# Questions to ask in an interview and which ones to skip

> The best questions to ask in a job interview, sorted by interviewer and by what you want to learn, plus the ones to hold until later and scripts for closing.

- Canonical URL: https://jobbie.bot/blog/questions-to-ask-in-an-interview
- Topic: [Interviews](https://jobbie.bot/guides/interviews)
- Published by [Jobbie](https://jobbie.bot/) · Updated 2026-10-06 · 8 min read

Prepare at least five questions and expect to ask two or three. The strongest are about the work itself, how success is measured, the people you would work with and what happens next. Match them to the person in front of you: a recruiter knows the process, a hiring manager knows the expectations, and a future colleague knows what the job is like day to day. Hold questions about benefits and perks until an offer is close.

## Key takeaways

- Always have questions. Declining to ask is widely read as a lack of interest.
- Prepare at least five, so you still have some left when others are answered along the way.
- Ask each interviewer what only they can tell you.
- Ask open questions, and nothing that a minute on the company’s website would answer.
- Save benefits, perks and promotion timelines for the offer stage, unless the employer raises them first.
- Finish by asking about next steps and timing.

## Why your questions matter

MIT’s career office is blunt about it: candidates are expected to arrive with several questions and to ask them when invited, which usually happens near the end. Career centers at Yale and UC Santa Barbara both warn that having none signals disinterest. Princeton’s adds that the interviewer is using the moment to judge whether you researched the organization and listened during the conversation.

The questions also serve you. As Binghamton University’s career center puts it, the interview is a two-way street, and you are deciding whether this employer fits your needs. Good questions do three jobs at once: they get you information you need, they show how you think, and they surface what the employer cares about, which you can then speak to.

## Questions to ask, by interviewer

| Interviewer | What they know best | Questions worth asking |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Recruiter or HR screener | The hiring process and the outline of the role | “What does the process look like from here, and what is the timeline?” “Why is this position open?” “What does the hiring manager most want in the person they hire?” |
| Hiring manager | Expectations, priorities and how they manage | “What would you want me to have accomplished in the first six months?” “What is the hardest part of this job?” “How do you give feedback, and how often?” |
| Future colleague | Daily reality and how the team works | “What does a typical week look like for you?” “What do you wish you had known when you started?” “When someone is stuck, how do they get help?” |
| Executive or senior leader | Direction and why this team matters | “What are the priorities for the next year, and where does this team fit?” “A year from now, what would make you say this hire was a success?” |

When several people interview you together, direct one question to each of them by name. [Panel interview tips](https://jobbie.bot/blog/panel-interview-tips) covers the rest of that format. The mix also changes by round. Early on, stay with the role and the process. By the [final interview](https://jobbie.bot/blog/final-interview), move to priorities, direction and anything you still need to know in order to decide.

## Questions to ask, by what you want to learn

| You want to know | Ask |
| --- | --- |
| What the work really is | “Which projects would I start on?” “How is the time in this role divided between the main responsibilities?” |
| How you will be judged | “How is performance measured in this role?” “What do the people who do well here have in common?” |
| Who you will work with | “Who would I work with most closely?” “How would you describe your management style?” |
| Whether you can grow | “Where have people who held this role gone on to?” “How do people on the team learn new skills?” |
| Where the team is heading | “What is the team’s biggest goal this year?” “How has the team changed in the past year?” |
| What the pace is like | “What does a busy period look like, and how often does one come around?” |

One more type is worth preparing: a question that shows your research. Take something specific you learned about the employer and ask how it affects the team. It proves you prepared without your having to say so.

## Which questions to skip, and when to ask them instead

| Question | Why to wait | When to ask |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Salary, bonuses and raises | Raised by you early on, it can look as if pay is your main interest | When the employer brings it up, or at the offer. If you are asked first, see [salary expectations](https://jobbie.bot/blog/salary-expectations) |
| Benefits, vacation and perks | Valid and important, but premature before they have decided they want you | At the offer stage, in writing, as part of [evaluating the job offer](https://jobbie.bot/blog/evaluate-a-job-offer) |
| “How soon could I be promoted?” | Suggests you want the next job, not this one | Any time, reworded: “Where have people in this role gone on to?” |
| “What does your company do?” | Shows you did not prepare | Never. Ask a deeper version based on what you read |
| Questions with a yes or no answer | They end the conversation | Reword them to begin with what, how or why |
| “Did I get the job?” | Puts the interviewer on the spot | Ask about next steps and timing |

The advice to wait comes from several career centers. Yale’s lists salary, benefits and schedule flexibility as topics to avoid in the interview, and Binghamton’s calls questions about pay, benefits, perks and promotion timelines premature if raised too early, while noting that they are valid and important.

