Good Questions to Ask a Hiring Manager During an Interview

Job interviews are nerve-wracking no matter how long you have been a professional. After all, you are being evaluated for your capacity and suitability for the company. The pressure to make a good impression on your potential employer is indeed overwhelming.

What to bring to a job interview? Besides your resume, proper attire, and answers to various interview questions, you need to prepare some questions to ask the hiring manager. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the best questions to ask during your interview.

Why You Need to Prepare Questions for the Hiring Manager

One of the most common job interview mistakes is forgetting you are not the only one being evaluated during an interview. As a candidate, you also need to evaluate the company and the job to ensure that it’s the right fit for you.

This is where preparing questions for the hiring manager comes into the picture.

You need to ask questions that will help you learn more about the job, the team, the company culture, and the company’s future. The hiring manager’s answers will tell you if the company fits what you are looking for in an employer.

Moreover, asking insightful questions during an interview could give you an edge over other candidates. It shows that you have research the company and are genuinely interested in the job.

So, the next time the interviewer asks you, “Do you have any questions for me?” make sure to have some ready.

The Best Interview Questions to Ask the Hiring Manager

Now that you understand why it’s important to prepare questions for the hiring manager, let’s dive into some of the best questions:

Questions About Your Role

Asking questions about your role can help you better understand the job requirements and what is expected of you if you get hired. These questions can help you determine if the job is the right fit for you and then help you prepare for the job:

• What are the expectations for new hires in this role in the first 30, 60, and 90 days?
• What is the typical learning curve for new hires in this role?
• Why is this position being created?
• What are the biggest challenges in this role?
• What are the opportunities for career development in this role?
• What does a typical day look like in this role?
• Are there tools or programs typically used for this position?
• What is the growth path for this position?

Questions About the Team

Once you get hired, you will become part of a team whose culture and dynamics will greatly affect your work environment. It’s important to ask questions about the team and its culture to help you determine if you will fit in with the team. Here are questions about team culture:

• Can you tell me more about the team I will be part of?
• Does the team focus more on individual or collaborative work?
• How does the team communicate on a daily basis?
• Who or which departments will I be working with most closely?
• What is the team’s management style?
• How does the team prioritize tasks?
• How often will I be evaluated? What is the feedback process like?
• Does the team go out for lunch or hang out after work?

Questions About Company Culture

At this stage in the hiring process, you should already have some understanding of the company’s culture. If you want to learn more about how the company’s values align with yours, you may find these questions helpful to ask the hiring manager:

• What are the company’s current goals?
• What are the company’s most recent accomplishments?
• How does working with this company differ from working with other places you have worked with?
• What is the company’s approach to work-life balance?
• How does the company support professional development?
• What is your favorite office tradition?
• What do you think is the most exciting thing about the company’s future?
• Where have successful employees moved on to?

Questions About the Company’s Past and Future

Asking questions about the company’s history and future can help you get a better sense of its trajectory and long-term goals. These are important questions to ask since your career’s future will become intertwined with the company’s once you get hired. Make sure to ask questions that will help you determine if the company’s long-term goals are aligned with yours. Here are examples:

• What are the company’s future plans/goals?
• How has the company addressed a challenge in the past?
• How does the company stay competitive in the industry?
• How has the company changed since you joined?
• In your opinion, what is the company’s main competitive advantage?

Questions About the Hiring Process

If it has not been discussed with you, you may consider asking some questions about the next steps of the hiring process. These questions can help you manage your expectations, so you know how long to wait before sending a follow-up email after the interview:

• Is there anything about my resume or background that makes you question my suitability for the job?
• What happens after I leave the interview today?
• When can I expect to hear from you?

How Many Questions Can You Ask a Hiring Manager?

We have listed a lot of good interview questions to ask hiring managers, but you cannot ask them all. Hiring managers typically have full schedules, or they may have another candidate interview lined up after yours. So, be mindful of how much time is available before asking all your questions.

How do you decide how many questions to ask?

The safest number of questions to prepare is three to five. You may want to stick to three if the interview is short, but you may ask more questions in a longer interview.

In some cases, the hiring manager may address some of your questions during the discussion. So, it’s better to prepare more than the amount you intend to ask.

However, make sure to prioritize the questions that you deem are most important so you can ask them.

Questions You Should Never Ask During an Interview

Ideally, the hiring manager is open to questions to help you understand the company and manage your expectations. However, there are questions that are inappropriate to ask a hiring manager and may negatively affect your chances of getting hired. Here are the things you should never ask in an interview:

Questions About Information Available on the Internet

Avoid asking questions that are already available on the Internet, such as what the company does, its clients, or its competition. Most companies provide ample details on their websites, which you are expected to have browsed prior to the interview.

Asking questions like these can make it look like you did not do your research about the company. This can raise questions about your abilities and, especially, your seriousness about the position.

Questions About Money and Benefits

Typically, compensation packages are discussed once there is a job offer. Before that, it is considered inappropriate to ask about pay and benefits. It may make you look conceited for assuming that you will be offered the job or like someone who only cares about money.

While these things are important, it is better to hold off any questions about money and benefits.

Questions About Gossip

If you have encountered a piece of unconfirmed news, these are probably not the best questions to ask a hiring manager during the interview. However, if possible, you may try to phrase the question in a way that’s not confrontational or judgmental.

Always phrase your question from a place of curiosity. Instead of asking about the details, try directing your question toward the main topic or issue. For example, if you want to ask about negative ratings about the company, you may ask, “I read a review about your company that said …, could you tell me about that?”

With an open approach with a company that values transparency, you may have an opportunity for an honest dialogue about what happened from their point of view and how they handled the situation.

Bringing up gossip or news about the company’s issues is a truly risky movie. However, with the right approach, such questions may help you better gauge the company’s culture.

Get Your Foot in the Right Door with Resumeble

The interview process is a great opportunity for both candidates and employers to get to know each other and determine their compatibility. Ask the hiring manager the right questions to help you decide if you would want to work with their company.

But remember that landing your dream job starts with attracting the right company with an optimized resume. Get a free resume review from Resumeble’s skilled writers and start building a resume that will impress the right employer.