Interview questions

Your questions for the interviewer

The best questions to ask at the end of an interview, why they work and what they tell the interviewer about you.

From the interviewer's side

What the interviewer is looking for

  • That you prepared. Questions built on what you have read about the organisation show real interest, while questions the website already answers suggest the opposite.
  • That you listened. A question that picks up something said earlier in the interview is one of the strongest signals you can send.
  • That you are seriously weighing up the job. Asking about expectations, challenges and how success is judged suggests you can already picture yourself doing it.
  • Your priorities. What you choose to ask about first, whether it is the work, the team or the holidays, tells the panel what matters most to you.
  • That you see the interview as two-way. Good employers expect you to test whether the job suits you, and a fair process always leaves time for your questions.

For candidates

How to prepare

  • Prepare five or six questions, so you still have two or three left after some are answered during the interview.
  • Ask only what you genuinely want to know. The answers should help you decide whether you want the job.
  • Aim for a mix: something about the role, something about the team or culture and something about what happens next.
  • Save pay, holidays and benefits for the offer stage, unless the package was never advertised and you need to know before going further.
  • Write your questions down and take them in with you. Glancing at a notebook looks organised, not unprepared.

Do you have any questions for us?

What it tells the interviewer

This moment is still part of the interview, not the end of it. How you respond tells the interviewer how interested you are, how well you prepared and whether you have been listening. Saying "No, I think you have covered everything" can come across as low interest, even when it is really just nerves or tiredness.

Why it works

  • It gives you a last chance to show genuine interest and leave a strong final impression.
  • It turns the interview into a conversation between equals, which interviewers tend to remember.
  • It lets you find out what you need to know to decide whether you want the job.
  • It lets you close any gaps, by asking whether there is anything in your background they would like you to say more about.

How it can go wrong

  • Having no questions at all, which can suggest you are not very interested.
  • Opening with holidays, pay, working from home or how soon you could be promoted, which makes the perks sound more important to you than the work.
  • Asking something the website or the interviewer has already answered.
  • Asking so many questions that the interview overruns. Two or three is usually right.

How to ask it

  1. Prepare five or six questions in advance, and expect some to be answered along the way.
  2. On the day, choose the two or three that matter most, starting with the role or the team.
  3. If everything really has been covered, say so, then mention one thing you heard that you liked and ask a single follow-up about it.
  4. Listen to each answer and respond to it before moving on to your next question.
  5. Watch the time. If the interviewer seems pressed, ask your best question and offer to send any others by email.

How it might sound

Yes, thank you, I have a couple. You mentioned earlier that apprentices spend one day a week at college. How does the team plan the work around that, especially in busy weeks? (After their answer) That makes sense, and it is good to know there is a mentor I could go to if I was struggling to balance the two. My other question is about what comes after the apprenticeship. What have people who finished the scheme gone on to do here? (After their answer) That is really encouraging, because I would like to stay on and train further if I can. I think you have covered everything else, including the next steps. Is there anything about my application you would like me to say more about before we finish?

What does a typical day or week look like in this role?

What it tells the interviewer

It shows that you are thinking practically about doing the job, not just about getting it. Interviewers read it as a sign that you want a realistic picture before you commit, which suggests you are more likely to settle in and stay. A good follow-up also shows you can relate their answer to your own experience.

Why it works

  • It gets past the job description to how time is really spent.
  • The answer helps you judge whether you would enjoy the work from one day to the next.
  • It invites the interviewer to picture you in the role.
  • It often brings out things the advert did not mention, such as paperwork, travel or on-call duties.

How it can go wrong

  • Asking it straight after the interviewer has described the role in detail.
  • Asking it as a stock question and then not reacting to the answer.
  • Using the answer to complain about parts of the job that were clearly in the advert.

How to ask it

  1. Make it specific: mention something from the job description and ask how it fits into a normal week.
  2. Listen for how time is split between tasks, and which parts are fixed and which vary.
  3. Follow up by linking what you hear to your own experience.
  4. If something surprises you, ask about it calmly. It is better to know now.

How it might sound

The advert mentions both one-to-one support and helping people take part in activities in the community. Could you tell me what a typical week looks like, and roughly how the time splits between the two? (After their answer) That is helpful, thank you. It sounds as if the mornings are quite structured, with personal care and medication, and the afternoons are more flexible. In my current job at a day centre, the afternoons are my favourite part, because that is when you really get to know people, so I like the sound of that. Could I also ask how weekends work on the rota? I am happy to do my share. I would just like to picture what a normal month looks like.

What would success look like in the first six months?

What it tells the interviewer

It tells the interviewer that you are focused on doing well and making a difference early, not just on getting through your probation period. It also shows that you would rather understand their expectations than guess at them, which is how good employees think.

Why it works

  • The answer tells you exactly what you would be judged on, often in more detail than the job description.
  • It shows ambition in a way that is about the work, not about you.
  • It gives you a natural chance to reply with a real example of delivering something similar.
  • If the interviewer struggles to answer, that tells you something too: expectations for the role may be unclear.

How it can go wrong

  • Following it with nothing, as if you asked only because it was on a list.
  • Arguing with the answer, or saying the targets sound unrealistic.
  • Turning it into a question about promotion or a pay rise at six months.

