# Questions to ask the interviewer, round by round > “Do you have any questions for us?” is coming. Pick the round and get questions worth asking, with what a good answer sounds like. | | | | --- | --- | | What you bring | The interview round, and what you want to find out | | Price | Free | | Rendered page | https://atsprep.com/tools/questions-to-ask-interviewer | | This document | https://atsprep.com/tools/questions-to-ask-interviewer.md | Questions to ask the interviewer for the phone screen, hiring manager, panel, final round or HR, with what a good answer sounds like. Copy them free. ## All 73 questions, by round ### Phone screen with a recruiter The recruiter knows the process, the pay range and what the manager asked for. Ask about those, not the details of the work. #### What the job really is - **Why is this role open: is it new, or is someone moving on?** Tells you whether you'd be building something new or picking up someone else's work. Good sign: A clear story: the team is growing, or the last person was promoted or moved teams. Watch for: A vague answer, or the third hire for the same seat in two years. - **Roughly how is a normal week split between the main parts of this job?** Job posts list ten duties. This finds the two that fill most of the week. Good sign: Rough percentages or a typical week, with the dull parts included. Watch for: “A bit of everything”, or a split that doesn't match the posting. - **Which one or two things in the posting matter most to the hiring manager?** Tells you what to lead with in the next round, from someone who heard the brief. Good sign: A specific skill or kind of experience, ideally with the reason behind it. Watch for: “All of it.” Then nobody has decided what the job is for. #### The team and your manager - **Who would I meet in the next rounds, and what will each of them focus on?** Lets you prepare for each person instead of giving the same answers four times. Good sign: Names or job titles, and what each person is checking for. Watch for: The recruiter doesn't know who is on the panel yet. - **How big is the team, and who would I report to?** Simple, but it frames everything: one of three and one of thirty are different jobs. Good sign: A headcount, the manager's name and title, and how long they've been there. Watch for: The reporting line is “still being worked out”. - **What's the hiring manager like to work with, from what you've seen?** Recruiters deal with the manager all through hiring and see how they treat people. Good sign: Specific observations: quick to reply, clear about what they want. Watch for: A pause, then “they're very busy.” #### How success is measured - **What did the people who did well in this job have in common?** Recruiters see who gets offers and who lasts. This gets you the pattern. Good sign: Specific habits, like “they asked for feedback early” or “they knew the customer”. Watch for: A list of adjectives, or nobody has lasted long enough to say. - **Is there anything the hiring manager will look for that you didn't see on my resume?** The recruiter knows the brief. This tells you exactly what to prepare for next. Good sign: A specific gap you can cover with an example in the next round. Watch for: They can't say what the manager wants. The recruiter may not have been briefed. #### Growth and promotion - **Where have people who held this job moved on to inside the company?** Past moves are proof of a path. A promised path is only a promise. Good sign: Real examples: promoted to lead, moved into product, took over a region. Watch for: Nobody has moved up, or everyone who held it has left the company. - **When a senior job opens up here, is it usually filled from inside or outside?** Recruiters fill both kinds of opening, so they know which way the company leans. Good sign: Recent examples of people promoted into senior jobs. Watch for: Most senior jobs go to outside hires. #### How people work there - **How does the team actually split office and home days?** The policy on paper and what the team does are often two different things. Good sign: The real pattern: “Tuesdays and Thursdays in, and most people come on Wednesday too.” Watch for: “It's flexible” with no detail, or a policy that changed last month. - **What do people who join from outside find hardest about working here?** Recruiters hear this from new starters. It tells you about the culture fast. Good sign: A specific, honest answer, like “decisions take longer than people expect”. Watch for: “Nothing, everyone loves it.” #### Red flags to rule out - **What's the salary range for this role, so I can check we're aligned early?** Asking early saves you four rounds for an offer you'd turn down. Good sign: A real range, and whether there's a bonus or equity on top. Watch for: Refusing to share any range at all, even a wide one. - **What's the timeline from here to an offer, and how many rounds are left?