| I was out to breakfast recently with a VP of Digital Marketing. We started talking about company culture and she mentioned she always asks candidates two questions to get a sense of how they will fit into their culture:
Question 1: “What made you apply to our company?” She wants to see what the candidate knows — beyond the role — about the company, its mission, and its values.
Question 2: “What are a couple recent projects you were on where you felt accomplished and proud?” She’s listening not only for the candidate’s involvement but also how they talk about team contributions and whether they tie those accomplishments back to a larger mission.
I thought these were darn good questions … from the company’s perspective.
This got me thinking about how these would be great questions for the job seeker to turn back around on the interviewer to get the real skinny on what a company culture is really like. For example:
Candidate Turnaround to Hiring Manager Question #1:
“One of the reasons I was attracted to this role was your company mission. How do you see your mission in operation in the everyday?”
Candidate Turnaround to Hiring Manager Question #2:
“What are 2–3 things your team has recently accomplished that they felt proud of — and that tie directly back to the mission and values?”
I was on a roll. I loved this topic and wanted even more questions that help job seekers assess culture. I reached out on social media for suggestions, and here are some of the most useful ones I received.
12 More Hiring Team Questions and the Candidate Turnarounds
Hiring Team Question #3: “Tell me about a time you received feedback that was hard to hear. How did you respond?”
Candidate Turnaround #3: “Can you share a time when someone on your team received tough feedback? How was it delivered, and what support helped them move forward?”
Hiring Team Question #4: “How do you like to be recognized for your work?”
Candidate Turnaround #4: “How does your team typically recognize great work? Can you give an example of someone being acknowledged in a way that reflects your company values?”
Hiring Team Question #5: “Describe your ideal work environment.”
Candidate Turnaround #5: “How would you describe the work environment here — especially in terms of communication, collaboration, and the day-to-day pace?”
Hiring Team Question #6: “How do you navigate ambiguity or shifting priorities?”
Candidate Turnaround #6: “When priorities shift, how does leadership help teams navigate the change? Can you share a recent example?”
Hiring Team Question #7: “What kind of leadership brings out your best work?”
Candidate Turnaround #7: “How would you describe the leadership style here? What do successful employees appreciate most about it?”
Hiring Team Question #8: “How do you approach collaboration on cross-functional teams?”
Candidate Turnaround #8: “How do teams here collaborate across functions? Can you share a cross-functional project that went well — and what made it successful?”
Hiring Team Question #9: “What are your expectations around work–life balance?”
Candidate Turnaround #9: “How does the team handle work–life balance during both normal weeks and busy ones? What are the norms around unplugging?”
Hiring Team Question #10: “What keeps you engaged at work?”
Candidate Turnaround #10: “What kinds of work or initiatives tend to energize the team and help with engagement?”
Hiring Team Question #11: “How do you stay connected to the mission in your day-to-day work?”
Candidate Turnaround #11: “How does leadership help employees stay connected to the mission? Are there rituals, stories, or practices that keep it alive?”
Hiring Team Question #12: “Tell me about the best team you were part of. What made it work?”
Candidate Turnaround #12: “What characteristics define the best teams inside your organization? Can you give an example of a team that is really thriving and why?”
Hiring Team Question #13: “What frustrates you in a workplace?”
Candidate Turnaround #13: “What are some challenges employees sometimes face here? How does the company support people when those happen?”
Hiring Team Question #14: “How do you prefer decisions to be made within a team?”
Candidate Turnaround #14: “When decisions need to be made quickly, what’s the decision-making process here? Who has the voice, and how does the team stay aligned?”
The Big Takeaway
Hiring teams are evaluating your fit and you should be evaluating theirs, too.
I would not ask every one of these questions necessarily, pick the right questions given the role of the interviewer.
The real genius in this process is that by turning their culture questions back on them, you shift the interview from a one-sided evaluation to a true conversation.
You get to amp up your Spidey-senses by watching how they respond and how quickly. You look for consistency and gauge their genuineness. You have a way to see how they lead, collaborate, communicate, and live their values before you say yes to an offer.
You get to make a clearer, more empowered insight into the culture and a more educated choice about whether this culture works for you.
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