47 Unique Interview Questions to Ask an Employer

An interview is a chance for you and the employer to get to know each other. Use these questions to learn about the role and workplace and consider how they match your priorities.

Jump to a category:

• Job role
• Team
• Company culture and direction
• Management style
• Tools and resources
• Onboarding, growth and closing

Job role questions

Ask these unexpected questions about the job to show you want the role and have thought about how you could fit in with the company. These questions will also give you an idea of what it might be like to work in this role.

Choose a few questions based on your job priorities, and skip those already answered. These suggested topics can help you choose; interviewers' knowledge may overlap:

• Recruiter: Role background, company direction and development support.
• Hiring manager: Early expectations, success measures and tools.
• Future teammate: Daily work, collaboration and team meetings.

Adapt specialist wording to the role: “technology stack” could become “software, equipment or tools.”

1. What are your expectations for this role during the first 30 to 60 days?
2. How do you envision this role contributing to the company's long-term goals?
3. What resources are available to support professional development in this position?
4. What sets your company apart from others in the industry?
5. What does a typical day look like in this position? 
6. Can you give me examples of some successful projects others in this role have accomplished during their time working for your company? 
7. What does your company do to help navigate the challenges in this role? 
8. How has this role changed over the growth of your company? 
9. Which technology and tools would I use in this role?

Team questions

To understand how well you'll work with a team, it's important to ask the employer about their team's communication and collaboration. Here are some questions to help you get a sense of what it'll be like to join the team. 

10. What distinguishes this team from others doing similar work?
11. What is the team dynamic like, and how do team members collaborate?
12. What opportunities are there for team members to grow and advance within the team?
13. Can you share examples of successful projects the team has worked on?
14. Which team meetings or events would I be required to attend?
15. How often does the team meet with other teams? 
16. What strengths do you see me having that can contribute to the current team's dynamic? 

Company culture and direction questions

The way people work together in a company can affect how happy you feel at work. Company culture consists of the company's beliefs, values, assumptions, attitudes, and behaviors. It's important to know if a company's culture matches how you like to work. Asking about their values and what's important to them can help you decide if you'll fit in well. Here are some questions to ask to learn about the company's culture. 

17. How does the company support your professional development and personal growth?
18. How can employees raise workplace concerns, and how does the company address them?
19. What can you tell me about your new products or plans for growth?
20. How much autonomy do employees have to pursue new ideas?
21. What criteria does the company use when considering employees for advancement?
22. What are the core values and beliefs of the company?
23. How does the company integrate its values into daily operations?
24. What expectations does the company have for their employees?

Illustrative follow-up: Ask, “How does the company integrate its values into daily operations?” If the answer is broad, follow up with, “Could you share a recent example of a decision or action that put those values into practice?”

Management style questions

Knowing how your boss manages can tell you a lot about how they'll help you in your job. Here are some questions you can ask your boss about how they manage their team.

25. How would you describe your management style?
26. How does management receive feedback from employees?
27. How does management evaluate and define success in this role?
28. Can you describe how strategic decisions are made?
29. How would I collaborate with my supervisor?
30. What are the biggest challenges you face as a manager?
31. How do you measure success for yourself and your team?

Tools and resources questions

Asking special questions about tools and resources shows that you're proactive and hands-on. Many jobs will require you to learn new software, these questions can help you find that out. Ask these questions to find out what tools are available to help you grow as an employee of the company.

32. What technology stack does the company use?
33. What resources are available to all employees working at your company?
34. Are there any tools that you feel are missing that could improve work efficiency?
35. How does the company decide on allocating resources for new tools?
36. What training programs are available to help employees stay current with technology?
37. How are project budgets determined and allocated?

Onboarding, growth and closing questions

Starting a new job can feel like a winding road with some bumps along the way. Learning about the process of joining the company can give you an idea of how quickly you’ll get used to it. Plus, asking about training shows that you're eager to succeed. Here's what to ask. 

38. Can I provide any further details that would be helpful in making your decision?
39. What does the onboarding process look like for new hires?
40. Is this a new position, or what led to the opening?
41. How do you support ongoing training and education for employees?
42. What parts of training take the longest to complete?
43. How have successful employees advanced in this company?
44. How will working in this role grow my skills?
45. Are there mentorship programs available?
46. How do employees and managers identify ongoing skill-development needs?
47. What support is available for formal education or professional qualifications?

Bonus: 5 questions an interviewer may ask you

Check out these interesting questions employers might ask you in interviews. They're designed to see if you match the job's main goals, and they include different kinds of questions about how you act and handle situations. Be sure to read them to get ready for your next interview!

These five interviewer-to-candidate prompts are a bonus, separate from the 47 questions you can ask an employer.

• We've asked a lot of questions and read over your resume but no matter how thorough we think we are, we are going to miss a lot. What is something you would want us to know about you that we can't find out through an interview, or just have not covered in this process?
• Is there anything you wanted to tell me that hasn't come up yet, or a question you hoped I would ask?
• What are some people’s misconceptions about you?
• Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 at [skill].
• Can you tell me about a project that required significant preparation on your part? What steps did you take to ensure success?

Always ask questions

Asking questions gives you a chance to learn about the role and workplace. Use the answers to consider whether the job matches what matters to you.

Take a moment to think about what you're looking for in a job and compare it to this list of unique questions. Choose questions that help you assess your priorities, then reflect on the answers after the interview.