** You can plan your other applications around it and follow up on the right day. Good sign: A number of rounds and a rough date for a decision. Watch for: No idea, or a process that keeps adding rounds. - **How many people have held this job in the last three years?** A seat that keeps emptying is the clearest warning a job can give. Good sign: One or two, with clear reasons for each change. Watch for: A revolving door, or a reluctance to give a number. ### Interview with the hiring manager Your future boss. Ask what success looks like, how they manage and what's hard about the job. #### What the job really is - **What's the hardest part of this job that the posting doesn't mention?** Every role has a part nobody puts in the ad. Better to hear it now. Good sign: An honest answer, like a difficult client or an old system everyone works around. Watch for: “Nothing, really.” Every job has a hard part. - **If I started on Monday, what would you hand me first?** Shows what's urgent, and how ready they are for a new person. Good sign: A real task or project, with someone named to help you start it. Watch for: No plan, or a fire that nobody else wants to put out. - **Which decisions would I own, and which would come back to you?** Tells you how much room you'd really have, which no job title does. Good sign: Clear lines, like “you own the schedule, budget questions come to me”. Watch for: Everything needs sign-off, or nothing has been decided. - **What kind of person would struggle in this job?** Names the traits that clash with the work, so you can judge your own fit. Good sign: Something specific, like “someone who needs a detailed brief before starting”. Watch for: “Anyone who isn't a hard worker.” That says nothing about the job. #### The team and your manager - **How do you like to work with the people who report to you: weekly one-to-ones, written updates, something else?** You'll deal with this person more than anyone. Their habits shape your week. Good sign: A concrete routine and a reason for it. Watch for: “I'm very hands-off” on a new team, or “I like to be across everything.” - **What does the team do really well today, and where are you short?** Shows where you'd fit, and whether your strengths fill a real gap. Good sign: Specific strengths, and a gap that matches what you bring. Watch for: Only praise, or only complaints. #### How success is measured - **What would you want me to have done by the end of my first three months?** Turns the job description into targets you can picture yourself hitting. Good sign: Two or three specific outcomes, like a project delivered or a process you own. Watch for: “Just get settled in.” Nobody has thought about what the job is for. - **A year from now, how will you judge whether hiring me was the right call?** Puts the real bar on the table, in your future manager's own words. Good sign: Results you could measure, or a clear change they want to see. Watch for: Nothing concrete. Then you'll be judged on feel. - **Which numbers does this team report on, and which of them would I move?** Tells you what gets noticed higher up, and how your work shows up in it. Good sign: Named measures and how often they're reviewed. Watch for: No measures at all, or ones you could never affect. - **What separates someone who's good in this role from someone who's great?** Gives you the gap between doing the job and standing out in it. Good sign: A behaviour, like raising problems early or owning a project from start to finish. Watch for: Long hours as the main difference. - **What did the last person in this role do well, and what would you want done differently?** Shows the bar and the gaps you'd be filling, in one answer. Good sign: Fair, specific points both ways. Watch for: Every problem blamed on the last person. #### Growth and promotion - **Who on your team has grown the most in the last year, and what helped?** Asks for proof of growth rather than a promise of it. Good sign: A person or role, and something specific the manager did to help. Watch for: A long pause, or growth that happened only because someone quit. - **What would I learn here that I couldn't learn somewhere else?** Makes the manager sell the job on the work itself, not the perks. Good sign: Something specific: the scale, a type of customer or a hard problem. Watch for: An answer that would fit any company. #### How people work there - **How do you give feedback, and how often?** Tells you whether you'll hear early that you're off track, or only at review time. Good sign: Regular and direct, in one-to-ones and in the moment. Watch for: Feedback only comes at the yearly review. - **Tell me about the last time the team disagreed on something. How was it settled?