Good questions to ask at the end of an interview, and how to ask them
Reviewed 19 Sept 2026
“Do you have any questions for us?” is still part of the interview. Saying “no, I think you covered everything” reads as low interest. A good question shows that you have thought about doing the job, not only about getting it.
Prepare four or five questions, because some will be answered during the conversation. Ask two or three. In English, the form matters: open questions that begin with “what” or “how” lead to a conversation, while yes-or-no questions lead to a one-word answer and an awkward pause.
The structure: link, question, follow-up
- Link
Connect the question to something said earlier: “You mentioned the team is growing.” It proves you were listening.
- Question
One open question about the work, the team, or how success is measured. One question at a time.
- Follow-up
React to the answer in a sentence before moving on. This is what turns questions into a conversation.
Before and after
“Um, yes… how many holiday days are there? And is it possible to work from home? And, er, when will I hear back?”
- All three questions are about what the candidate gets, and none is about the work.
- Benefits questions are fair, but they belong with the recruiter or at the offer stage.
- They are closed questions, so each gets a one-line answer and the conversation ends flat.
“Yes, two things. You mentioned earlier that the team is moving to monthly releases. What is the hardest part of that change for the team at the moment? … That's interesting. We went through something similar, and testing was our bottleneck too. My second question: if I joined, what would you want me to have achieved after six months, so that you would say this was a good hire?”
Phrases you can use
- “What does a typical week look like in this role?”
- “What is the biggest challenge the team faces this year?”
- “What would you want me to achieve in the first six months?”
- “How does the team make decisions when people disagree?”
- “Who would I work with most closely?”
- “What do you enjoy most about working here?”
- “What has changed most since you joined?”
- “What are the next steps in the process?”
- “Is there anything in my background you'd like me to clarify?”
Common mistakes
Always have at least two. If they have all been answered, say which one and ask for more depth on it.
Do not ask what the company does. Ask about what only an insider knows.
These are legitimate topics. Raise them with the recruiter or once an offer is likely, not as your first question to the hiring manager.
Two good questions with real follow-up are better than six that you read out from a notebook.
A ten-minute drill
- Pick a real job advert. Write five open questions that begin with “what” or “how”.
- Record yourself asking two of them, each with a linking sentence before it.
- Listen for the intonation: questions that begin with what or how fall at the end in English.
- Record again at a slower pace. Questions asked slowly sound more confident.
Questions people ask
How many questions should I ask?
Two or three, depending on time. Watch the interviewer: if they are looking at the clock, ask your best one and then ask about next steps.
Is it acceptable to bring written questions?
Yes. A notebook shows preparation. Look at it briefly, then look up and ask the question naturally instead of reading it word for word.
Can I ask how I did?
A safer version is: “Is there anything in my background that you'd like me to clarify?” It gives the interviewer a chance to raise a doubt while you can still answer it.