The best questions to ask a hiring manager are the ones only the hiring manager can answer: what you should deliver in your first 90 days, how they will judge whether you succeeded, which gap on the team this hire is meant to fill, and how they actually manage people. Prepare six to eight, ask two to four, and listen for specifics: a concrete answer with projects, timelines or examples is a good sign, and a vague one deserves a polite follow-up.
This guide is narrower than our general list of questions to ask the interviewer: every question below is for the person you would most likely report to.
Why the hiring manager needs different questions
The recruiter owns the process and pay range, and teammates know the day-to-day. The hiring manager usually shaped the role, will set your priorities and, depending on the company, carries real weight in the decision, so don't spend their minutes on logistics they don't own.
| Who | Best topics | Save for someone else |
|---|---|---|
| Recruiter | Process, timeline, pay range, benefits, logistics | Detailed questions about the work |
| Hiring manager | Priorities, how success is measured, team gaps, management style, growth | Salary details and benefits fine print |
| Future teammates | A typical week, how decisions really get made, tools and process | Headcount plans and strategy |
For how the hiring manager feeds into a multi-round decision, see our full loop interview guide.
Expectations and the first 90 days (questions 1–6)
These tell you whether the role is well scoped. Asking for the manager's priorities is usually more useful than presenting your own 30-60-90 plan before you know the team.
- “What are the most important things you'd want this person to accomplish in the first 30, 60 and 90 days?” The most useful question here. A manager with a plan answers it quickly.
- “What problem would this hire take off your plate first?” Tells you whether you are filling a real, urgent need or a generic seat.
- “What does onboarding look like? Is there a starter project or a ramp-up buddy?” Shows how much structure you will get in the first weeks.
- “Which part of this role has the steepest learning curve?” Gives you something specific to prepare for before day one.
- “What part of the job description matters less in practice, and what's missing from it?” This gets you the version of the job that exists today, not just the one in the posting.
- “Is this a new position or a backfill, and what led to opening it?” Growth, a promotion or an internal move are all normal answers. Hesitation is worth a gentle follow-up.
How success is measured (questions 7–11)
You will be judged against whatever is in the manager's head. Get it said out loud now.
- “Six months from now, what would make you confident you made the right hire?” Forces a concrete outcome instead of a list of traits.
- “Is performance in this role judged mostly on individual goals, team outcomes, or both?” Tells you how much of your success depends on other people.
- “Thinking back to people who've done this job, what separated the ones who were good from the ones who were really great?” Ask a Manager's Alison Green first wrote about it in 2009, after a candidate asked it of her, and still recommends it. The manager describes the bar in their own words, and you can connect your experience to it before you leave.
- “How often would we talk about how I'm doing, and what does that conversation look like?” Separates regular, structured feedback from a once-a-year surprise.
- “How do reviews and promotions work here, and who has input?” Shows whether advancement depends on a clear process or on one person's opinion.
The team and its gaps (questions 12–17)
The hiring manager knows where the team is thin, and that is often where a new hire gets judged. These questions also show whether your strengths fit the gap.
- “What are the team's biggest strengths right now, and where are the gaps?”
- “What skill or experience do you wish the team had more of?”
- “What is the biggest challenge the team is facing this quarter?”
- “Who outside the team would I work with most, and how do those relationships work today?”
- “How long have people typically been on the team?” A mix of tenures is normal. Almost everyone being new deserves a follow-up.
- “How does the team decide what to work on, and what happens when two priorities collide?”
If the answer to 12 or 13 lines up with something you have done, say so in one sentence (“That's close to what I handled when…”) and hand the floor back.
Management style (questions 18–24)
Google's Project Oxygen research, published on its re:Work site, found that teams with highly effective managers were more likely to achieve better results, be happier and see lower turnover. Four of its ten great-manager behaviors make a handy checklist here: being a good coach, empowering the team without micromanaging, communicating effectively, and supporting career development.
- “How would you describe your management style, and how do you think your team would describe it?” The second half is the interesting part.
- “How do you prefer to give feedback, and how do you like to receive it?”
- “Which decisions would be mine to make, and where would you want to be in the loop?” A polite way to ask about micromanagement.
- “What does a typical one-on-one with you look like, and how often do they happen?”
- “Can you tell me about someone on your team who grew a lot? What did you do to support that?” Strong managers can name real people and real moves.
- “What happens when someone on the team disagrees with a decision you've made?”
- “What do you need most from the people who report to you?” Tells you what working well with this person actually requires.
Growth, the bigger picture and closing (questions 25–30)
- “How does this team's work connect to the company's goals this year?” The answer shows how visible and well supported the team's work is likely to be.
- “Where do you see the team in a year or two: bigger, a different scope, or about the same?”
- “How has your own role changed since you joined, and what has kept you here?”
- “If you could change one thing about how the team works, what would it be?” A specific, honest answer is a good sign. “Nothing, really” is not.
Two questions to end on
- “What's one thing a new hire could achieve in the first year that would really impress you?” It ends on what you could do rather than on doubts, and you can link the answer to something you have done.
- “What are the next steps, and when should I expect to hear back?” It tells you when a follow-up is reasonable.