** How a team handles a disagreement says more than any list of values. Good sign: A real example, settled with evidence or by a clear decision-maker. Watch for: “We never disagree”, or the loudest person always wins. #### Red flags to rule out - **How long has the team been together, and why did the last people who left move on?** People leaving is the plainest signal of how a team treats them. Good sign: A stable core, and leavers who went on to bigger jobs. Watch for: Several people gone in a year, and no clear reason. - **Is there anything about my background that makes you unsure I'd do well here?** Gives you a chance to answer a doubt in the room, before it decides the outcome. Good sign: An honest concern you can answer on the spot with an example. Watch for: “No, all good”, then a rejection. Ask it anyway: you lose nothing. - **What has changed about this role since the posting went up?** Jobs drift, and the posting may be months old. Good sign: A clear update, like a new priority or a narrower focus. Watch for: Big changes nobody has written down, or a role that's still being defined. ### Panel or team interview Future peers will tell you about the real day, the tools and the hours. Ask about their own experience. #### What the job really is - **What did yesterday look like for you, from start to finish?** A real day beats a described one, and peers will tell you. Good sign: A specific day, with the meetings and the focused work. Watch for: Back-to-back meetings with no time to do the actual work. - **Where does my work come from, and where does it go after me?** Shows who you'd depend on and who would depend on you. Good sign: A clear flow, with the teams named and a known way to hand work over. Watch for: Work arrives by surprise, or nobody knows who picks it up next. - **Which tools and systems would I use every day, and which ones do people complain about?** The complaints tell you more than the list does. Good sign: Honest grumbles, and a plan to fix the worst of them. Watch for: Everyone hates the main system and nothing is changing. #### The team and your manager - **When you get stuck, who do you go to?** Shows whether help is easy to find or people struggle alone. Good sign: Names, a team channel, or a habit of working through problems together. Watch for: “You figure it out yourself.” - **What do you wish someone had told you in your first month here?** Peers are more open than managers about what's hard at the start. Good sign: Useful, honest tips about how things really get done. Watch for: A warning they won't explain. - **Which other teams do you work with most, and how does that go?** A lot of the friction in a job comes from other teams, not your own. Good sign: Good working relationships, with a known way to sort out problems. Watch for: Constant blame between teams. #### How success is measured - **What has the team finished or fixed recently that you're proud of?** Shows what the team values and what “done well” looks like here. Good sign: A specific project, told with some pride. Watch for: Nothing comes to mind. - **How does someone here find out they're doing a good job?** Tells you whether good work gets noticed, or only mistakes do. Good sign: Regular feedback, credit in front of others, clear reviews. Watch for: “You hear about it when something goes wrong.” #### Growth and promotion - **What's the last new skill you picked up here, and how did you learn it?** Shows whether learning happens on the job or only on paper. Good sign: A concrete example, with time and support given for it. Watch for: Learning happens after hours, on their own time. #### How people work there - **What happens when a mistake reaches a customer?** The answer shows whether people own up early or hide problems. Good sign: A fix, a short write-up of what went wrong, no blame. Watch for: Someone gets named and shamed. - **When do people usually log off, and how often does that slip?** Hours on paper and real hours differ. Peers know the real ones. Good sign: Normal hours, with busy weeks that are rare and planned. Watch for: Late nights described as normal, or as proof of commitment. - **Which meetings would I be in each week, and which ones are worth it?** Meetings decide how much of the week is left for the work. Good sign: A short list, each with a clear purpose. Watch for: A packed calendar that everyone dislikes. #### Red flags to rule out - **If you could change one thing about how the team works, what would it be?** Lets them name a problem without criticising anyone. Good sign: A fair point that's already being worked on. Watch for: A long list, or a problem that's been around for years. - **How often do priorities change, and how do you hear about it?** Constant change can make good work impossible to finish. Good sign: A planning rhythm, with changes explained when they happen. Watch for: Priorities change every week and you hear about it last. - **What has kept you here, and what would make you leave?