Interview preparation
Prepare useful questions for a hiring manager
Read the posting and anything the interviewer has said, then write questions about the gaps: what the first months look like, how success is judged and how the team works. Skip anything already answered. Phrase guesses as questions, not statements. Leave room to change your questions when the conversation supplies new information.
A text to start with
I have an interview with [name or title] for [role]. The posting says: [pasted posting]. What I already know from emails or earlier calls: [notes]. Draft questions grouped by responsibilities, success measures and team expectations. Remove any question the posting or my notes already answer. Mark any question that assumes something I have not confirmed.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Question planner
Interviewer and their stated role: [ ] Interview date and length: [ ] Responsibilities questions: [ ] Success measure questions: [ ] Team expectation questions: [ ] Already answered by the posting (cut): [ ] Assumptions I need to confirm before asking: [ ] My top three, in order: [ ] What I heard in answer 1: [ ] What I heard in answer 2: [ ] What I heard in answer 3: [ ] Follow-up I still need: [ ]
Answered and assumed questions
Compare each question with the posting word for word. Asking about duties the ad already lists suggests you did not read it. Look for hidden assumptions, such as asking how the team copes with its heavy workload when nobody said the workload is heavy. Consider who will be in the room. If you are unsure who can answer a particular question, ask the coordinator which person handles that topic. Keep only questions you want answered, and keep the list short enough to cover the best ones if time runs out.
Ask another agent to check the result
Check each question against the posting and my notes. Remove questions already answered and flag assumptions presented as facts. For each flagged item, say what I would need to confirm first. Do not invent details about the team or the role.
Pick and order your questions
Rank the questions and choose three or four to ask, with a few spares. Put the most important one first. During the interview, cross off any that get answered and write what you hear in the answer fields. Afterward, use those notes to compare this role with others.