How to ask it

  1. Ask it plainly, and be ready to note down the answer.
  2. Listen for the specifics: targets, relationships to build, problems to fix or systems to learn.
  3. Reply with a short, real example that shows you have done something similar.
  4. If probation comes up, ask how progress is reviewed and how often.

How it might sound

If I were to join, what would success look like for me in the first six months? (After their answer) Thank you, that is really clear. So the priorities are getting to know the team, bringing down the backlog of repairs and rebuilding trust with tenants who have been waiting a long time. That is very close to what I walked into in my current role. When I took over the team, we had around three hundred overdue jobs, and within five months we had halved that by sorting jobs by urgency every morning and giving each tenant a named contact. How would my progress be reviewed during that time? Is there a regular check-in with you, or a formal review at the end of probation?

How would you describe the team and the way it works?

What it tells the interviewer

It tells the interviewer that you care about the people you would work with and how you would fit in, not just about the tasks. It also signals that you know a good team makes a real difference, and that you are already thinking about what you could add to it.

Why it works

  • The answer says a lot about the culture: how people communicate, how decisions are made and how mistakes are handled.
  • It shows you value teamwork and want to fit in with how things are done.
  • How comfortably the interviewer answers is useful information in itself.
  • It gives you an opening to mention what you would bring to the team.

How it can go wrong

  • Asking in a way that sounds as if you are hunting for problems, such as "Is there a lot of conflict in the team?"
  • Asking only about social events or perks.
  • Ignoring the answer and moving straight on to your next question.

How to ask it

  1. Ask openly, then listen for specifics: how big the team is, how people share the work and how they communicate.
  2. If the answer is vague, ask a gentle follow-up, such as how the team got through its last busy period or what the people who do well there have in common.
  3. Link what you hear to how you like to work, honestly.
  4. Notice what is left unsaid, as well as what is said.

How it might sound

Could you tell me a bit about the team and how you work together day to day? (After their answer) That sounds like a close team. I noticed you said technicians and pharmacists check each other's work, rather than it only going one way. I like that, because in my current hospital the best shifts are the ones where anyone can raise a concern, whatever their grade. What do the people who do really well in the team have in common? (After their answer) That is good to hear. Staying calm when the dispensary is under pressure is something I have worked hard on, and I would be glad to help with training newer technicians as well, because I enjoyed doing that in my last post.

What are the biggest challenges facing the team right now?

What it tells the interviewer

It tells the interviewer that you are realistic and ready to help solve problems, not expecting everything to be easy. It suggests you are already imagining how you could contribute, which is exactly what they want to picture.

Why it works

  • It shows maturity: every team has challenges, and you want to know about them.
  • The answer gives you an honest view of the job that no advert will.
  • It gives you a natural opening to explain how your experience could help.
  • An open, specific answer is a good sign about the organisation, and a guarded one may be worth noting.

How it can go wrong

  • Asking it in a way that sounds as if you are after gossip or problems with the manager.
  • Replying that you would fix everything quickly.
  • Criticising how the team has handled the challenge so far.

How to ask it

  1. Ask it with genuine curiosity, ideally linked to something you have read about the organisation or its sector.
  2. Listen closely, and do not jump in too quickly with solutions.
  3. Respond with one relevant, modest example of how you have dealt with something similar.
  4. Keep your tone humble: you are offering to help, not claiming to have all the answers.

How it might sound

I read that the charity is moving more of its fundraising online now that events bring in less. What would you say are the biggest challenges facing the team right now? (After their answer) That is really useful, thank you. It sounds as if the hardest part is keeping regular donors involved now that there are fewer chances to meet them face to face. I would not pretend to have the answer, but on my final-year placement at a hospice, I helped put together a monthly email for regular givers, with short stories from the wards, and fewer people cancelled their donations that year. I would be really interested in helping with something like that here. How is the team approaching it at the moment?

What are the next steps, and when can I expect to hear from you?

What it tells the interviewer

It tells the interviewer that you are organised, serious about the job and keen to move forward. Asked calmly at the end, it comes across as professional rather than pushy.

Why it works

  • You leave knowing what happens next, instead of waiting and wondering.
  • It helps you plan, especially if you have other interviews or an offer elsewhere.
  • It gives you a natural moment to say again that you want the role.
  • Good employers expect the question, and should tell you the next steps anyway.

How it can go wrong

  • Asking "So, have I got the job?", which puts the interviewer on the spot.
  • Pressing for a decision there and then.
  • Asking it first, before any questions about the job itself.

How to ask it

  1. Ask it last, after your questions about the role and the team.
  2. Note the answer: the timescale, whether there is another stage and who will contact you.
  3. Use the moment to thank them and say, briefly and sincerely, that you are keen on the role.
  4. If the date passes with no word, one short, polite email to follow up is fine.

How it might sound

Thank you, that has answered everything I wanted to ask about the role. Could I ask what the next steps are, and when I might hear from you? (After their answer) That is great, thank you. So you are finishing interviews this week and hope to let people know by Wednesday, with a short trial shift in the store for anyone going through to the next stage. I would really welcome that. Having seen the store and met you both today, I am even keener on the role than when I applied, especially the chance to look after the new homeware section. If I have any questions in the meantime, is it best to contact you directly?