these are the 10 questions you should ask in your next job interview

by Alison Green on March 4, 2025

One of the oddest things about interviewing people for jobs has always been how frequently candidates say they don’t have any questions when I ask what I can answer for them. This is a job they’re considering spending a large chunk of their waking hours at for the next however many years, and it’s likely to have a significant impact on their day-to-day quality of life and progression in their career. Surely there’s something they’d like to know about.

At New York Magazine today, I talk about why people don’t ask questions in interviews, why that makes a bad impression, and 10 especially strong questions you can ask that will help you figure out whether the job is right for you.

Head over there to read it.

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{ 46 comments }

{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }

  1. Amber Rose*

    Related question: when the internal recruiter/HR person sets up the interview and says or emails “please let me know if you have questions” do I still have to ask questions?

    I feel like I’m overthinking this but still.

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    1. Susie and Elaine Problem*

      I’ve used that as an opportunity for logistical questions, such as how many rounds of interviews or who will be interviewing me. So many times they don’t mention this from the get-go!

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      1. Amber Rose*

        The interview invitation was very thorough! I know exactly who I’m meeting, their titles, that the job is flexible and optionally hybrid with some travel, what the benefits are… this company is so well organized lol.

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        1. Medium Sized Manager*

          I would address that you had questions that have been answered (ex: the questions on my list are x, y,z, and you have already addressed them). It shows that you were prepared and considered questions, even if you don’t need to ask them.

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          1. Zona the Great*

            Yep. “Thanks! I look forward to meeting the panelists. I’ll reach out if I have questions in the meantime.”

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        3. Thin Mints didn't make me thin*

          It won’t hurt to put in a little compliment. “No, thank you, you’ve done a great job of preparing me!”

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    3. I should really pick a name*

      Not if you don’t have questions.

      It’s just scheduling an interview, not an interview.

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  2. see you anon*

    I just went through an interview process recently that gave me a lot of information to consider when I asked my questions. The biggest takeaway was when the person I was interviewing with, and would be reporting to/supporting (it was an admin/executive assistant role), when I asked about team structure and culture told me that they had recently changed the team structure, and also had new leadership. My ears perked up because I went through a nearly identical experience with my current role when I started almost 3 years ago, and that was a steep learning curve that I wasn’t interested in reliving. I was relieved when I heard back from the recruiter a couple days later that I wouldn’t be moving forward with the interview process.

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  3. Post Malone*

    I asked an interviewer about the PTO and WFH policies, and he told me that it I seemed more interested in NOT working there than working there. He still offered me the position and I still took it and it worked out fine.

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    1. LaminarFlow*

      I haaate that those questions can be perceived as negative/inappropriate (for lack of a better word) by interviewers. PTO & WFH policies are just as important as any other company policy or benefit, and hiring managers should handle them the same way as any other company policy related question. SMH.

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      1. Zona the Great*

        I once had an interviewer mutter the word, “disgusting” under her breath when I asked about salary.

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        2. Ask a Manager* Post author

          Ha! I had forgotten all about this, but very early in my career (I think I was 20) I once had a boss mutter “vulgar” when I asked about a raise. He was independently wealthy and had ideas about genteel behavior which did not include discussing money. I told all my coworkers about it and we spent months replying “vulgar” at random moments to each other.

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          2. Dinosaur Sr.*

            In an interview twenty-ish years ago, I had a hiring manager (actually the office manager) respond to my salary requirements by asking me how old I was – the implication was very much that how DARE I ask for such a salary at my age. I turned down the 2nd interview.

            I expect these questions from a young man would have had a very different response (rolls eyes)

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    2. Tea Monk*

      Yes like the reason I need to ask looks very bad- I simply don’t have the organization skills to know when I need off more than a month or two in advance… and I also have medical issues that will require half days

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    3. Annony*

      I was helping interview people for a position that I would have some supervisory/training role but would not be their boss and I realized my boss was being accidentally misleading the interviewees when people would tell me how excited they were about the flexible schedule and I had to explain that it wasn’t really that flexible and that what my boss was trying to say is that they had to work some weekends/weird hours but could take comp time (“flex their hours”) so that they did not have to work overtime. Luckily she was willing to take feedback and change her wording to be more clear.

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  4. Aggretsuko*

    I got my current job because I asked questions. I asked a lot of questions and interviewed them back about what the job was like and my boss loved it :)

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    1. Jill Swinburne*

      Yeah, I’m starting a new role next week and in the interview the hiring manager clapped her hands and said “I am just LOVING your questions” – they were things like the AAM magic question, how long they’d expect someone to get up to speed, what they’d expect the biggest challenges to be, etc. I, too, was interviewing them back!

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  5. ThatGirl*

    I have done my best to take all of these to heart. I sometimes phrase things a bit differently – e.g. I like to ask “what do you like most about working here?” and then “what do you see as the company and team’s biggest challenges” which can both tell me a lot.

    One of my friends swears by the “are there any reservations you have about moving me forward” type question, and while I think it’s good, I feel like there might be a way to phrase it more positively?

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    1. WavyGravy*

      I like to say, “are there any concerns about my candidacy I can address?” It’s still not perfect but I feel like it gives them an out if they answer is yes we have concerns but nothing I could immediately fix or answer, so we can all skip a bit of awkwardness

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    2. SnowRose*

      I’ve been asked the reservations about moving forward question several times, and I’m always going to say, “not that I can think of at the moment.” As do my colleagues when I sit on their interview panels.

