It’s all leading up to this moment. The interview is coming to a close as the interviewer asks “do you have any questions for me?” The key is to find an even balance between being too aggressive and too passive.

Examples of passive questions are ones pertaining to you and the hiring process. The final note of the interview should not end with these questions:

  • How did I do on the interview?
  • How much is the salary and what are the benefits packages?
  • What happens next?
  • When do you expect to make a decision?

We all want to know what the answers to the above questions, especially about the hiring process. If the interviewer does not lay out the next steps of the process then you can ask, but have stronger questions relating to the position lined up. Above all, never ask if you can still take your pre-planned vacation that happens to fall around the time of the start date. This is a valid question, but should not come up until after you are offered the position.

Questions leaning towards the aggressive end of the spectrum, yet still acceptable are as follow:

  • Why did you want  to interview me?
  • Why is this job important to the business as a whole?
  • How would you describe the best people you have in this company/department?
  • Why is this position available?

At some point in the interview the interviewer generally informs you as to why the position is open. If the interview is coming to a close and this has not been brought up then it is perfectly acceptable to ask the interviewer why the position is available. You want to make sure you are making an informed decision to continue an expressed interested in the company. If they choose not to disclose this information you may want to take note as this could be a red flag down the line.

You should always save questions for this point in the interview, this way you aren’t the interviewee saying “no, I think we’ve covered all I need to know.”