The best questions to ask in an interview show you've done research, listened during the interview, and are critically evaluating fit—not just trying to impress. Ask about specific challenges, team dynamics, and success metrics. Avoid generic questions like "What's the culture like?" that anyone could ask.
"Do you have any questions for me?"
It's the last thing you hear in almost every interview.
And most candidates either say: "No, I think you covered everything!" or ask something generic like "What's the company culture like?"
By the time the interview ends, they've wasted their final opportunity to stand out.
This happens to 75% of candidates. Not because they don't care. But because they think this is a courtesy question instead of a final test of judgment.
This guide gives you 57 proven questions organized by interview stage, interviewer type, and role—so you always know exactly what to ask.
What "Do You Have Questions?" Actually Tests
Most candidates hear "Do you have any questions?" and think the interviewer is being polite.
They're not. They're evaluating:
- Critical thinking: Can you synthesize what you learned and dig deeper?
- Engagement level: Were you actually listening, or just waiting for your turn?
- Priorities: What do you care about? Impact? Growth? Team dynamics?
- Confidence: Can you have a real conversation, or are you just trying to survive?
The Real Question Behind the Question: "Now that you've heard about us, can you ask thoughtful questions that show you're thinking critically about whether this is the right fit? Can you engage as an equal, not just a supplicant?"
Questions That Immediately Disqualify You
Before we get to the good questions, here's what to avoid:
❌ Questions You Could Have Googled
- "What does your company do?"
- "How many employees do you have?"
- "Who are your competitors?"
Why it fails: Shows you didn't do basic research.
❌ Vague Culture Questions
- "What's the company culture like?"
- "Do you like working here?"
- "What's a typical day like?"
Why it fails: Every interviewer says "collaborative, fast-paced, innovative." You learn nothing.
❌ Compensation Questions (In Early Rounds)
- "What's the salary range?"
- "How much PTO do you offer?"
- "What are the benefits?"
Why it fails: Makes you look more interested in perks than work. Save for after they want to hire you.
❌ The Non-Answer
- "No, I think you covered everything!"
Why it fails: Signals disengagement. Even if they answered everything, have ONE thoughtful question ready.
The Framework for Powerful Questions
Great questions do one or more of these things:
- Reference something specific from the interview (proves you listened)
- Reveal how you think about work (shows your values)
- Help you genuinely evaluate fit (shows you're choosing, not begging)
- Demonstrate domain expertise (peer-level conversation)
- Create a memorable exchange (stand out from other candidates)
Questions by Interview Stage
Different stages require different questions. Here's what works at each phase.
Phone Screen Questions (Recruiter/Initial Call)
The goal: Understand the role basics and determine mutual fit.
1. "What's driving the urgency to fill this role? Is this a new position or a backfill?"
Why it works: Tells you if someone left (and why) or if they're growing.
2. "What are the must-have qualifications versus nice-to-haves?"
Why it works: Helps you understand where you stand and what to emphasize.
3. "What does the interview process look like from here?"
Why it works: Shows you're organized and helps you plan.
4. "What's the biggest challenge the team is facing right now?"
Why it works: Gives you ammunition for later rounds.
5. "Is there anything about my background that gives you pause?"
Why it works: Surfaces objections you can address immediately.
First Round Questions (Hiring Manager)
The goal: Demonstrate you understand the role and can think critically about their challenges.
6. "You mentioned [specific challenge]. How long has that been an issue, and what's made it hard to solve?"
Why it works: Shows you listened and think practically about obstacles.
7. "What would make someone fail in this role in the first six months?"
Why it works: Shows you're thinking about success criteria, not just getting hired.
8. "What's the skill or perspective currently missing from the team?"
Why it works: Reveals the gap they're trying to fill—and whether you fill it.
9. "How does this role interact with [other department]? What's that relationship like?"
Why it works: Shows you understand organizational dynamics.
10. "If I came in and wanted to make an impact in the first 90 days, what would you point me toward?"
Why it works: Demonstrates you're already thinking about contributing.
11. "What's the biggest misconception candidates have about this role?"
Why it works: Gets honest insight most people never hear.
12. "When was the last time someone on the team pushed back on a decision from leadership? How was that received?"