      For us, we’ve already tried to dig into any concerns through follow-up questions, which can be pretty pointed. The other part is sometimes I can’t put into words at that moment what feels off. I’m also not interested in opening up an opportunity for my words to be potentially twisted down the road about why someone wasn’t selected or why my concern isn’t valid.

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      1. ThatGirl*

        Yeah, I hear that. In my friend’s case, at least once it netted a “well, we are looking for someone with more of X experience” and she was able to explain how she’d done a fair amount of X, actually – but I can see how it would feel pretty awkward to be asked.

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    3. OldHat*

      For the longest time, I felt that are there any reservations was a good question until I started hiring. It rare that the answer gives you something you can use to address those reservations. Sometimes the reservations are based upon comparing you with other candidates. Other times, we might have some undescribable vibe and can’t pinpoint us (like your answers were technically correct but something seems off). If it’s a panel, we might have different reservations and which will win out depends on our organizational structure to the position.

      I’m of the mind that this question doesn’t help in most situations.

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  6. AthenaC*

    I always ask about parental leave, and I do say that it’s not for me but because I want to know how my team members will be supported. Legitimately, it’s not for me because I’m done having kids, but whether they believe me or not, their response tells me whether I want to work for them.

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    1. Ama*

      I like this. As someone who doesn’t have kids but had to really fight for the last person I managed that did, I’ll be putting that on my list if I ever go back to management positions.

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    2. Slow Gin Lizz*

      Oh, that’s really great! If they hem and haw, then you have your answer. I know that not everyone will feel comfortable asking this, so obviously don’t ask it if you don’t feel comfortable, but it sure seems like a great way to suss out lousy employers.

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  7. Seashell*

    I find it odd that people find it odd that people might have no questions.

    The last time I did lots of interviewing, I was in a job I hated with a horrible boss and low pay, so anything else in my field would have been better. I was only applying to jobs I actually wanted, so, unless the interviewer came across as a complete loon, I wouldn’t have been turning down any offers. If the interviewer thoroughly covered all the relevant details about things like job tasks, salary, and benefits, I never felt like I had anything to ask. Asking something just to say you asked something seems pointless to me. I guess the world likes chit-chat, but I prefer to get to the point and not waste anyone’s time.

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    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      That’s all about what makes sense for you independent of the interviewer, but I think the part you’re missing is that a good interviewer wants to see that you’re really thinking critically about whether this is the right job for you and one you’ll be happy in / do well in, because they don’t want you to realize you’re unhappy six months in (because then they’ve wasted their investment in you and need to go through the hiring process all over again). So this is a situation where it’s in your interests to come across as if you won’t accept just anything to get away from where you are now.

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    2. ThatGirl*

      As Alison indicates, it’s not about wasting time, it’s about figuring out if it really is the right job for you. I have definitely interviewed at jobs that seemed great on paper, but once I learned more about the company, there were red flags or even just things that meant they weren’t a great fit for me.

      If you weren’t picky, great – that’s your prerogative. But wouldn’t it suck to take a new job just because it paid more, and then realize the hours were long and the expectations were out of whack?

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  8. On the hunt*

    Is there any way you can ask about customers? At current company, the job itself is fine, but some of the customers are just awful. They treat us like dirt, screaming (and I do mean SCREAMING) on the phone, swearing at us, etc.

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    1. On the hunt*

      These are white collar positions where you handle the same customers on a regular basis, assigned to you.

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      1. Good Lord Ratty*

        Ask what their policies are for working with challenging clients or what guidance they provide to [position name] for working with challenging customers.

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    2. I should really pick a name*

      What are customer interactions like?

      Could you tell me about some of the more difficult ones?

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    3. constant_craving*

      I wonder if the most helpful thing to ask would be how the company supports employees when customers are abusive.

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    4. used to be a tester*

      You could ask if you have an assigned ‘book’ of clients, or if it’s more first come first served. If it’s a book of business, then you could ask what the process is if you or the client find you’re not a good fit for each other.

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  10. ReallyBadPerson*

    I usually asked my questions during the interview itself, so when the interviewer got to the end, I often didn’t have anything else to ask.

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  11. hobbittoes*

    That good vs great question always seems to light up interviewers!
    I recently interviewed for an internal transfer to a team I work with frequently, so it was interesting to realize my questions were different in some ways. Like, I already know what the organization is like to work for! But the day to day of the role (outside of the meetings and work that our teams do together) was eye opening.

    I ended up withdrawing from consideration because the primary difficulties in my current role also impacted this role, and there’s some major ongoing projects I want to see through.

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  12. Anne G.*

    I tried many of these questions for a role I previously interviewed for, but they had zero idea how to even answer them because the role was very new and conceptual. It was honestly frustrating.

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  13. ICNothing*

    My favorite screening question: Would you describe the work environment in March/April of 2020?

    1- Reveals disaster preparedness/business continuity planning (or lack thereof) (I am in risk management and legal compliance, so this matters a lot)
    2- How the company treats people
    3- How adaptable is the company/team
    4- If they downplay/deny anything happened, I can run like heck!

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  15. Slow Gin Lizz*

    I have probably asked at least half of these at my last few job interviews, all of which resulted in offers. Was it because of my questions? Maybe, but I’m sure they didn’t hurt my chances any.

    Reply ↓

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