Questions to ask at the end of job interviews

There are no "right" questions, and there are no "right" words. Use your judgement — think, and be tactful! What do you need to know that you have not already found out, and that will help you decide if you want the job?

Here are a few questions that you could ask. You should aim to ask between one and three questions. Practise asking the questions before the interview.

• "What counts as good performance? What is not good performance?"
• "What contributes most to good performance?"
• "How do you measure performance?"
• "In what ways does the firm reward good performance?"

• "Who will supervise this position?"
• "To whom would I be responsible for my performance?"
• "What will the supervision or reporting relationship be like?"
• "With what other people would I have contact in my work?"
• "What would the nature of this contact be?"

• "Is there any introductory training before beginning in the company and what's it like?"
• "If there's no formal training at the start, how do people learn the job?"
• "What training or professional development opportunities can you offer staff?"
• "How can staff qualify to be sent to do further training?"
• "What further training/development does the firm think is important?"
• "Who pays for further education or training?"
• "Could there be some assistance for staff other than financial, eg, time off for studies?" 

• "What sort of environment would I be working in? Will it be open-plan or sharing a smaller room, or will I be by myself?"
• "Who would I be working with? What are their jobs, and what would their relationship be to me?"
• "What sort of equipment would I be supplied with? Would I get my own desk?"
• "What would a typical day be like?"
• "Will most days be similar, or will there be some variety from day to day?"
• "What will the job be like to start with?" 

• "Where do you see the firm progressing in the future?"
• "What advice do you have for progressing and gaining promotion in your firm?"
• "Are there any useful kinds of experience that I could try to get that may help my progress?"
• "What kinds of promotion are there and what could I do to qualify?" 

• Don't ask what the position pays. Leave this until you know they are interested in you. Be tactful. Mention it only when the employer is clearly interested in offering you a position, or has already done so. Ask if negotiation is possible.
• Avoid asking about things that have been covered already or that you should already know from your research.
• Avoid asking negative questions. For example, don't ask what's bad about the firm, or what staff don't like.
• Avoid focusing your questions on possible problems.
• Avoid personally awkward or embarrassing questions.