INTERVIEWS

Questions to ask the interviewer

Near the end, the interviewer will ask, "Do you have any questions for us?" Any chatbot can hand you fifty to pick from. The interviewer only hears the two you ask, and how you ask them.

Good questions do two jobs. They show you've already pictured yourself doing the work. They also get you what you need to decide whether you want it. "No, I think you covered everything" gives up both, and it can end the interview on a flat note.

How many questions to ask in an interview

Bring five and plan to ask two or three. Some will get answered before your turn, so you need spares. Put them in order before you go in, with your best one first. If time runs short, ask that one and offer to send the others by email.

The five best questions to ask

If you only prepare five, prepare these. Each one gets you something you can use, in the interview or later when you weigh the offer.

"What would you want me to have done in my first 90 days?"

You learn what they need from you first. They also spend a minute describing you in the job.

"What does a typical week look like in this job?"

The posting lists duties. The answer tells you how a week really goes.

"What's the hardest part of this job?"

Every job has one, and the answer tells you what you'd be hired to handle. If you've handled something like it, say so in a sentence before your next question.

"Who would I work with most closely?"

The answer tells you who your days will depend on. Ask a follow-up about one of them, like what they do or how long they've been on the team.

"What do you like most about working here?"

It lets them talk about their own work, and it gives you something real to respond to. If they struggle to name anything, that's worth noticing too.

Questions for the person across the table

Who's interviewing you changes what's worth asking.

A recruiter or phone screen

"What's the pay range for this role?" If the posting doesn't say, a recruiter is the right person to ask.
"How long does the rest of the process usually take?"

An interview for a manager position

"What's the biggest problem the team needs its next manager to solve?"
"How much of this job is managing people, and how much is hands-on work?"

A teaching position

"What support do new teachers get in their first year?"
"How do teachers here plan together?"

A nursing interview

"How long is orientation on this unit?"
"What's a typical nurse-to-patient ratio on this unit?"

An internship

"What did last year's interns work on?"
"What separates a good intern from a great one here?"

Questions to skip

Anything their website answers, like "So what does the company do?" It tells them you didn't look.
Leading with pay and benefits when you meet the hiring manager. Ask the recruiter about them early. If there's no recruiter, ask the hiring manager before you agree to more rounds.
Yes-or-no questions, like "Do you like working here?" Ask "What do you like most about working here?" so they have something to tell you.
"How did I do?" It puts them on the spot. Ask whether there's anything about your experience you can explain.
A question they already answered. If yours got covered, say so and move on: "You already told me how the team works, which was going to be my first question."
Two questions in one breath. They may answer one, and the other can get lost.

How to ask them out loud

Good questions are half of it. The other half is asking them so the last few minutes feel like a conversation.

Start with a yes and a number

"Yes, I have two." The number tells them what's coming. If they've answered some already, say so: "You've covered most of mine. I have one left."

Ask one question, then stop

Skip the windup. "So I was reading about your company, and I noticed you're growing, and I was wondering..." makes them wait for the question. Ask it in one breath, then let them talk.

Leave the hedges out

"I was just wondering if maybe you could tell me..." sounds like you're apologizing for asking. Ask it straight: "How will you measure success in this role?"

Say one thing back

Listen to the answer and respond before your next question. A short follow-up ("You said the team doubled this year. What changed when it did?") shows you heard them.

Close with thanks and the next step

When they've answered your last question, end with one line of thanks and one thing you heard that makes you want the job. Then ask about next steps: "Thank you. Hearing about the new clinic makes me want this job even more. What are the next steps?"

Practice it out loud

This part of the interview takes a few minutes, so you can practice the whole thing in one sitting.

Write your best three questions in the order you'll ask them, a few words each.
Say "Do you have any questions for us?" out loud. Then answer it into your phone's voice recorder: your yes, your number and your first question.
Play it back. Check that the question fit in one breath and that nothing like "I was just wondering if maybe" came before it.
Make up a short answer to that question. Then say one follow-up and your closing line.
The next day, do it again from memory.

For the rest of the interview, there's a 15-minute routine in how to practice for an interview by yourself. For questions that ask for a story, use the STAR method.

Practice it with an AI coach in Charisma Lab

Charisma Lab is a speaking coach on your iPhone. In Speak, tap the center and tell the coach you're practicing the end of a job interview, when they ask if you have questions. Then say your yes, your number and your first question in one take, since a pause of about two seconds ends a take. You hear each take played back. Then the coach tells you what to fix and sends you back in.

To practice putting your points in order, Train's Structure Your Points is open from the start in the Clarity track. It hands you a line like "You should know about the timeline and the budget." You say it with structure words instead: "Two things to know. First... Second..." Your take passes when it has at least two of the structure words it checks for, such as "first" and "second". Setup is free and includes a short live session with the coach. After that, Speak and Train need Pro, which is $14.99 a month in the US. See pricing.

Get the app

FAQ

How many questions should I ask in an interview?

Two or three. Bring five, since some will get answered along the way.

Can I bring my questions written down?

Yes. Glance at your notes, then look up and ask. Reading one word for word off the page can sound stiff.

What if they already answered all my questions?

Say which ones they covered, then ask a follow-up about something they said: "You mentioned the move to a new system. How is that going so far?"

Can I ask about salary?

Yes. Ask the recruiter early. If there's no recruiter, ask the hiring manager before you agree to more rounds. If the posting lists a range, you can check it: "The posting says $50,000 to $60,000. Is that still the range?"

Should I ask questions in every round?

Yes. Ask each person about their part of the job. It's fine to ask two people the same question, because comparing their answers tells you something too. For what a second round adds, see second interview questions.

More practice guides

Updated November 1, 2026.