Questions to ask in an interview

Short answer

Ask two or three short questions that fit the stage: next steps in a phone screen, the work itself with the hiring manager, a normal week with the team, and the decision date in a final interview. Keep questions about pay for the final stage unless they raise it first. Then listen: the answer tells you about the job.

Questions for each stage

• Recruiter or phone screen — This call is usually about whether you fit the basics. Keep your questions short and practical — you are checking the job is real and worth your time. For example: "What are the next stages, and who would I meet at each one?"
• Hiring manager — This is the person you would work for. Your questions should be about the work itself and how they will judge whether you are doing it well. For example: "What would a good first three months look like in this role?"
• Technical or skills interview — You have just been tested. Your questions here should be about how the work is really done, not about whether you passed. For example: "How close was that task to the work I would actually do?"
• Team or peer interview — These are the people you would work beside. They are judging whether working with you would be easy, so ask about the ordinary days. For example: "What does a normal week look like for you here?"
• Final interview — They are deciding. This is the stage where a question about the future of the role, and about pay, is expected rather than early. For example: "Is there anything about my experience that you are still unsure about?"

Questions for specific kinds of work

• Care and healthcare: How many people would I be supporting on a typical shift? — Workload is the single thing that most changes what this job feels like, and the number is concrete.
• Hospitality: What are the busiest times, and how is the team covered then? — Hospitality is judged on the hardest hours, not the quiet ones. This asks about the real job.
• Warehouse and logistics: What targets would I be working to, and how are they measured? — Targets decide your day here. Knowing them tells you whether the pace is one you can keep safely.
• Customer service and call centres: What kind of calls or customers does the team find hardest? — It shows you are ready for the difficult part rather than the script, and it tells you what you would face.
• Retail: What would you want me doing when the shop is quiet? — It shows you think about the whole shift, and it reveals what they actually value beyond serving customers.
• Office and professional roles: When two things are urgent at once, how would you want me to decide? — Competing priorities are the real difficulty of most office roles, and this asks how they are handled here.
• Technology roles: How does work get from finished to live here? — The path to production says more about a team's maturity than the tools they list.
• Driving and delivery: What do the routes and hours usually look like across a week? — Hours and routes are the job. The advert rarely describes them accurately.

In a promotion interview

• What would you expect from me in the new role that is different from now?
• What support is there while I step up — training, or someone to talk to?
• How and when will you review how I am doing in the new role?

In a pay review with your manager

• What decides pay changes here, and who makes the decision?
• When is the next pay review, and what would you need to see from me before then?
• If the answer is not yet, can we agree a date to talk about it again?

Questions that can wait

Timing matters more than the question. Pay, holidays and promotion are fair questions — but asked in a first call, before they know you, they can sound like the only thing you care about. Most people ask them at the final stage, or when the employer raises them.

Common questions

Is it bad to have no questions at the end of an interview?

It is not a mistake, but one prepared question usually lands better. If everything was answered, say so and ask about the next steps.

When can I ask about salary?

Usually at the final stage, or earlier if the employer raises it or you cannot continue without knowing. In a first call it can wait.

How many questions should I ask?

Two or three. Choose ones you really want answered, and listen to the answer.

Related pages

• Interview English phrases — sentences for every moment of the interview
• STAR method examples — how to answer "tell me about a time…"
• Salary questions in English — how to talk about pay