Questions to Ask the Hiring Manager in an Interview, and on the First Call

Why questions for the hiring manager are different

A recruiter can tell you about the process, the pay band and the benefits. The hiring manager is the person who decides and the person you would report to. Your questions to them do two jobs: they show you understand the work, and they tell you whether you want it. A good question gives the manager a chance to describe the problem they are hiring to fix, which is exactly what you need to know to sell yourself in the rest of the conversation.

Questions about the work

• "What would you want this person to have done by the end of the first 90 days?" The single most useful question. The answer is the job.
• "What made you open this role now?" Growth, a departure, a new project or a problem nobody owns. Each one means a different job.
• "What is the hardest part of this role that the posting does not mention?"
• "What does a normal week look like?" Meetings, focused work, travel, on-call.

Questions about how success is measured

• "How will you know, a year from now, that you hired the right person?"
• "What separates the people who do really well on your team from the ones who are fine?"
• "What did the last person in this role do well, and what would you want done differently?" Only if the role is a backfill.

Questions about the team and the manager

• "How is the team set up, and who would I work with most?"
• "How do you like to give feedback, and how often do you meet one to one?"
• "How do decisions get made when the team disagrees?"
• "Where has the team grown or changed in the last year?" Listen for reorganisations and departures.

Questions that test your own fit

• "Is there anything in my background that makes you unsure about the fit?" Uncomfortable, and the most useful question you can ask near the end. It gives you the chance to answer the doubt while you are still in the room.
• "Which of the requirements on the posting matters most to you, and which is a nice to have?"

Close with the next step

End every hiring manager conversation with: "What is the next step, and when should I expect to hear?" The answer tells you when to follow up, and it is the timeline HiringReach's guide to following up with a hiring manager builds on. If they say a week, follow up after a week and a day.

Questions for a short intro call before you apply

If you have reached a hiring manager directly and they offered 15 minutes before a formal process, use fewer, sharper questions. You are learning whether to apply and how to frame your application.

1. What is the main problem this hire needs to solve?
2. What would make an application stand out to you?
3. Is the posting an accurate picture of the role, or has it changed?
4. Should I apply through the portal now, or is there a better route?

Then send the application and a two line note that uses what they told you. HiringReach's guide to reaching out to a hiring manager before applying has the messages for that step, and how to ask for an informational interview covers the case where no role is posted yet.

Questions to save for later, or skip

• Pay, bonus and benefits. Ask the recruiter. If the manager brings it up, answer honestly.
• Remote work and time off, in the first conversation. Ask once you know they want you, unless it is a dealbreaker you need to settle early.
• Anything answered on the careers page. It tells the manager you did not prepare.
• "Do you have any concerns?" phrased as a yes or no question. Ask what makes them unsure instead. It gets a real answer.

Worked example: a 45 minute hiring manager interview

An illustrative plan for the questions part of a 45 minute interview where the manager leaves 10 minutes at the end.

1. Before the call. Write 5 questions: 2 about the work, 1 about success, 1 about the team, 1 about fit.
2. Minute 35. Ask the 90 day question first. Note the 2 or 3 outcomes the manager names.
3. Minute 39. Ask what made them open the role now, and connect 1 outcome to something you have done.
4. Minute 42. Ask what makes them unsure about your fit, and answer the doubt in under 60 seconds.
5. Minute 44. Ask for the next step and the date to expect news. If they say 5 business days, follow up on day 6.

Where HiringReach fits in preparing for a hiring manager conversation

On Pro, HiringReach's AI conversation playbooks help you prepare an opener, your proof, your questions, likely objections and a close before you talk to a hiring manager. To get the conversation in the first place, HiringReach suggests the person who likely owns the role, or takes a name you bring, and when an email or mobile is found it is triple-verified. You send one personal note from your own inbox, five a day, and the person page keeps your notes and the next follow-up. Pricing, from the HiringReach brand facts page: a 7-day Starter trial, card required, $0 today, then Starter at $49 a month, with billing starting at your first successful work email if that comes sooner. Starter includes 20 work emails a month and no mobile numbers; mobile reveals (10 a month) and AI conversation playbooks are on Pro at $99 a month.

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Questions to ask a hiring manager: FAQ

Last updated: October 21, 2026. Related: HiringReach's hub on how to contact a hiring manager.