The Best Questions to Ask During Your Interview

What You Should Be Asking a Hiring Manager

You’re actively interviewing. You immerse yourself in researching the company and industry and memorizing your resume, all in preparation for questions you may be asked during the process. But have you put much thought into what questions you should be asking the hiring manager?

Hiring managers expect to be asked thoughtful questions by job seekers. And some hiring managers will actually evaluate you on your questions, so be prepared. Besides, if you don’t ask a question or two, what does that say about your interest in the position and the company?

An interview is a two-way street. While the company is trying to see if you’d be a great fit for them, you should also be analyzing if the position is a good match for you. In today’s job market, you want to ensure you’re pursuing a role that aligns with what you’re seeking.

Asking the right interview questions will help you learn more about the company, its management style, and the organization and team culture. So any questions you ask are critical. And we encourage you to ask as many as possible.

System One brought together a team of our experts to discuss some of the best questions you can ask during an interview.

How do you describe the work culture and management style – are they typically more collaborative or independent?

This one’s a two-parter. This is crucial in determining an interviewer’s management style and the organization’s philosophy. It’s a great way to determine whether you’ll be working autonomously or collectively. It’s also a way to pick up on micro-management queues and get a feel if this is the role for you.

What qualities describe successful members of your team?

This is an excellent question because you get to hear directly from the hiring manager what differentiates the company’s top employees from the rest. You can then take their response and relate it to your skills and experience. This allows you to elaborate more on your abilities while learning more about the position and management style.

What are some challenges other employees have faced in this role?

When you ask this, it allows you the perfect opportunity to highlight your skillset. You can go in and grab the low-hanging fruit and explain why you are fit to meet those challenges.

What does my competition look like?

This is a bold question that can often catch an interviewer off guard. But it’s a great way to see if they have any reservations about you or others interviewing for the position. It’s the perfect opportunity to clarify why your attributes are the right fit for the job.

Once I am integrated into this role, will there be opportunities to expand my skills or add responsibility?

With this question, hiring managers see that you already envision yourself in the position. This is encouraging because it shows them that you aren’t looking at this role as short-term, but have long-term visions of how you can impact the company.

Final Thoughts

Remember to trust your gut. Choosing to embark on a new career path isn’t always easy. But remember that an interview process is not just about a company accepting you; it’s about you deciding that the acceptance is mutual.

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