17 Impressive Questions to Ask in a Job Interview
Tried and true questions for interviewers that will set you apart from the pack.
Updated: August 20, 2022
I just completed a grueling five months of interviews until I recently landed the job of my dreams (so cliche, I know—vomit in your petit desk trash can and keep reading).
Interviewing is already exhausting. If you’re anything like me, you spend time preparing for the interview by reviewing the job description, researching the company, and internet-stalking the interview panel. That work is tedious and time-consuming, but in my opinion, it can’t be avoided.
The one thing that saved me time throughout this entire process was mapping out my questions for the interviewers ahead of time. I’ve gotten the comment with raised eyebrows, “that’s a great question,” more times than I can count from these.
So here you are, my friends, I won’t need these for a while. Take good care of them. You can access the printable google doc here. Disclaimer; I never ask an interviewer all of these questions. Depending on the role of the interviewer, I usually choose 4-5 questions ahead of time.
Role & responsibilities
Talk to me about the 30/60/90 day plan. What are the most important things you want this person to accomplish in their first few months with the company and in the role?
Are the projects for this role already established for the year?
What team (or client or person) does this position have the most opportunity to build meaningful connections with right now?
Goals & expectations
What are the KPIs/OKRs for this role, and/or how do you measure success?
What is the north star for the company right now?
What does success look like for you and the team?
Challenges
What is currently working well for this role, and what are some pain points?
If you could wave a magic wand and fix one process, what would it be?
Opportunities
What is an easy win that we are not taking because of bandwidth?
Culture
What makes you stay?
What is the biggest challenge integrating into the company as a new hire?
Is there anything I wasn’t smart enough to ask you or that you would like to share with me about the company, culture, or role?
Competition & differentiation
Who would you say we most often lose out on business from in terms of competition, and why?
What would you say are our biggest differentiators as a company?
What would you like to see the biggest change be to the (insert here) organization in the next two years?
Team
What team does this position have the most opportunity to build meaningful connections with right now?
Can you tell me a little bit more about the team structure? Are their peers doing similar work? How do these teams work together? Is it meeting heavy or more individually focused?
If you’d like to see more lists like this or have other questions about my interview experience, drop me a line below or on my contact page!