Good vs evasive: how to read the answers
The exact words matter less than the level of detail. A manager who knows what they want can usually give an example on the spot.
| Topic | A good answer | An evasive answer |
|---|---|---|
| First 90 days | Names a project, a system or a deliverable, and who you would ramp up with | “You'll figure it out once you're here.” |
| Success | An outcome you could check: something shipped, a process owned, a number moved | “Just do great work.” |
| Why the role is open | A plain reason: the team is growing, someone was promoted or moved teams | A pause, then a change of subject |
| Team gaps | Names a real weakness, even one that reflects on the manager | “Honestly, the team is great. No real gaps.” |
| Management style | Concrete habits, like weekly one-on-ones, plus a tradeoff they admit | Labels with no examples: “I'm very hands-off,” “My door is always open.” |
| Growth | A specific person, what they did and where they went next | “There are lots of opportunities here.” |
| Biggest challenge | Candid and specific, with what the team is doing about it | A polished line that could come from a press release |
When you get an evasive answer, don't push back. Ask one narrower follow-up instead:
- “What would you want to see from me by the end of the first month?”
- “What did the strongest person in this role do in their first six months?”
- “What's a recent example of that?”
One vague answer is not a verdict. A manager who is new, or who can't discuss an upcoming reorg, may simply not be able to say. Look for a pattern. One exception, from North Dakota State University's (NDSU) career advising team: if your potential boss can't tell you how performance is measured, treat that as a red flag.
Questions to skip, and what to ask instead
| Skip | Why | Ask instead |
|---|---|---|
| “What does the company do?” or anything the careers page answers | Signals you didn't research | Build on what you read: “I saw the team launched X. How did that change priorities?” |
| Detailed salary, bonus and benefits questions | Usually the recruiter's territory and often outside the hiring manager's scope | Ask the recruiter, or wait until the manager raises it |
| “Do you have any hesitations about me?” | Advice is split (see below) | “What would a new hire need to accomplish to really impress you?” |
| “How soon can I work remotely, take time off or get promoted?” | Sounds like perks before the job | “What does a typical week look like?” or “What does the path to the next level involve?” |
| Reference checks, drug tests, disciplinary policy | Process details that don't belong in this conversation | Ask the recruiter if it matters to you |
| Anything they already answered | Shows you weren't listening | Go one level deeper: “You mentioned X. How…?” |
About the “hesitations” question: Some career advisors say a carefully worded version, asking about reservations you could address, can work because it gives you a chance to respond. Recruiter Farah Sharghi, quoted by CNBC in 2023, called the tip “the worst advice,” arguing that it can plant doubt and that it puts an interviewer who may not make the final call on the spot. If you ask it, keep it low-pressure. Otherwise, question 29 gets similar information from a positive angle.
How to pick and ask your questions
- Prepare more than you will use. Published advice ranges from three to five prepared questions (Coursera, which suggests asking no more than three) to six to eight (NDSU's career advisors). Six to eight leaves backups for the ones that get answered along the way. Ask two to four, depending on time.
- Pick by goal. Take one question each from expectations, success and management style.
- Ask some along the way. If the manager mentions a migration or a new product, ask about it right then.
- Soften the hard ones. “What led to…” lands better than “Why did…,” which can sound combative.
- Write them down and take notes. Cross off what gets answered, and jot down specifics for your thank-you note and for comparing offers.
- If time runs out, ask about next steps and offer to send your remaining questions by email. If the interviewer is open to that, NDSU's career advisors suggest including them in your thank-you note within 48 hours.
- Interns and new grads: weight onboarding and growth. Our list of questions to ask in an internship interview covers that angle.
Say your questions out loud before the call; ones that look fine on paper often come out long or stiff. Hiring managers also commonly ask why you want this particular job; our guide to “Why do you want to work here?” covers that answer.
Rehearse the hiring manager round out loud
Paste the job description and your résumé, choose behavioral questions, and answer out loud. CoPilot Interview scores each answer and ends with a report of likely next-round questions. The free plan gives you 15 minutes a day, no credit card.
Try a free AI mock interviewFAQ
What should I ask a hiring manager in an interview?
Ask what only the hiring manager can answer: their priorities for your first 90 days, how they will measure success, where the team has gaps, and how they manage people. Two to four well-chosen questions are enough.
How many questions should I ask a hiring manager?
Prepare six to eight so you have backups, and plan to ask two to four depending on how much time is left. If you run out of time, ask about next steps and send the rest in your thank-you email.
What is the best question to ask a hiring manager?
A strong all-rounder is: "Thinking back to people who've done this job, what separated the ones who were good from the ones who were really great?" It tells you what the manager values and gives you a chance to connect your experience to it.
Should I ask the hiring manager about salary?
Usually not in detail. Pay and benefits are often handled by the recruiter and can fall outside the hiring manager's scope, so save specific compensation questions for the recruiter unless the manager brings them up.
Is it OK to ask a hiring manager if they have concerns about me?
Advice is split. Some career experts say a carefully worded version gives you a chance to address an objection, while some recruiters warn it can plant doubt. A safer option is asking what a new hire would need to accomplish to really impress them.