Why it works: Reveals the real culture around disagreement.
Technical/Skills Round Questions (Peers/Team Members)
The goal: Evaluate day-to-day reality and team dynamics.
13. "What's the tech stack, and what would you change about it if you could?"
Why it works: Peer-level technical conversation that reveals pain points.
14. "How do you balance shipping fast with code quality?"
Why it works: Shows you understand the real trade-offs of product development.
15. "What does your code review process look like? How long do PRs typically sit?"
Why it works: Reveals team velocity and collaboration style.
16. "What's the most frustrating part of your workflow right now?"
Why it works: Gets honest answers about daily friction.
17. "How much context do engineers have about why features are being built?"
Why it works: Reveals product-engineering collaboration quality.
18. "What's the on-call rotation like? How often do things break?"
Why it works: Reveals operational maturity and work-life reality.
19. "If you could go back to your first week, what do you wish you'd known?"
Why it works: Gets practical advice and reveals cultural truths.
Final Round Questions (Executives/Leadership)
The goal: Understand company direction and demonstrate strategic thinking.
20. "What's the biggest risk to the business right now?"
Why it works: Shows you think at a strategic level.
21. "Where do you see this product/team in two years? What needs to be true for that to happen?"
Why it works: Reveals vision and whether it's realistic.
22. "How do you decide what NOT to build or pursue?"
Why it works: Shows you understand prioritization and strategy.
23. "What's the hardest trade-off you've had to make in the past year?"
Why it works: Gets honest insight into decision-making quality.
24. "I read about [recent news/funding/launch]. How has that changed priorities?"
Why it works: Shows you did research and think about business impact.
25. "What would make you say in six months that this hire was a great decision?"
Why it works: Clarifies success criteria from leadership's perspective.
Questions by Interviewer Type
Questions for Recruiters
26. "How long has this role been open? How many people are you interviewing?"
27. "What do the strongest candidates have in common?"
28. "Is there flexibility on [remote work/level/team placement]?"
29. "What's the typical career path for someone in this role?"
30. "What's the compensation range for this position?" (Appropriate for recruiters)
Questions for Hiring Managers
31. "What's your management style? How do you prefer to give feedback?"
32. "How do you measure success for this role?"
33. "What would you want me to accomplish in the first 30/60/90 days?"
34. "What's the biggest mistake you see new hires make?"
35. "How much autonomy would I have to make decisions about [specific area]?"
Questions for Potential Peers
36. "What surprised you most about working here?"
37. "How would you describe the team's working style?"
38. "What's something you wish was different about the team or company?"
39. "Who would I go to if I got stuck on something?"
40. "What's the thing you're proudest of that the team has accomplished?"
Questions for Skip-Level Managers / Executives
41. "What keeps you up at night about the business?"
42. "What's the biggest opportunity you think the company isn't fully capitalizing on?"
43. "How do you think about this team's role in the company's overall strategy?"
44. "What cultural value sounds good on paper but is actually hard to live out here?"
Questions by Role Type
For Technical Roles (Engineering, Data, DevOps)
45. "How do you approach technical debt? Is there dedicated time to address it?"
46. "What's your testing philosophy? TDD, integration tests, or something else?"
47. "How are architectural decisions made? Who has final say?"
48. "What's your deployment frequency? How often do things break in production?"
For Product/Design Roles
49. "How do you validate ideas before building? What does your discovery process look like?"
50. "How much time do designers/PMs spend with actual users?"
51. "When product and engineering disagree on scope, how is that resolved?"
52. "What's a feature you shipped that didn't work out? What did you learn?"
For Leadership/Management Roles
53. "What's the current state of the team I'd be inheriting? What's working and what isn't?"
54. "How much authority would I have to make changes to team structure or processes?"
55. "What does the relationship between this role and [peer roles] look like?"
56. "What's the biggest people challenge you're facing right now?"
For Sales/Customer-Facing Roles
57. "What's the current win rate? What are the main reasons deals are lost?"
58. "How is territory or account assignment handled?"
59. "What does the relationship between sales and customer success look like?"
60. "What's the ramp time for new hires to hit quota?"
