“Now, do you have any questions for me?”

There it is, right on cue. The question that inevitably rolls around at the end of every job interview. You’d think you would’ve gotten used to this question by now, having been asked it time and again – and yet, for some of us at least, this moment remains just as daunting as the first time it occurred.

No matter how  much preparation you’ve done in anticipation of this moment, when it comes time to ask your interviewer questions, you may suddenly feel stumped. It feels like a test; an extension of the interview where you’re being assessed for the quality of your questions, rather than a genuine opportunity to find out more about the company and your potential place within it.

However, believe it or not, it doesn’t have to be this way. When approached correctly, this portion of the interview is a goldmine: it’s an opportunity for you to further showcase yourself whilst still asking authentic questions that help you find out more about the role – thus, the perfect denouement to your interview. Your intentions should be twofold: find out more about the role and company as a whole, whilst impressing your potential future manager with your insightful questions. You can walk out of your interview with your head held high, armed with the knowledge that you’ve asked questions that helped you understand the role better whilst leaving a positive, lasting impression on your interviewer.

At risk of stating the obvious, you don’t want to fire all ten of these questions at your interview in quick succession the moment you’re prompted to take the floor. This ultimately comes across as disingenuous and pre-planned, like you’re reading off a script rather than asking authentic questions that actually matter to you. Listen to your intuition and select, say, four or five questions at most to pose at the end of your interview.

1: What do you like most about working here?

This one is a no-brainer. Asking your interviewer this question gets to the heart of a very important matter: what makes this company special, and will I fit in here? You want to know about the best bits of working here: it gives you a teaser of what might be in store for you – like the trailer of a new movie that you can’t wait to see. The go-to answer tends to be something broad and non-specific, like ‘the culture’ or ‘the people’ – but try and dig deeper. What is it about the culture they like? Is the office abuzz with an exciting and lively vibe? Or is it more laidback and friendly? Use their answer as a springboard, prompting them to flesh out their answer so that you can form a more vivid impression of the company. There’s so many things they could say in answer to this question, so if you’re met with an awkward silence, dry gulp and  monosyllabic answer, you can probably presume that the company culture leaves a lot to be desired. And, if the best answer they can come up with is ‘the salary’ – well, that speaks for itself.

2: What would make someone really stand out in this role?

This is up there with some of the best questions you can put forward to your interviewer. By asking this, you’re implicitly demonstrating your desire to go above and beyond in this role – but more than that, should you be successful and get the job, you’re giving yourself a head-start in the race to really shine forth as a star employee. You’re going a step further than asking what makes someone ‘good’ at this job – you want to be great. This really showcases your desire to set yourself apart from the crowd, so it’s a win-win.

3: How do you measure performance?

A super useful one. Every company measures success differently, so understanding what the key performance indicators would be in this role is vital. Their answer puts their expectations in sharper relief, helping you understand the stepping stones to success in this role. Even if you don’t end up getting the job, understanding how different companies assess performance and the standard you should be measuring yourself against is always useful.

4: What would my day-to-day responsibilities in this role be?

Granted, the job spec may have contained some sweeping statements about the responsibilities that fall under this role. However, it’s often hard to visualise what the day-to-day would actually look like without jumping in at the deep end and experiencing it for yourself. Thus, asking this question can help you picture the day-to-day a little bit clearer. This could help you form an opinion on whether or not this would be the right opportunity for you. How does it sound working here once you get down to the nitty gritty? Would be happy working here if it was mostly admin work? Or if you’d be almost exclusively working solo? This question helps you uncover the reality of the role on a more granular level. If you do end up asking this question, make sure you frame it in exactly the same way: by asking what ‘your’ responsibilities would be, you’re employing a clever psychological trick. The interviewer automatically pictures you in the role as they answer the question.

5: What are some of the challenges that people in this role have encountered?

Don’t get us wrong, it’s wonderful to hear about the joys of working at a particular company. Who doesn’t want to be serenaded by the promise of perks galore? However, it’s important to remain realistic: no job is perfect, and every role comes with it’s own very unique set of challenges. It’s important to pre-emptively arm yourself with the knowledge that these challenges may rear their heads, so that you can confront them more efficiently should they arise. Also, this question functions as an opportunity for you to showcase your problem-solving skills: if you’re encountered similar challenges yourself, you can humbly acknowledge how you overcame them in the past, just be cautious not to be arrogant about it.

6: What are the company’s plans for development and growth in the next five years?

Keen to demonstrate your curiosity in the long-term future of the company? Well, if you want to prove to your interviewer just how invested in this position you are, this is the question for you. Also, it is genuinely useful for you to know if the company has any exciting developments or drastic overhauls on the horizon – if you do end up working here, it’s nice to know exactly what the company is shaping up to do over the next five years.

7: Can you tell me more about the team I’d be working in?

The only thing more important than the role itself is the people you’ll be working with. Depending on how they answer the question, this could be make or break: does it sound like you’d fit in and be a good addition to the team, or would your talents be better suited elsewhere?

8: What development opportunities would I have working here?

This one’s a gem. First off, it’s crucial to know that this company could be the kind of environment that supports your personal growth and development. It’s an added bonus that, by asking this question, you’re showing your interviewer that you’re constantly striving towards self-improvement. You’re not just hungering after a job: you’re on a constant upward professional trajectory.

9: What are the next steps?

A practical question and a good one to end on. This gets the ball rolling in the right direction, giving you an indication of what to expect over the coming weeks.

10: Personal questions that you’ve come up with yourself

This may sound unhelpful. However, one of the best things you can do at the end of an interview is ask the questions that truly matter to you, questions that cannot be found on a list of suggestions online (even a list as good as this one). These kinds of questions should be entirely subjective, based on your research on the company. If they do volunteering with a particular kind of charity, ask how this charity aligns with the company’s values. If you spotted a social media post about a recent development at the company, inquire about this latest piece of news. Ask the questions that genuinely matter to you – you’re not just looking to impress and get the gig, you’re also trying to ascertain whether this is the right fit for you. You can’t pluck these questions from thin air – they have to authentically come from you.