** Honest people will answer both, and the second half is the useful part. Good sign: Real reasons to stay, and a reason to leave you could live with. Watch for: A long pause, or a tired laugh. ### Second or final round Often a senior leader. Ask about the year ahead, how people grow and anything that could change the job. #### What the job really is - **What does the next year look like for this team, and where does this role fit in it?** Ties your job to the bigger plan, so you can see whether it matters. Good sign: A clear plan with this role at the centre of part of it. Watch for: The plan is unclear, or this role sits off to one side of it. #### The team and your manager - **How do the company's leaders see this team's work?** Teams that leaders value get budget, people and credit. Good sign: A team seen as central, with support behind it. Watch for: A team that keeps having to prove it should exist. - **Could I talk to someone who'd be my peer before I decide?** If they say yes, you get an honest view. If they say no, that's an answer too. Good sign: A quick yes and an introduction. Watch for: Reluctance to let you speak to anyone on the team. #### How success is measured - **What would a strong first performance review say about me?** Lets you hear the bar in the words a review will actually use. Good sign: Specific outcomes and behaviours. Watch for: A vague hope that you'll “fit in”. - **What's the company's biggest goal this year, and how does this team help hit it?** Shows whether your work sits close to what the company cares about most. Good sign: A direct line from the team's work to the goal. Watch for: Nobody can draw the line. #### Growth and promotion - **If I do well, what could this role look like two years from now?** Tests whether there's room to grow, or the job stays the same. Good sign: Real options: a bigger scope, people to lead, a new area to own. Watch for: “Pretty much the same.” - **How do promotions work here: who decides, and how often?** A clear process is fairer, and easier to plan around. Good sign: A known cycle, written criteria and someone who argues your case. Watch for: “It depends.” Then it depends on who likes you. #### How people work there - **What has kept you at the company, and what has changed since you joined?** Senior people have watched the company change. Their answer shows which way it's heading. Good sign: Real reasons, and honest changes, good and bad. Watch for: Only good news, recited like a slide. - **Can you tell me about a time the company stuck to its values when it cost something?** Anyone can list values. A story shows whether they hold up under pressure. Good sign: A specific decision where they gave something up. Watch for: No example comes to mind. - **What surprised you most when you joined?** Surprises are the gap between how a company sells itself and how it works. Good sign: An honest, specific surprise, even a pleasant one. Watch for: A “surprise” that sounds like a warning. #### Red flags to rule out - **Are any changes coming to the team or the company that I should know about before I say yes?** A merger, a reorganisation or a new boss can change the job you're signing up for. Good sign: An honest heads-up, even if it's “a new director starts in March”. Watch for: A dodge on something you'll read about next month. - **How stable is this team's budget for the next year?** You may be leaving a job for this one. Its stability is fair to ask about. Good sign: A straight answer: the budget is set, or the company is funded for a stated time. Watch for: A dodge, or a recent round of cuts nobody mentions. - **What happens after today, and when should I expect to hear from you?** A clear answer means a decision is close. A vague one at the last round is a warning. Good sign: A date, and the name of the person who will contact you. Watch for: “We'll be in touch.” ### Questions for HR The right person for the contract, level, benefits, reviews and leave, so you don't spend the manager's time on them. #### What the job really is - **Is this a permanent role, and is there a probation period?** Contract terms decide how secure the job is, and they're easy to check before you sign. Good sign: Clear terms that match the posting, in writing. Watch for: Terms that differ from what the posting said. - **When do benefits start, and is there a waiting period?** A gap in health cover or pension can cost you money when you switch jobs. Good sign: Day one, or a clear date. Watch for: A long wait nobody mentioned. #### The team and your manager - **What happens in the first week: who will I meet, and what will be set up?** A planned first week is a sign of a team that's ready for you. Good sign: A schedule, a named buddy and a working laptop on day one. Watch for: “Your manager will sort that out.” #### How success is measured - **How do performance reviews work, and when would my first one be?