you like to communicate: regular one-to-ones, messages, ad hoc?
  3. What do you enjoy most about working here?
  4. How do you support the growth of the people on your team?
  5. What’s the most useful thing someone on your team has done recently?

The company and culture

  1. How would you describe the culture here?
  2. What’s changed most in the company in the last year?
  3. How are decisions usually made here?
  4. What are the company’s priorities for the next year, and how does this team contribute?
  5. What kind of people tend to do well here?
  6. How does the company support learning and development?

Challenges and honesty

  1. What’s the hardest part of working here?
  2. What’s a problem the team is still trying to solve?
  3. Is there anything about my background that makes you hesitate? I’d like the chance to address it.
  4. What would you want me to know before accepting an offer here?

Next steps

  1. What are the next steps in the process?
  2. When can I expect to hear from you?
  3. Is there anything else I can send you that would help?
  4. Who else will I meet during the process?

Remote and hybrid work

  1. How does the team collaborate across locations and time zones?
  2. How do people who work remotely stay visible and get recognized?

The University of Alabama Career Center’s own list includes several of these, such as the most critical factors for success, goals for the first three months, how performance is evaluated, what a typical day looks like, and where high performers in the role have gone next.

Which questions to ask whom

  • Recruiter or HR screen: the process and timeline (35–38), the team structure (15), why the role is open (4). This is also the right place for practical questions, such as location and schedule.
  • Hiring manager: the role, success and management questions (1–13, 20–24). These are the most useful answers you’ll get.
  • Future teammates: a typical week, collaboration and culture (1, 14–19, 25).
  • Senior leader or executive: company direction and priorities (26–28). Keep it high level.

Questions to avoid

  • Anything answered on the company’s website or earlier in the interview. It suggests you didn’t prepare or weren’t listening.
  • Salary, benefits and time off in a first interview, unless the interviewer brings them up. The University of Alabama Career Center advises skipping, in early interviews, “questions that focus on what they can do for you.” Raise them once there’s mutual interest, or with the recruiter. See our guide to salary expectations.
  • Yes-or-no questions. “Do you like working here?” gets “yes”. “What do you enjoy most about working here?” gets an answer.
  • Questions about other candidates or how you did in the interview so far.
  • “No, I think you’ve covered everything.” Even if they have, ask one question that builds on something they said.

Listen to the answers

The point of a question is the answer. Listen, ask one follow-up if it’s natural, and take a note. If the manager says the biggest challenge is a messy handover, that’s something you can address in your thank-you note, and it tells you what the job will really be like.

For the questions they’ll ask you, see our guide to the most common interview questions.

Frequently asked questions

What are good questions to ask at the end of an interview?
Questions about the work itself: what success looks like in the first year, the biggest challenge in the role, what a typical week looks like, how performance is measured, how the team works, the manager's style, and the next steps in the process.
How many questions should I ask the interviewer?
Prepare about five and expect to ask two or three, since some will be answered during the interview. Two to five is typical.
Is it bad not to ask any questions in an interview?
Yes, usually. It can read as a lack of interest. If everything was covered, ask one question that builds on something the interviewer said.
Should I ask about salary in the first interview?
Usually not, unless the interviewer raises it. Career centers advise skipping questions about what the company can do for you, such as salary and benefits, in early interviews. Raise them with the recruiter or once there's mutual interest.
What questions should I ask a hiring manager?
Questions about the role and success: the most important goals for the first three months, how performance is measured, what separates good from great in the role, their management style, and how they support their team's growth.

Sources

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Amine Boukioud

Amine Boukioud is Head of Growth at Huru and writes Huru’s company interview guides. Each one starts from the company’s own careers pages and what candidates report, and follows Huru’s editorial policy.

Published

How this article was made: researched and drafted with AI assistance, then written, fact-checked and signed by Amine Boukioud on September 30, 2026. Sources are linked where they are used. How we work: editorial policy.