Toward the end of every job interview, the recruiter will ask you whether you have any questions for them. Since your relationship with your manager can be just as, if not more, impactful on your overall experience with the company than the culture, it’s important to ask smarter questions during your interviews. Asking the right questions will give you a better sense of the company and your role and help you determine if you would work well with your prospective manager.

Here are some topics and questions you can focus on throughout your interviews to better evaluate if your prospective manager would be the best fit for you:

 

ABOUT THE CULTURE

Learning about the company culture through the eyes of your prospective manager is one way to get a feel for whether or not your personalities would mesh well together.

  • How would you describe your company culture in a few words?
  • What are some career development opportunities offered to employees?
  • What do you personally enjoy most about working here?

 

ABOUT MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

Getting a feel for the management style of your employer can give you an idea of what a working relationship could look like.

  • How would you define your management style as it relates to your team?
  • How often do you check in with your team either individually and/or as a department?
  • Tell me about a time when you had to deal with an underperformer. What did you do?

 

ABOUT TEAM DYNAMICS

Having a general idea of the qualities that make up your team will help you determine where your skills might be utilized and how your role fits into the bigger picture.

  • What is one habit your best team member(s) practice that you expect in new hires?
  • What was the last team achievement that was celebrated?
  • How do you envision a new hire contributing to the team?

 

BONUS TIP: Pay close attention to your interviewer’s response time. A good manager who has a strong relationship with their team should provide answers to these questions easily and quickly.

Which questions do you normally ask during job interviews? If you are a manager, which common questions do you encounter from job candidates? Let us know in the comments section below.