There is one sensible exception. Confirming a fact that decides whether you can take the job at all, such as the work location, the shift or the number of days on site, is reasonable to do with the recruiter early. That is checking the basics, not negotiating.

## Scripts for the end of the interview

```Closing: next steps and timing
Thank you, this has been really helpful. What happens after today, and roughly when will you decide? And who should I get in touch with if I have a question in the meantime?
```

Princeton’s career center recommends leaving with exactly these three things: the next step, the expected timeframe and a way to get back in touch.

```When your questions have already been answered
You've covered most of what I planned to ask, including [topic] and [topic]. One thing I'd still like to hear about is [question].
```

This is better than “No, I think you’ve covered everything,” because it shows you came prepared.

```Showing your research
I read that [recent development at the company]. How is that changing what this team works on?
```

A question like this shows preparation and hands the interviewer a subject they know well.

```Checking for concerns (optional)
Is there anything about my background that gives you pause, or that I could clarify before we finish?
```

Use the last one only with a hiring manager and only when the conversation has gone well. It gives you a chance to answer a doubt before you leave the room, but be ready to hear the answer.

## How to ask your questions well

1. **Write them down and bring the list.** Referring to notes at this point looks prepared, not forgetful.
2. **Put the most important question first.** Interviews run over, and you may only get one.
3. **Listen to the answer.** A short follow-up based on what you just heard is worth more than the next question on your list.
4. **Take notes.** You will use the answers in your [thank-you email](https://jobbie.bot/blog/thank-you-email-after-interview) and again when you compare offers.
5. **Watch the clock.** Two or three questions is usually right. If the interviewer is checking the time, ask about next steps and stop.

Your questions are one part of [preparing for the interview](https://jobbie.bot/blog/interview-preparation). The research you do for them will improve your answers too.

## Frequently asked questions

### How many questions should you ask at the end of an interview?

Ask two or three, and prepare at least five. Career centers at Binghamton University and UC Santa Barbara both recommend preparing at least five so that you have more than you need, since some are usually answered during the conversation. If time is short, ask your most important question and then ask about next steps.

### Is it OK to bring a list of questions to an interview?

Yes. A written list shows preparation, and nobody expects you to memorize your questions. Keep it on a notepad with space to write down the answers. Glance at it when the interviewer invites your questions; do not read from it word for word.

### Can you ask about salary in a first interview?

It is better not to raise it yourself in a first interview. Several university career centers advise leaving pay and benefits until the employer brings them up or an offer is being discussed. If the interviewer asks about your expectations, answer; that is their invitation to talk about it.

### What should you ask if all your questions were answered?

Say which topics were covered, so the interviewer knows you had them prepared, then ask one more. Good fallbacks are a follow-up on something they said, a question about their own experience at the company, or what the first few weeks in the role would involve.

### What is the best question to ask a hiring manager?

“What would you want me to have accomplished in the first six months?” is hard to beat. It shows you are thinking about results, it reveals what the manager cares about most, and the answer gives you material for the rest of the interview and your thank-you note.

## Sources

- [MIT Career Advising & Professional Development: Questions to Ask an Interviewer](https://capd.mit.edu/resources/questions-to-ask-interviewer/): the expectation that candidates ask several questions, and categories of questions.
- [Princeton University Center for Career Development: Interview Guide](https://careerdevelopment.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf1041/files/media/interview_guide_5.pdf): what your questions show the interviewer, saving benefits for the offer, and the three things to know before you leave.
- [Binghamton University Fleishman Center: Questions to Ask Employers & Graduate/Professional School Interviewers](https://careertools.binghamton.edu/resources/ace-your-interview-questions-to-ask-employers/): preparing at least five questions and holding pay, benefits, perks and promotion timelines until later.
- [UC Santa Barbara Career Services: Anticipate Key Questions](https://career.ucsb.edu/get-hired/interviews-and-offers/anticipate-key-questions): preparing at least five questions, avoiding yes-or-no questions, and how declining to ask is interpreted.
- [Yale Office of Career Strategy: The Behavioral Interview](https://ocs.yale.edu/channels/the-behavioral-interview/): avoiding questions answerable by basic research and questions about salary, benefits and schedule flexibility.