Questions to Ask Your Interviewers
Good questions for each round, from recruiter to executive, that help you judge the job and show how you think.
Overview
Most interviews end with 'Do you have any questions for me?' Those last five minutes do two jobs. They are your best chance to learn what the job is really like, and they show the interviewer what you care about. A candidate who asks about how decisions get made, or what the hardest problem is right now, sounds like someone already thinking about the work.
Match the question to the person. A recruiter knows the process and the role. An engineer knows the code, the tools and the on-call load. A hiring manager knows the team's goals and how people are judged. An executive knows the strategy. Asking each one what only they can answer gets you better information, and it shows judgment.
Prepare more questions than you need, about five per round, because some get answered along the way. Then listen to the answers and ask one follow-up. A follow-up to what they just said is worth more than a second prepared question.
- Recruiter — Recruiter or sourcer — The role, the process, the timeline
- Technical — Engineers on or near the team — The code, tools, reviews, on-call, hard problems
- Hiring manager — Your future manager — Goals, how success is judged, team habits, growth
- Executive — Director, VP or founder — Strategy, priorities, how the org works
What you will be able to do
- Pick questions that suit each interviewer's role.
- Use your questions to check for warning signs, politely.
- Follow up on an answer instead of reading down a list.
- Close the interview with a clear, confident last question.
Interview questions
- What should I ask the recruiter?
- What should I ask an engineer in a technical round?
- What should I ask the hiring manager?
- What should I ask a director, VP or founder?
- What should I never ask, or never say, at the end?
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