** Tells you when your first chance at a raise or a new title comes. Good sign: A known cycle with written criteria. Watch for: Reviews are often skipped, or there's no set time for them. - **What does passing probation look like here?** Probation has a bar. Know it before you start, not in month five. Good sign: Clear goals, agreed with your manager early on. Watch for: Nobody can say what it takes. #### Growth and promotion - **What level is this role, and how does it fit into the company's levels?** The level sets your pay band and how far you are from the next step. Good sign: A named level, with a band or a written ladder. Watch for: No levels at all, or “we'll decide after the offer”. - **Is there a training budget or study time, and how do people use it?** Plenty of companies say they invest in learning. The budget shows whether they do. Good sign: A real amount or allowance, and examples of people using it. Watch for: A budget that exists but never gets approved. - **How often do people move teams or roles inside the company?** Internal moves show you can grow without having to leave. Good sign: Regular moves, with a known way to apply. Watch for: Moving teams is frowned on, or needs your manager's blessing first. #### How people work there - **How do leave, sick days and flexible hours work in practice?** The policy is one thing. Whether people use it is another. Good sign: A clear policy that people actually use. Watch for: Unlimited leave that nobody takes. - **What did the last staff survey flag, and what changed afterwards?** Plenty of companies run surveys. Acting on them is rarer. Good sign: A real issue and a real change. Watch for: Results nobody shares. #### Red flags to rule out - **Which parts of an offer are usually flexible: base pay, start date, title or leave?** Knowing what can move tells you where to push when the offer comes. Good sign: A straight answer about what can and can't change. Watch for: “Nothing is negotiable”, not even the start date. - **What checks happen before an offer is final, and how long do they take?** References and background checks can delay a start date. Don't resign until they're done. Good sign: A clear list of checks and a usual turnaround. Watch for: Checks that only come up after you've accepted. ## Questions not to ask, and what to ask instead - **What does the company do?** It tells them you didn't spend five minutes on their website. Ask instead: I read about [something from their recent news]. How does that change this team's work? - **What does it pay? (first thing, to the hiring manager)** Pay is a fair question, but the manager often doesn't set the range, and opening with it makes it your headline. Ask instead: Ask the recruiter or HR: “What's the salary range for this role, so I can check we're aligned early?” - **How soon can I get promoted?** In a first interview it sounds like you want out of the job before you've started it. Ask instead: If I do well, what could this role look like two years from now? - **Can I work from home whenever I want?** It makes being somewhere else sound like your first priority. Ask instead: How does the team actually split office and home days? - **Is there room to grow here?** A yes-or-no question gets a yes. You learn nothing. Ask instead: Who on your team has grown the most in the last year, and what helped? - **What's the worst thing about working here?** Too blunt. People get defensive and give you a polished non-answer. Ask instead: If you could change one thing about how the team works, what would it be? - **Did I get the job?** It puts them on the spot, and most panels decide together after you leave. Ask instead: What happens after today, and when should I expect to hear from you? ## How many to ask, and when - **Bring eight to ten, ask two or three:** Some will be answered before you get the chance. A longer list means you still have good ones left at the end. - **Ask each person something different:** On a day with several interviews, the panel compares notes. The same three questions to everyone reads as a script. - **Never say you have none:** “No, I think you covered everything” sounds like low interest. If your list is used up, ask a follow-up on something they said earlier. - **Ask during the interview, too:** If a question fits the conversation, ask it there. It turns an interrogation into a conversation, and your list at the end gets shorter. - **Read from your notes and write down the answers:** A list on paper or in your notes app is normal. The answers help with your thank-you email and with comparing offers later. ### Who to ask what - **Phone screen:** The process, the timeline, the pay range and what the manager cares about most. - **Hiring manager:** What success looks like, how they manage and the