A recent Reddit thread asked, "At the end of a job interview they always ask, 'Would you like to ask any questions?' What question should the candidate ask?" Here are some of the most helpful submissions:
1. "What common characteristics do you see in people who do well in this position?"
2. "Can you give me a brief summary of your time working here?"
"Ask them their favorite aspects, challenges, overall experience of working there. You'll be surprised how well received it is. It shows that you are interested, but also that you still have a decision to make. Plus, people like talking about themselves."
3. "How would you describe the culture here?"
4. "Would you mind giving me a tour of where this job would take place so I can get a feel of where I'd be working and who I would be working with?"
"This is bit of a wildcard question, but I like to drop this at the very end and have never gotten a no. Chances are, NO ONE has ever asked this question, and sometimes it can really help break the ice and give you a slight edge when it's time to select a candidate."
5. "What do you like about working here?"
"I have done a lot of interviews, and one thing I always appreciate is when the candidate asks this question."
6. "How did this position come to be open?"
7. "What is the biggest achievement this department has made?"
8. "What is the most impressive accomplishment a previous employee has done in this position?"
9. "How do you plan and manage projects?"
"As someone who [was] asked this question twice today (we're hiring a lot of people...), the questions that will impress me are ones that show the candidate is thoughtful and cares about avoiding dysfunctional places."
10. "What does success look like for this position?"
11. "What are you currently trying to improve about your company culture?"
"Why do I care about the candidate's desire not to work at a dysfunctional place? Because I want to work alongside someone that will say, 'Hey, this thing we're doing is making everyone's lives a bit shit. Why don't we try doing it this other way?' And then we try it and we learn something and things get better."
12. "What is the biggest challenge facing this department right now?"
13. "What is the onboarding process for a new hire?"
14. "So if I were to have this position, can you give me a snapshot of what a typical day would look like?"
"I've always been impressed with this one."
15. "If I were to start working here, what do you think the biggest challenge for me would be?"
"It tells you something about the work environment, as well as what they perceive your weakness to be."
16. "Besides a paycheck, what keeps you coming back to work here every day?"
17. "Do you have any reservations about me or my background for this position?"
"After asking job specific questions, the final question should be this one. That way, you can squash any of their hesitations if they have any."
Now, go nail that interview!
Some submissions were edited for length/clarity.