Interview Questions to Ask the Interviewer

Every candidate wants to do well when they go for a job interview, but one of the other key factors to landing the job, other than responding to the questions well, is asking the right questions at the end of the interview. You want to make sure that the questions you ask are relevant to the job and make sense to ask the company.

In this blog, we’ll discuss some common interview questions that you can ask at the end of your interview.

What kinds of training and development opportunities does the company offer?

Often times, people leave their jobs because there’s no career progression, so if this is a company that you want to invest in and stay in long term, this is a good question to ask. With career progression comes enhancing your skills and training, and without it, you may stay stagnant in your career path.

It’s in the best interest of the interviewer to respond with detail and with confidence, so you know what you’re getting yourself into and what kind of options you may have if you get hired. It also shows that you’re interested in the company and can see yourself investing your skills and time for their purpose.

What is the career progression potential at your company?  

Similar to the previous question, this involves the potential longevity of you working for this business. It shows that you’re a candidate who’s willing to put in effort and really make the company thrive. The interviewer might bring up how you can apply for internal job postings.

Ask for examples of people who’ve progressed within the company — and if you’re fascinated with their stories, ask how much time it took them and what extra efforts they took to get there. If the company isn’t large enough to have many higher-up roles, they may talk about how you can grow your salary or take on more responsibilities.

What is your personal management style? 

This is a good question to ask if it hasn’t already been brought up in the interview (or you can ask a follow up question regarding this that’s specific to you). The interviewer should explain how the company manages their employees, in detail and with examples.

It’s best if the person you will directly be reporting to is in the interview, then they will be able to answer first-hand what their management style is like. While they may have a particular style, look to see if they’re flexible and how they work with employees’ working styles. It can be a good indicator of whether or not you’ll work well with your direct supervisor, or how you might have to adapt if you take the job.

How would you describe the ideal candidate? 

While this is a common question that most, if not all, candidates will ask, you can’t go wrong with this one. It’s one of the questions that really implies that you’re interested in this position and are willing to work hard so you can attain the qualities or habits that the company is interested in. You’ll also see where you fit within the company culture, or have insight as to what it might be like based on the answer that the interviewer provides you.

Do you offer remote work? 

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work for the foreseeable future. If it’s viable for the job you’re interviewing for, there’s no harm in asking this question. Companies are being more flexible with the amount of time employees have to spend at their brick and mortar locations, so if remote work is something that you’re interested in or might have to do for one reason or another, be sure to ask.

Why did the previous job holder leave the job/organization? 

This might give insight on what the job entails or what working at the company was like — but of course every interviewer is going to make the company look good, while also being honest. It’s good to know what happened with the person before (were they fired, did they quit, were they promoted?).

See what kind of answer the interviewer gives. If it’s heavily one-sided in favour of the company, this might be a red flag for you as a candidate for the position. Alternatively, the company might just be looking to expand and hire more people, in which case you can ask why they opened up more positions.

Remember, these are some general questions to give you an idea of what you’d like to ask — be sure to prepare yourself in advance and ask the appropriate questions for the type of company or organization that you are interviewing with.

Being in a job interview is not just the interviewer assessing you and whether you’d be a good fit — it’s also you assessing the company and whether or not you would like to work for them.

For more information you can learn how to set up your home office space or read more employment blogs and tips.