hardest part of the job. - **Panel or team:** The real day, the tools, the hours and how the team gets along. - **Final round:** The year ahead, how people grow and any change coming that affects the job. - **HR:** The contract, the level, when benefits start, reviews and leave. Your questions are ready. Now rehearse your answers: [Call Pip](https://atsprep.com/interview) (first call free with a free sign-in), or [practise from your job post](https://atsprep.com/tools/interview-questions). ## Questions ### What should I ask at the end of an interview? Two or three questions about the job itself: what success looks like in the first few months, the hardest part of the role and how the team works. Finish with the next steps, so you know when to expect news. Pick the round above and the picker gives you six that fit it. ### How many questions should I ask the interviewer? Bring eight to ten and expect to ask two or three. Some get answered before you have the chance, so a longer list means you still have good ones left at the end. In a day of several interviews, ask each person something different. ### What questions should I ask the hiring manager? The hiring manager will be your boss, so ask about the work and how they manage: what you'd need to get done in the first three months, the hardest part of the job, how they give feedback and why the role is open. Choose “Hiring manager” in the picker for six to start with. ### What should I ask in a second or final interview? Go wider than the job. Ask about the year ahead, how people grow from this role, how decisions get made and anything coming that could change the job, such as a reorganisation or a new product. Avoid repeating what you asked in the first round. ### What questions should I ask HR or a recruiter? The process and the practical terms: the steps and timeline, the salary range, the level, when benefits start, how reviews work and the leave policy. They're the right people for those, and it keeps the hiring manager's time for the work itself. ### Is it OK to ask about salary in an interview? Yes, with the right person and at the right time. Ask the recruiter or HR early, so you don't spend weeks on a job that can't pay what you need. Opening with pay in the hiring manager interview makes it your headline, so save it for them unless they bring it up. ### What if they've already answered all my questions? Don't say you have none. Ask a follow-up on something they said, like “You mentioned the team is growing. What would the next hire focus on?” Or say which answer helped most and ask about the next steps. ### What are good unique questions to ask an interviewer? Questions about their own experience stand out, because they can't be answered from the careers page: “What surprised you most when you joined?”, “What do you wish someone had told you in your first month here?” or “If you could change one thing about how the team works, what would it be?” ### Can I bring my list of questions into the interview? Yes. Reading from a notepad or your phone's notes is normal and shows you prepared. Write the answers down too: they help with your thank-you email and with comparing offers later. ### Is my list saved or sent anywhere? Your list is kept in this browser on this device, so it's still there on the morning of the interview. Nothing is sent to ATSPrep. A job post you paste is read in your browser and isn't saved. Open the full resume Studio: https://atsprep.com/studio ## About ATSPrep ATSPrep (https://atsprep.com) is a free resume and application workspace. Match experience to a posting, strengthen claims with evidence, and track the next action. Its PDF check shows text recovered by ATSPrep's extractor, not an employer's proprietary ATS or hiring decision. - **Price:** Free plan forever: your ATS score, every fix, job match, 5 AI edits a day and PDF downloads, with no card or watermark. Optional ATSPrep Pro ($5/month, or $24 once for 6 months) adds 300 AI edits a day, Fix all with AI, AI tailoring, Word downloads, all 7 templates and unlimited practice with Pip. - **Account:** none needed to import or edit a resume, or for its first check and 3 rechecks a day. A free sign-in is needed for PDF downloads (Word files come with ATSPrep Pro), to sync, and for more than 1 AI edit. - **Your file:** parsed and exported inside the browser. The resume file itself is never uploaded. - **Sent:** matching a job by meaning, on by default once you add a job (the lines involved). Only on a button press: AI edits (the lines involved), a job link (the link) and Pip voice calls (your speech). Never your contact details, and none of it is stored. - **Connection:** some tools load on first use and need a connection to download. Local storage is not a cloud backup. - **Accepts:** PDF, DOCX, TXT, Markdown, or pasted plain text. Start here: https://atsprep.com/studio