‘I’m a careers coach – ask these questions in job interview’

Asking good questions at the end of your interview can help you secure the job.

Going through the interview process can be exhausting. You might have planned perfect answers to all the hiring manager’s questions and feel like you’ve really sold yourself as the best candidate for the job – but your task isn’t over yet.

There’s one final part to the interview that catches many people off guard, and in some cases, it can cost them the position. When your potential employer asks you if you have any questions for them, what do you say?

Not having any questions prepared can make it seem like you’re not really interested in the job and can hurt your chances of success, especially if you’ve got tough competition.

But thankfully, a careers coach on TikTok has put together a list of questions that you can ask in your interview that will impress the hiring manager. What’s more, they’ll also give you a good insight into the culture of the workplace so that you can better gauge if the job is really right for you.

In her video, careers mentor Em explained that, even though your brain might be “mush” at the end of the interview, asking the right questions can help you “stand out”. She said the questions she recommends are all “example-based”, meaning they call on the hiring manager to use real examples from their workplace to give you useful insight.

Some example questions included: “What’s the biggest challenge the team is facing right now that you want the person in this role to resolve?”, “What’s an example of how the company handles high volume or high-stress work days for their employees?”, “What are some examples of professional development opportunities that you’ve specifically benefited from at the company?”, “What kind of support does the company provide for employees looking to take on leadership roles?”

Em went on to say that any question should ask for “specific examples” around topics that you want to know more about, such as workplace culture or career progression. She noted: “Vague questions will get you vague answers.”

Commenters on the video were thankful for Em’s tips, with some saying they even tried them out in a recent interview with great results.

One person said: “I used your questions and they were blown away! I don’t know if I’ll get the job but at least I made it memorable.” And another added: “I used one of these in my big interview today and they LOVED it.”

While a third shared: “As a hiring manager, I LOVE when candidates ask me about projects I’m excited about.”