The "Callback" Technique: Your Secret Weapon
The most powerful questions reference something specific from earlier in the interview:
The Callback Formula: "You mentioned [specific thing they said]. I'm curious about [follow-up question that digs deeper]."
Examples:
-
"You mentioned the team struggled with cross-functional alignment. What specifically breaks down—is it communication, competing priorities, or something else?"
-
"Earlier you said the biggest challenge is scaling the platform. When you say 'scaling,' do you mean traffic, team size, or codebase complexity?"
-
"You mentioned someone left the team recently. What did that transition look like, and what gap did it create?"
Why this works: It proves you were actively listening and can synthesize information on the fly—a skill that matters in any role.
How Many Questions to Ask
Phone Screen: 2-3 questions First Round: 3-4 questions Technical Round: 2-3 questions Final Round: 3-5 questions
Quality over quantity. One excellent question beats three generic ones.
Questions to Avoid by Stage
| Stage | Avoid Asking |
|---|---|
| Phone Screen | Deep technical questions, compensation details beyond range |
| First Round | Benefits, PTO, "do you like it here?" |
| Technical Round | Strategy questions, career path |
| Final Round | Basic questions about the role (you should know by now) |
When They've Already Answered Everything
Sometimes the interview is so thorough that your prepared questions are already covered. Here's what to say:
"You've actually answered most of what I was curious about. But based on what you shared about [specific topic], I'm wondering: [thoughtful follow-up]."
Or ask a meta-question:
"I've asked a lot of questions throughout—is there anything you'd want to know about me that we haven't covered?"
The Confidence Close
In final rounds, if you're convinced it's a good fit:
"At this point, I'm genuinely excited about this opportunity. My last question: what's your timeline for making a decision, and is there anything from today that would make you hesitant about moving forward with me?"
Why this works: It's direct, confident, and surfaces any hidden objections you can address.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake #1: Asking Without Listening to the Answer
Don't fire off your prepared questions. Have a conversation. Let their answers lead to follow-ups.
Mistake #2: Only Asking Safe Questions
If you only ask what success looks like, you seem like you're just interviewing well. Ask at least one question that requires honesty.
Mistake #3: Asking the Same Questions to Everyone
Tailor your questions to who you're talking to. Ask engineers about code, ask leaders about strategy.
Mistake #4: Forgetting to Take Notes
Write down their answers. It helps you synthesize for later rounds and shows you're serious.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions should I prepare before an interview?
Prepare 5-7 questions, knowing you'll probably ask 2-4. Some will be answered naturally during the interview, and you want options based on how the conversation flows.
What if the interviewer doesn't leave time for questions?
Ask anyway: "I know we're short on time, but I have one quick question..." Most interviewers will make time. If they truly can't, ask if you can follow up via email.
Should I ask the same questions in every interview?
No. Tailor questions to the interviewer's role and what you've learned so far. Ask recruiters about process, managers about expectations, peers about day-to-day reality, executives about strategy.
Is it okay to ask about work-life balance?
Yes, but frame it carefully. Instead of "What's the work-life balance?" ask "What does a typical week look like during busy periods versus normal times?" You get the same information without sounding like you're asking about leaving early.
What if I ask a question and the answer is concerning?
Don't ignore it. Ask a follow-up: "That's interesting—can you tell me more about that?" A concerning answer is valuable information about whether you actually want this job.
Should I ask about the previous person in the role?
Yes, carefully: "Is this a new role or a backfill?" If it's a backfill: "What led to the opening?" This surfaces valuable information about expectations and potential red flags.
The Bottom Line
"Do you have any questions for me?" is not courtesy. It's a test.
Your job isn't to ask polite questions that show interest. Your job is to ask questions that:
- Help you genuinely evaluate fit
- Show how you think
- Create a memorable conversation
If you can do that, you end the interview on a high note—and you're far more likely to be the candidate they remember when it's time to decide.
Related Resources
- Tell Me About Yourself: The Answer Strategy That Works
- Why Should We Hire You? How to Answer Without Sounding Generic
- Behavioral Interview Questions: The Complete Guide
- Walk Me Through Your Resume: What They Really Want
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No more freezing at "do you have any questions?" Just thoughtful inquiries that show you're evaluating them as much as they're evaluating you.
