The best questions to ask at the end of an interview are about the work, how success is measured, the team and manager, your growth, and the next steps. Prepare four or five, ask two or three, and skip anything the company website already answers. Leave salary and benefits until there is an offer.
Why the end of the interview matters
Most interviews close with some form of "do you have any questions for us?". The UK National Careers Service calls it "a good chance to show your interest in the company and your enthusiasm for the job", and advises writing your questions down before the interview.
Your questions also help you decide whether you want the job. This is where you can find out what the first months will look like, who you would work with and how decisions get made.
Saying you have nothing to ask leaves a weak impression. Singapore's MyCareersFuture site, in an article from 12 July 2023, says "the worst response you can give is 'No.'" Prospects, the UK graduate careers service, says "arriving with no questions will give a bad impression."
How many questions to ask
The sources give slightly different numbers. They all point to a small number asked and a few more held in reserve.
| Source | How many |
|---|---|
| GovHK job hunting tips (November 2024) | "Ask one to two questions about the job at the end of the interview" |
| Hong Kong Labour Department job hunting briefcase (August 2026) | "One or two questions about job duties, training and promotion prospects" |
| Indeed Career Guide (September 2026) | "At least two or three" prepared; "try not to ask more than three"; "up to 10 prepared" |
| Prospects (June 2025) | "At least four or five questions", so you have backups if some are answered earlier |
The reserve matters because a good interviewer often answers your first questions before you get the chance to ask them. Prospects warns against asking "about anything that has previously been covered", which can sound as if you were not listening.
Questions to ask at the end of an interview, by goal
Pick one or two goals that matter most to you and choose questions from those rows. The questions marked with a source are quoted from it; the others are written for this page.
| Goal | Question to ask | What the answer tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Understand the work | "What does a typical week look like in this role?" | How the time really splits between tasks |
| Know how success is measured | "What does success look like in this position, and how do you measure it?" (Northwestern) | The targets you would be judged on |
| Know the first months | "What would I be expected to accomplish in the first six to 12 months on the job?" (MyCareersFuture) | Priorities, and how quickly you are expected to deliver |
| Find the hardest part | "What is the one thing I cannot fail at in the first year?" (MyCareersFuture) | The risk the manager worries about most |
| Meet the team | "Who would I work with most closely, and how is the team organised?" | Team size, structure and the people around you |
| Understand the manager | "How do you like to give feedback, and how often do you meet one to one?" | Management style and how much support to expect |
| See the company's direction | "How do you see the company developing over the next few years?" (National Careers Service) | Plans, stability and where this role fits in them |
| Plan your growth | "How have people who did well in this role moved on from it?" | Whether there is a path, and what it looks like |
| Address doubts | "Based on the interview, do you have any concerns about my ability to perform the job that would prevent you from selecting me?" (MyCareersFuture) | A chance to answer an objection before you leave |
| Know the next steps | "What are the next steps in the hiring process?" (Northwestern) | The timeline, more rounds, and when to follow up |
The last row is worth asking in every interview. The National Careers Service suggests asking "when you'll hear back from them", and Prospects says that if the employer has not explained what happens next, asking about it is "a good way to wrap up the interview". Our guide on what happens after an interview covers how long the wait usually is and when to follow up.
The "concerns" question takes some nerve. It works best when you are ready to answer calmly, with one specific example, whatever the interviewer raises.
Questions to avoid
| Avoid | Why | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Salary, benefits and holiday allowance before an offer | Raise pay once you are negotiating or have an offer | Prospects: "Save questions about salary and holiday allowance for when you've got a job offer." Indeed says to ask "when you're in the negotiation portion of the process" |
| Questions the website or news already answer | They suggest you did not prepare | MyCareersFuture: such questions make you "appear lazy and not sufficiently interested in the company" |
| Yes or no questions | They give you little to learn or build on | Prospects and Indeed both advise questions that need more than a yes or no |
| Something the interview already covered | It sounds as if you were not listening | Prospects |
| Too many questions | It runs over the interviewer's time | Indeed: "try not to ask more than three" |
Hong Kong's Labour Department gives the same advice on pay in its job hunting briefcase: "avoid asking questions on employee's benefit." If the interviewer raises salary first, answer it; the advice above is about you opening the topic.
When the interview is recorded or run by AI
In a one-way video interview there is nobody to answer you in the moment. Keep your questions for the first live conversation, such as the call from the recruiter or the second round. If the recorded interview does ask whether you have questions, ask one about the next steps and the timeline, and send the rest to the recruiter by email. Our guide to the one-way video interview explains how these interviews work.
Questions about the team, the manager and the company's plans need a person who works there, so save them for the human rounds.
ROUND.1 is a hiring marketplace for Hong Kong and Singapore. Its first round is one AI video interview, which is reused for the other roles a candidate chooses, and a person at the company decides whom to hire. A company first sees the scored evaluation without the candidate's name or contact details, which open when it shortlists the candidate after the interview. The questions in this guide fit the conversations with the company that follow. The facts are on ROUND.1, explained.
Notes for Hong Kong and Singapore
In Hong Kong, GovHK's advice is to ask one or two questions about the job, and the Labour Department suggests job duties, training and promotion prospects as topics. Jobsdb Hong Kong suggests asking "what would be expected in this position after six months?" It notes that in many local companies the first six months are about learning the routine and the team, and "often this period coincides with the end of probation." A question about the first six months is therefore also a question about passing probation.
In Singapore, MyCareersFuture's list of 20 questions is the government careers site's own version of this guide, and three of the questions in the table above come from it. It also suggests questions about the organisation's growth plans and the typical career path for someone in the role.
Prepare the rest of the interview
For the rest of the interview, practise the questions in our mock interview questions guide, prepare an opening with how to answer "tell me about yourself", and build your examples with the STAR method.
Frequently asked questions
What questions to ask at the end of an interview?
Ask about the work itself, how success is measured, the team, the manager, growth, and the next steps. Good examples are: what does success look like in this position, what would I be expected to accomplish in the first six to 12 months, and what are the next steps in the hiring process. Avoid questions the company website already answers.
How many questions should I ask the interviewer?
Ask two or three, and prepare more. Hong Kong's GovHK and Labour Department advice says one or two questions about the job. Indeed suggests at least two or three and not more than three, with up to 10 prepared. Prospects suggests coming with four or five, so you still have some if the interview has already answered a few.
What are good end of interview questions to ask the interviewer?
Questions that need more than a yes or no, and that you could not answer from the website. Singapore's MyCareersFuture site suggests asking what you would be expected to accomplish in the first six to 12 months, and whether the interviewer has any concerns about your ability to do the job. Northwestern University suggests asking what success looks like in the position.
What questions should you not ask at the end of an interview?
Leave salary, benefits and holiday allowance until you have an offer or are negotiating, as Prospects and Indeed advise. Skip questions the company website or the interview has already answered, and questions with a yes or no answer. Hong Kong's Labour Department also says to avoid asking about employee benefits at the interview.
Is it bad to have no questions at the end of an interview?
It usually leaves a weak impression. Singapore's MyCareersFuture site calls 'No' the worst response to the question, and Prospects says arriving with no questions will give a bad impression. If the interview has answered everything you prepared, say so, mention one thing you learned, and ask about the next steps and when you will hear back.
Sources (10)
- National Careers Service (UK government) — Interview tipsaccessed 2026-10-14
- GovHK — Job hunting tips (last revision November 2024)accessed 2026-10-14
- Prospects (Jisc) — 7 good questions to ask at an interview (June 2025)accessed 2026-10-14
- Northwestern University Career Advancement — Common interview questionsaccessed 2026-10-14
