Six questions to ask at the end of your job interview

So you’ve made it all the way to the end of your interview and are feeling pretty good about it, but there’s one final portion that can really bring the interview home: the questions you ask at the end. When the interviewer asks if you have any additional questions, don’t just say no and leave! There’s no way you’ve learned everything there is to know about the company and position over the past 30 minutes, even if the interviewer was very thorough in communicating the job description. Asking two or three brief questions at the end of theinterview is a great way to show that you’re really engaged and interested in the position, and that you’re the type of person who will take the time to learn more about the company once you’ve landed the job. But what should you ask? Here are a few suggestions to consider:

• What’s your hiring timeline? This is an easy one, and something you’re probably already curious about. If the interviewer doesn’t offer up this information right off the bat, go ahead and ask. It will also give you a general idea of when you should be following up if necessary.

• How is the department structured? Before you accept an offer, it's good to get a picture of who you'll be working with and reporting to. This question will help you assess what your days will be like and how the department functions as a whole.

• What’s the day-to-day experience like in this position? This question is similar to asking how the department is structured, so you’d probably only ask one of these, depending on what was already covered in the interview. By asking about your day-to-day, you should be able to get a pretty good sense of whether this is the type of role you’d enjoy. If a hiring manager tells you that you’ll be writing script coverage for most of the day, but you hate reading scripts, this may not be the job for you. But make sure you don't ask this question if the hiring manager already covered it at the beginning of the interview.

• Are there opportunities for growth in this position? Hiring managers like to hear that an interviewee is interested in joining the company for the long haul -- it shows you’re committed to a particular career track, and loyal employees are always great to have around. However, you should be careful about how you phrase this question in an assistant interview. Make it clear that you’re not expecting to be promoted in two months and that you know assistant duties come before all the other responsibilities you may be able to take on as you grow in the role. But do make it clear that you are in it to learn -- if a company is hiring an assistant solely to answer phones and schedule without any room for growth, you'll probably want to look elsewhere (unless you're ok with using it as a stepping stone), and that’s a good thing to know up front.

• What is the number one quality you’re looking for in a candidate? You may already know the answer to this question, but if you need an opportunity to reiterate one of your main strengths, here’s your chance. If the interviewer says they’re looking for someone with great organizational skills, you can respond with a (short!) example.

• What’s the best thing about working for this company? This is a great question, because it will give you some insight into the company culture and how happy the employees are. If your interviewer responds in a very passionate and enthusiastic way, you should be reassured that this is probably a good place to work, especially if you share the same passion. Feel free to turn this into a slightly more personal conversation (again, keep it brief!) -- if the interviewer says, “The best thing about this job is that I feel I’m making a difference in people’s lives,” you could say that you’ve been looking for a place where you can do meaningful work. This type of question will help all parties reaffirm whether or not the position is a good fit. Side note: Although it may be tempting to ask why your interviewers got into this type of role in the first place, you probably want to avoid asking about their full career backstory. After all, from their perspective, the interview is about YOU.

One final tip: Be aware of how many questions you’re asking and how much time you’re taking up. If the interview was very long, you might want to move straight to the question about the hiring timeline (this is always a good question to end on). But if you feel like you’ve been in the room for only a few minutes and didn’t get a chance to show off your personality or get your main points across, you can strategically use this last portion of theinterview to make a personal connection or relate some extra key information. In any situation, don’t ask more than three questions -- you don’t want your interviewer to feel like you’re wasting their time. And whatever you do, don't ask a question that's already been answered. All that does is indicate you don't know how to pay attention or listen.

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--Angela Silak & Cindy Kaplan