17 Questions to Ask the Hiring Team in an Interview

(to help you actually get the job)

How amazing is it that there are more jobs open now than ever before?! It’s a hot labor market, and people tend to think job offers will be given more freely — as if the hiring team’s expectations have been lowered during interviews because the competition is steep between employers. But that’s not the case, especially for top Fortune 500 companies.

Top companies are still patient. They wait until they find the right candidate, the one that will push them forward. Or as Amazon says “raise the bar” to make the rest of the culture and company better each time a new person is hired.

The competition to get a job offer is still fierce, even in a candidate’s market. 

Besides, you don’t just want a job offer. You want a competitive job offer that lifts your purpose, skills, and compensation so that you can live the lifestyle you want and you’re able to lift your community in the process.

To get a competitive job offer, you must show-up as the leader they need by showcasing ‘more of you’ in the interview process. 

A way to do this — take full advantage of the final 15 minutes of the interview to ask *great* questions when the hiring team says “What questions do you have for me?” Or “Ask me anything”.

I believe the final 15 minutes in an interview can make or break your chances of getting a job offer.

What you ask says as much about you as how you answer interview questions.

Real-world example: I held 4 interview sessions this month. 

People were on point with their answers and well prepared. But a common trend? 

People come to interviews with the same questions when it’s their time to shine.

Most common questions (aka avoid this vanilla approach):

😑 What do you love about working there?

😑 What are the big opportunities/challenges this year?

😑 How would you describe your day-to-day?

Those questions are okay, but you’re not looking to be okay in an interview. You want to get a competitive job offer, and that means you need to show-up better than okay. You need to show-up great.

3 Things I Would Do Differently (if I was interviewed):

It’s not enough to answer the hiring team’s questions. There’s something magical that happens when the tables turn and you’re the one leading the conversation. It happens when you’re given the cue that sounds like “In the last minutes of this interview, I’ll turn it over to you to ask any questions you have.”

1. Use all the time given and get curious

It’s every manager’s dream that a new hire will come into the job and require minimal hand holding post onboarding. The question in the hiring manager’s mind is, “Can they ask the right questions to get what they need or do they need answers handed to them at every turn?”

A simple way to kick-off your list of questions is to say, “I have a number of questions prepared for you.” 

Why this works: Your statement shows that you’re meeting their expectation and that you’re prepared. You may even appear to be organized in their mind — an added bonus.

2. Show energy for the job, not just the company

It may be a direct question you get from the hiring team. It could be something that’s inferred based on your overall tone or presence in the interview. When you’re interviewing, if you’re more interested in working for the company, but not doing the job in front of you, that’s not a brownie point from the hiring team. It’s a turn off. 

The manager needs you to bring energy to their team and their role first and foremost. If the reason you’re interviewing for the job is because you just ‘want in’ the company, it’s going to be a quick denial of getting the job offer.

Why this works: You’re demonstrating that because of your interest in the job specifically, you’ll do your best work every day. And you may hang around for a while versus doing a quick jump after they’ve invested in onboarding you.

3. Mix a question with an approach to a solution

When you demonstrate your approach to a job, it instantly gives the hiring team a vision of you. How to do this? In your 15 minutes at the end of the interview, be sure to ask a question that highlights your approach. 

Here’s an example script: 

“Earlier, you mentioned that the team is facing XYZ challenge. When I approached a problem similar to this previously, I tackled it by doing XYZ. Would you find this helpful on your team if I used this approach?”

Why this works: You give an example of an approach you’ve used. Your already problem solving for the hiring manager. You’re not afraid of offering new approaches to solve problems. Winner-winner-chicken-dinner.

All of those strategies showcase more of you and your intent to the interviewer.

That’s the goal of an interview — to get as much of you across to them. 

And for you to learn about them to make the ultimate decision for you.

So what should you ask during an interview when it’s your 15 minutes of fame? Read on for impressive questions to ask in an interview.

17 Questions to Ask the Hiring Team to Impress

When you have the ‘leader chair’ in the meeting, you’re in charge. The tables have turned and now it’s your chance to showcase your skills in a new way. By giving a real-time demonstration that you are comfortable thinking on the spot, asking questions, and seeking input from others to get what you need. You also get to learn more about the business, the team, and the culture so you can get a better look ‘under the hood’ before making the decision to join.

Here’s a list of 17 impressive questions to ask the hiring team in an interview. Choose a few to bring with you in your next interview or use many of them throughout your rounds of interviews with different members of the hiring team.

1. What’s different at this company compared to other places you’ve worked?
2. Thinking about the last person you promoted, what did they do that you would like to see replicated?
3. How has the culture evolved in the past two years? Do the policies reflect this change?
4. If you had one skill that you could build within your team, what would it be?
5. How would you rate the satisfaction of our stakeholder partnerships?
6. Does the company seek feedback from employees like an annual survey? If so, what surprised you last year?
7. What are 3 of your priorities you need to deliver this quarter?
8. What’s the hardest decision you’ve had to make for the team and what did you learn from it?
9. What’s the stakeholder feedback on what they’d like to see more/less of in this role?
10.  In this virtual work model, how does the team feel about remote/hybrid work?
11. What’s a challenge you’re working on right now and what’s your approach?
12. I’m interested to learn more about my direct reports. What are their strengths and biggest challenges?
13. I saw in the news that the company is xyz, what makes you most excited about the future?
14. How do you determine annual pay increases, bonuses, and other rewards for your team?
15. How has your career path developed since being at the company? Have you doing it easy or difficult for career movement?
16. I’d like to hit the ground running in this role, what are your expectations for 30/60/90 days on the job?
17. Is there anything that I’ve mentioned that leaves you questioning if I’m a good fit for the role that I can clarify?

Lasting Thoughts

Asking questions and taking up the full time you’re given showcases that you thrive in leadership positions. 

You also give the hiring team a look into your thinking process. It answers questions like:

Do you need to be spoon-fed every detail or can you fill in the puzzle pieces on your own? 

Do you know how to extract information from others to get what you need? 

Are you comfortable in the leader chair driving the conversation?

Remember, even though it’s a hot candidate market, you want to show-up to interviews seeking a hot competitive offer, not just any offer.

Show-up as the leader they need by showcasing ‘more of you’ in the interview process by asking impressive questions during the interview.