Questions to ask at the end of an interview

Every interview ends the same way. The recruiter closes the notebook, leans back and asks: "Do you have any questions for us?"

Most candidates hear it as a formality and say "No, I think you covered everything." That answer is not neutral. It tells the recruiter you have not thought about what working there would actually be like — and it hands away the last impression of the interview, which is the one they remember when they write their notes.

What this question is really testing

The recruiter is not waiting for information. They are checking three things.

Questions that earn points

You need three, prepared in advance. You will usually ask two, because one will have been answered during the interview.

About the role

• "What would a good first three months look like for the person in this position?"
• "What is the hardest part of this job that does not appear in the job description?"
• "Is this a new position, or is someone leaving it? What did they do well?"

The first one is the strongest question you can ask in almost any interview. It makes the recruiter describe you succeeding in the role — out loud.

About the team

• "Who would I work with day to day, and how does the team usually split the work?"
• "How does the team give feedback — in regular one-to-ones, or as things come up?"

About the recruiter's own experience

• "What made you stay at this company?"

People enjoy answering this one, and the answer tells you more about the culture than the careers page ever will.

To close

• "Is there anything in my profile that makes you hesitate? I would rather answer it now."

Tip

This takes nerve, and it is worth it. If there is a doubt, you get the chance to address it while you are still in the room, instead of discovering it in a rejection email.

Questions that cost points

Avoid

• Anything answered on their website. "What does the company do?" proves you did not prepare.
• Salary, leave and working hours — in a first interview. They matter, and you will discuss them. But opening with them suggests they are the only thing you care about. Wait until they raise it, or until the offer stage. When it does come up, the salary expectations guide walks through what to say.
• "Did I get the job?" It puts the recruiter in an awkward position and they cannot answer it. Ask about the next steps instead.
• Yes-or-no questions. "Do you use Agile?" gets a one-word answer and a silence. "How does a project go from idea to delivery here?" gets a conversation.
• Ten questions. Two or three is the right number. Watch the time: if the interview has already run long, one sharp question is better than three rushed ones.

Always end with the next steps

Whatever else you ask, finish with this one:

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

Do this

It is not pushy — it is organised. And it gives you a date, so you know when a follow-up message is appropriate rather than guessing.

Adapt to who is in front of you

The same question does not work on everyone.

Practise the ending, not just the answers

Candidates rehearse their answers and improvise the ending — so the last two minutes, the ones the recruiter remembers, are the least prepared part of the interview.

A mock interview is the easiest place to fix that. On Talk2Hire, every interview ends the way a real one does, and you get feedback on the whole conversation, closing included.

Read next: the most common interview questions and the STAR method, with examples.