10 Questions to Ask a Potential Employer During Next Your Interview

If you listened to Episode 6 of Decision Associates’ “The Aha Moment” podcast, you heard us reference a list of questions to ask potential employers during your interview(s) to give you a better sense of the organizational culture to help you determine if the culture that exists aligns with what you’re looking for. Here’s that list of questions that includes some context on why you should ask them… 

  1. What was the last change that was implemented as a direct result of employee feedback? Here you’re looking for signs that this is a psychologically safe workplace. Do they listen to the feedback given by the people executing the work or is it just lip service – they hear feedback but do nothing with it?
  2. What’s something the person in this role could do within the first few months that would have the most impact? With this one, you’re looking to gain an understanding of what early wins they’re looking for in this role. If you go in understanding what they consider “success” to look like, you’re taking the guesswork out of determining what they’re looking for this person to accomplish.
  3. Think about people in this role in the past – what differentiated the good from the great? This can be beneficial for a couple of reasons, one, it helps you understand what the hiring manager is prioritizing as most important for the person in this role, and two, it helps you determine if what they define as “great” is something you want to do/are capable of doing (i.e if they say “great” is doing whatever it takes to get the job done, including working longer hours in a role that’s salaried and you aren’t willing or able to do that, it isn’t the right role for you).
  4. Can you share a story of a situation where you directly saw the organization’s core values at work? This one’s simple – do they actually live out their core values or are they just flashy words on their website?
  5. If I were to be hired for this role, what does the pre-boarding/onboarding process look like? You’re looking for two things here – structure and intention. Do they put effort into making sure your experience before you even set foot through the door is positive or does it all seem like an afterthought?
  6. If you could snap your fingers and solve one problem here (money, time, people-power are no object), what would it be? With this question, you’re getting them to speak about their organization’s “cracks.” Just like no person is perfect, no organization is perfect. Employers tend to paint a very rosy picture of their organization during the interview process, this helps you learn a bit about what isn’t working and determine if that’s a deal breaker for you.
  7. If I were to ask an employee, “what’s it like to work here,” what would they say? This question is important for two reasons, one, it gives you insight into the organization’s culture from the perspective of the people who live it every day and two, it gives you the opportunity to determine how much of a disconnect exists between the team and the leadership of the organization. If you do know someone who works there, ask them what it’s like to work there and compare the two answers.
  8. What are some personality traits that work well here? This is a simple one to help you identify what characteristics they’re looking for in their team members. It gives you insight into what’s important to them and if that aligns with what’s important to you.
  9. What do you do when there’s more work to be done than time to do it? This is an issue that most organizations have at one time or another (for some it’s a constant) so asking this question will give insight into priorities – Is it an all hands on deck daily firefighting mission at any cost or is it a recognition that this is bound to happen and when it does, you shuffle priorities as needed and trust that if the work can’t get done now, it will get done later?
  10. Tell me about the last professional development or continuing education opportunity you were part of. How did it come about — was it something you pursued personally, or part of a broader effort the company supports? This one is a must-ask especially if professional development/continuous learning is a priority for you. Their answer will tell you if continuous education is a focus that is supported by the organization as a whole or if you’ll be expected to seek out those opportunities on your own (which also sometimes indicates you’d also be expected to cover the cost on your own). 

 BONUS QUESTION!  

Tell me about someone who’s grown into a new role or has taken on more responsibility here? How did that opportunity come about? We couldn’t finish this list without asking about upward (or even lateral) growth potential! If internal movement is something you’re interested in, ask this question to learn if career pathing is something they participate in and whether or not they look to their existing team to help fill gaps when needed. 

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