Questions to ask in a hiring manager interview

Short answer

Ask two or three short questions. 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. A good one to start with: "What would a good first three months look like in this role?"

Each question below comes with what it reveals and what to listen for in the answer — the answer is information you can use, not only a chance to look interested.

Practise the whole interview, including your questions — free — The practice interview ends with your chance to ask questions, like a real one. No card needed.

Questions to ask

  • What would a good first three months look like in this role? — Why it helps: It gets their real priorities, in their own words, which is what you should be describing back to them for the rest of the process. What to listen for: Specific things with a rough order. If the answer is general — 'settle in, learn the systems' — ask what the first thing they would want fixed is.
  • What is the hardest part of this job for the person doing it? — Why it helps: It asks about the real difficulty rather than the job advert version, and it shows you are thinking about doing the work, not just getting it. What to listen for: An honest, concrete difficulty. If they say there is not one, that usually means the problem is something they would rather not describe yet.
  • How did the last person in this role get on? — Why it helps: It is a calm way of asking what went right or wrong before you, without putting anyone on the spot. What to listen for: Whether they were promoted, moved on, or left quickly. A short tenure that nobody explains is worth one more question at the final stage.
  • Who would I go to when I get stuck in the first few weeks? — Why it helps: It shows you plan to ask for help rather than hide problems, and it tells you whether real support exists. What to listen for: A named person or a clear route. 'You would figure it out' means you should ask about training before you accept.

A question to keep for later

  • How quickly could I be promoted? — Save this until they have shown they want you. Asked now, it can sound like this job is a step you plan to leave quickly.

If the role is senior

  • What is the biggest pressure on your team at the moment? — Why it helps: It moves the conversation from what the team does to what the team is struggling with, which is where someone senior is actually useful. What to listen for: Whether the pressure is about people, money, or time. Each one needs a different kind of hire, and it tells you which one you are.
  • What decisions would I be able to make on my own, and which would need agreement? — Why it helps: It defines the actual authority of the role, which is often different from the title. What to listen for: A clear line. If everything needs agreement, the role is more junior than the title suggests — worth knowing before you accept.

If this is your first job

  • What training or shadowing would I get in the first few weeks? — Why it helps: It is a fair, ordinary question, and the answer tells you whether they expect to teach you or expect you to already know. What to listen for: Something specific — days, a person, a checklist. 'You pick it up as you go' means plan to ask a lot of questions yourself.

For specific kinds of work

  • Care and healthcare: How many people would I be supporting on a typical shift? — Why it helps: Workload is the single thing that most changes what this job feels like, and the number is concrete. What to listen for: Whether the number changes at night or at weekends. Ask about the worst shift, not the average one.
  • Hospitality: What are the busiest times, and how is the team covered then? — Why it helps: Hospitality is judged on the hardest hours, not the quiet ones. This asks about the real job. What to listen for: Whether cover sounds planned or improvised. 'Everyone helps out' often means short-staffed at peak.
  • Warehouse and logistics: What targets would I be working to, and how are they measured? — Why it helps: Targets decide your day here. Knowing them tells you whether the pace is one you can keep safely. What to listen for: A real number and how it is tracked. If nobody can name it, the target will still exist — it just will not be written down.
  • Customer service and call centres: What kind of calls or customers does the team find hardest? — Why it helps: It shows you are ready for the difficult part rather than the script, and it tells you what you would face. What to listen for: Whether there is support for hard cases — an escalation route, a manager. Being left alone with them is the warning sign.
  • Retail: What would you want me doing when the shop is quiet? — Why it helps: It shows you think about the whole shift, and it reveals what they actually value beyond serving customers. What to listen for: A clear expectation. Vagueness here often turns into criticism later for doing the wrong thing.
  • Office and professional roles: When two things are urgent at once, how would you want me to decide? — Why it helps: Competing priorities are the real difficulty of most office roles, and this asks how they are handled here. What to listen for: Whether there is a rule or it depends on who asks loudest. The second one tells you a lot about the team.
  • Driving and delivery: What do the routes and hours usually look like across a week? — Why it helps: Hours and routes are the job. The advert rarely describes them accurately. What to listen for: Whether the pattern is fixed or changes weekly. Ask what happens when a route runs late.

In simple English

If English is new for you, a short question you can say comfortably is better than a long one you have to remember. These are easy to say:

  • What would a good first three months look like in this role?
  • What is the hardest part of this job for the person doing it?
  • How did the last person in this role get on?
  • Who would I go to when I get stuck in the first few weeks?

Common questions

How many questions should I ask in a hiring manager interview?

Usually two or three. Two good questions you listen to the answers for are better than a long list.

What if they already answered my questions during the interview?

Say so — "You already explained the training, thank you" — and ask one of your other questions, or ask what happens next.

Related pages

Practise out loud before the real interview. Practise the whole interview, including your questions — free

What this site cannot tell you

These pages describe what interviewers commonly look for. They cannot tell you what a specific interviewer decided, and nothing here guarantees an interview, an offer or a visa. Practising is preparation — it shows you what to fix next.