Questions worth asking the interviewer, and the ones to hold back
The questions that make you look like a colleague, the ones that quietly cost you, and how to use the last five minutes of an interview well.
By Avowly · Last reviewed 6 November 2026 · 5 min read · How we write these
In short
- "Any questions?" is a scored question, and "no" is the wrong answer.
- Ask about the work, the team, success in the role, or something said in the room.
- Hold back pay and benefits until interest is clear, and never ask what a search answers.
- Prepare five or six, ask two or three, and always ask about next steps.
"Do you have any questions for us?" is not politeness. Interviewers often weigh your answer as part of the interview. "No, I think you covered everything" reads as low interest, and a question you could have answered with one search reads as low effort. A good question, on the other hand, is the easiest way to be remembered well in the final five minutes.
What a good question does
A good question does one of two things: it shows you have been listening, or it shows you are already thinking about doing the job rather than getting it. It is also a question you actually want answered, because you are deciding too.
Ask these
Future colleague- What would the first three months look like?
- What separates doing this job well from merely doing it?
- You mentioned the new system. How does it change this role?
- What are the next steps, and when will I hear?
Hold these back
Wrong moment- Anything one search would answer
- Pay and leave in the first interview
- Did I get the job?
- A challenge that puts them on the defensive
Prepare five or six so that two or three survive being answered during the interview.
Questions that work
About the work itself. "What would the first three months of this role look like?" and "What separates someone who does this job well from someone who merely does it?" show you are picturing yourself in the seat.
About the team. "How does the team split this kind of work today?" and "Who would I work with most closely?" are the questions of a future colleague, not an applicant.
About what you heard. The strongest questions are built in the room: "You mentioned the move to the new system earlier. How is that changing this role?" Nothing signals listening better.
Before
What's the company culture like?
After
You mentioned the new chat channel launching in spring. Will this team move across to it or stay on calls, and who decides?
Why it works: The chat channel came from something the interviewer said earlier on. A question built on their own words proves he was listening, and the answer tells him what the job will really be.
About success. "If I am doing well after a year, what will that look like to you?" invites the interviewer to imagine you succeeding, which is exactly the picture you want them left with.
Before
No, I think you've covered everything.
After
Actually, one: what would someone in this role need to have done by the end of the first year for you to call it a success?
Why it works: Nothing new is claimed; she simply kept one question back. Even when the list is used up, a question about success keeps the conversation going and leaves the interviewer picturing her in the job.
Questions to hold back
Anything a search answers. What the company does, how big it is, what it sells. Asking it tells them you did not look.
Salary, leave and benefits in the first interview. They matter, and they get their moment, which is once interest is clear or an offer is near. The guide on negotiating salary after an offer covers when and how that conversation goes best. If the interviewer raises pay first, answer plainly; raising it yourself in round one changes what the conversation is about.
Perks such as meals, discounts and parking belong to the same later moment. Ask about the work instead, and the perks will come up with the offer.
Before
Do staff get free meals and discounts?
After
How is the kitchen split between breakfast, banqueting and the restaurant, and where would I spend most of my week?
Why it works: The three areas came from the job advert. The perks can wait for the offer stage; this question asks about the work, and the answer helps him decide whether he wants it.
"Did I get the job?" It puts the interviewer on the spot and cannot be answered. Ask about the process instead: "What are the next steps, and when should I expect to hear?" That one is always safe, always useful, and gives you the timeline that makes following up easy.
Anything that interrogates. A challenge about a bad review or a rumour belongs to a later stage, if anywhere. The last five minutes are not the place to put the interviewer on the defensive.
How many, and how to carry them
Prepare five or six so that three survive being answered during the interview itself. Asking two or three is plenty. Write them down and bring them: reading from notes at this stage looks prepared, not weak.
Listen to the answers. A question asked and then talked over is worse than none, and the answers are also your data: you are choosing whether you want this job, not only whether they want you. The same preparation session that covers tell me about yourself is the right moment to write these.
Common questions
- Is it bad to write my questions down?
- No. Bringing three prepared questions on paper or on your phone reads as organized. Fumbling to invent one on the spot is the weaker look.
- What if every question I prepared was answered during the interview?
- Say exactly that, name one answer that was useful, and ask the next-steps question: "You actually covered my list, and the part about the new system was especially helpful. What are the next steps from here?" Listening acknowledged, interest shown, timeline secured.
- Should I ask why the last person left?
- You can, phrased neutrally: "Is this a new role, or am I replacing someone?" It is a fair question and the answer is often informative. Push further only if the interviewer opens the door.