If you’re going on an interview, it’s important that you know what questions to ask in an interview. Nothing is worse than showing up for an interview, listening to the hiring manager ask you, “What questions do you have for me?” and then responding, “I have no questions.”

Not having questions shows the interviewer one or two potentially significant flaws: lack of interest and/or lack of preparation.  You don’t want to display either of those in an interview.  With that said, here are some good questions to ask in an interview:

1) What do you like about this company?

2) Why did you decide to work for this company?

3) What is your background like?

4) What is the greatest challenge I will face in this role?

5) What are the day-to-day responsibilities like?

6) What are the greatest challenges your company faces in its industry?

7) If I’m hired, what are some things you will expect from me on day 1?

8) Why is this position open?

9) What are the prospects for growth and advancement?

10) What do you see ahead for your company in the next five years?

11) What is the overall structure of the company and how does your department fit the structure?

12) What would you consider to be the most important aspects of this job?

13) What do you think the future of this industry looks like?

14) How would the team I’d be working with be structured?

15) What makes this company different from its competitors?

16) How does this position fit into the company’s long-term plans?

17) How would you define “success” for this position?

18) How would you describe the culture of this company?

19) Ideally, what qualities will it take to get this job done?

20) Could you tell me about the way the job has been performed in the past? And what, if any, improvements you’d like to see happen?

And finally, at the end of the interview, you should ask:

What are the next steps? Is there anything in my background or in talking with me today that you think would prevent you from recommending me for the position?

This final question helps you close out the interview, and opens the door for you to overcome any potential concerns or objections the interviewer may have about you.

There are many other questions you can ask, but always remember to stay away from questions about salary, benefits, and hours, and those questions can often give off the wrong impression and generally don’t lead to anything overly positive.