Questions to Ask the Interviewer

What are good questions to ask the interviewer?

In an interview, it’s important to be able to ask good questions in addition to providing good answers. Typically, at the end of an interview, the interviewer will ask the candidate if they have any questions for them. It’s important to capitalize on this opportunity and demonstrate that you’re well prepared, curious, and can engage in a good dialogue. This guide will look at examples of good questions to ask the interviewer.

Questions to ask the interviewer can be broken down into a few categories:

1. The company
2. The job
3. The person interviewing you
4. Current events
5. Competitors and the business model

Company questions to ask the interviewer

• What do you like best about working at the company?
• Are there any challenges to working at this company you think I should know about?
• Can you please describe the company culture in more detail?
• What is the dynamic like between the company’s board of directors, shareholders, executives, and employees?
• Can you please share some information about the company’s financial position and performance (if it’s a private company; if it’s a public company, look this up in advance)
• What type of people typically succeed at this company?

Job-related questions to ask the interviewer

• Why did this job opening come up?
• How will success be defined for this position?
• What do you think is most exciting about being in this position?
• What are the biggest challenges I would face in this role?
• How does this role interact with other departments in the company?

Personal questions to ask the interviewer

• Why did you join this company?
• What has your personal career path at this company been like?
• What makes you want to keep working here?
• What has contributed to your success here?
• Do you have any advice for me?

Questions to ask the interviewer about current events

This section allows you to demonstrate you’re on top of what’s going on and have done your research.

• How are recent political decisions impacting the company?
• How is regulation impacting your business?
• What are the biggest political, economic, social, or technological forces impacting the company?
• How has the recent New York Times article on your company impacted business?

Questions to ask the interviewer about competitors

This can be the section to show the deepest level of insight. If you can go beyond just the company itself and look at the competition, it can be a huge advantage.

• Who are your biggest competitors (and list the ones you know)?
• How do you differentiate from the competition?
• What do you do better than the competition?
• What does the competition do better than you?
• What are the company’s strategic objectives?
• Can you please talk more about the company’s mission and vision?

Research and preparation

It’s best to start preparing for your interview as soon as you know you’ve been selected for one. Start by going to the company’s website, reading any news you can find on them, looking into the competition, checking out their social media accounts, and even consider purchasing some of their products or services, if appropriate.

Being prepared will help you make the above questions to ask the interviewer more targeted and informed. If you don’t have time to prepare, these questions are designed to be generic enough that you can ask them at almost any company or job opportunity.

Additional resources

Thank you for reading CFI’s guide to asking good questions in an interview.

CFI is the leading provider of the global Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA)® certification program, designed to help anyone become a world-class financial analyst. To keep learning and advancing your career, the following resources will be helpful:

• Interview Tips – How to Interview Well
• Interpersonal Skills
• Listening Skills
• Emotional Intelligence
• See all career resources