Interviewing for a job gives you as the candidate a chance to let the hiring manager know that you are the best fit for the position. This is important, but what if you realized you’re not a good fit? There is more than just the right qualifications that will make you a good “fit”. It’s important to find out how YOU feel about the position as well.

In order to find out if you are a good fit for a job, come prepared to ask questions as well as answer them. Remember, an interview is a 2-way dialogue. Below are the top 5 most authentic questions to ask in a job interview.

How would you best describe the office culture? What type of people thrive and what type of people have a hard time connecting with the group?

Asking about the work culture will give you a good indication of how everyone in the office connects. Are most of the employees extroverted or more reserved? Do they like to joke or is it a more of a serious setting? Do the other employees prefer to work together or individually? Knowing about the work culture will give you the opportunity to place yourself in the middle and see how you fit with the group. Even if you are great at your job, if you don’t like the work culture it will be very hard to do well long-term in this position.

What does a typical day look like for the person in this position?

Walking through a typical day in this position will allow you to see the pace and responsibilities this position holds. Do you feel like you could keep up with the daily tasks this position requires? Is the pace too slow? Do you feel like you could add more? This is a good way to bring up your strengths and vision on how you can add daily value to the position.

How do you measure success for the person in this position?

Knowing how success is measured in this position is very important and can look different for every manager. Asking this question will let you know what to do and what goals you need to achieve in order to be successful. Also, it clearly lays out the expectations that the hiring manager has for the person that holds this role. These are all vital things to know if you were to work in this position. The job description may explain what your duties are but knowing what will make you successful in the position is key to thriving.

What are your goals for this role over the next 6 months? What are you hoping will be accomplished in the first year?

The goal with this question is to determine what kind of learning curve is expected in this position. It also will open up the conversation so you are able to understand how much training you will receive. For example, If the person in this position is expected to have significant achievements in the first 6 months, this will let you know that the expectation is that you will hit the ground running. Likely, there will be little training and the ability to perform at a high pace is anticipated by managers. This may not be a problem at all if you have a lot of experience. However, if you are just starting out, this may indicate an issue down the road.

What does your timeline look like for next steps?

This is a pretty straightforward and expected question. It allows you to leave the interview with a clear idea of what to expect. This will keep you from agonizing over if/when you will hear back about the job. Moreover, if the hiring manager says they will reach out in the next few days and you don’t hear back, it also gives you a reason to contact them about the position. As soon as the time has passed, you can send a follow-up email. Here you can address how much you enjoyed the interview, reference the timeline they gave you for next steps and say you are “checking in” on the status of the position.

It is important to prepare for an interview by doing research and practicing answers. Just remember to prep some questions to ask as well. Using these questions in your interview will give you more information about the position, work culture and expectations. This will give you the information you need to make an educated decision on whether or not you will thrive long-term.

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