Why Ask Questions to Employers
The question “Do you have any questions for us?” concludes almost every interview. This isn’t just a formality—it’s your chance to:
- show genuine interest in the position,
- demonstrate professionalism and industry understanding,
- gather critically important information for decision-making,
- make a lasting impression on the interviewer.
The right questions can be the deciding factor in getting an offer, while their absence can be a red flag for employers.
Question Preparation Strategy
Principles of Effective Questions
1. Specificity
Instead of “How are your processes?” ask “How does code review work? Are there automated checks?”
2. Demonstrate Expertise
Questions should show your understanding of development: “What’s your approach to frontend testing? Do you use E2E tests?”
3. Future Focus
“What technical challenges are you planning to solve in the next year?”
4. Mutual Benefit
Questions should help both you and the employer understand compatibility.
What NOT to Ask
❌ Information from the company website
❌ Salary and benefits on the first interview
❌ Overly personal questions
❌ Negative formulations (“Are there problems with…?”)
❌ Questions easily answered by internet research
30+ Questions by Category
🛠 Technologies and Stack
- What's the main technology stack used by the team?
- Are there plans to migrate to new technologies soon?
- How are decisions made about adopting new tools?
- Which libraries and frameworks are considered standard in the company?
- Are there any internal development tools?
👥 Team and Structure
- How many people are on the frontend team?
- How are roles distributed among developers?
- Are there seniors on the team who can mentor?
- How does interaction work with designers and backend developers?
- Who makes technical decisions in the team?
🔄 Development Processes
- What development methodology is used (Scrum, Kanban)?
- How does sprint planning work?
- Is there code review? Who conducts it?
- What tools are used for CI/CD?
- How is frontend code tested?
- How long does deployment to production take?
📈 Project and Product
- What projects will I be working on in the first months?
- What are the main success metrics for the product?
- How is frontend development's impact on business measured?
- Is there technical debt? How is it managed?
- How much legacy code is in the project?
Questions About Hiring and Position
Position Context:
- Is this a new position or replacing someone?
- If replacement—why did the previous developer leave?
- How long has the position been open?
- What are the main tasks for the first 3 months?
Expectations:
- What results are expected from the new employee after six months?
- How is work effectiveness evaluated?
- Are there KPIs for developers?
- What skills are most important for success in this role?
Questions About Development and Career
Learning:
- Is there a budget for training and conferences?
- Is learning new technologies during work hours encouraged?
- Are internal meetups or tech talks held?
- Are there mentorship programs?
Career Growth:
- What career growth opportunities exist in the company?
- How does level progression work (junior → middle → senior)?
- Is there possibility to transfer to other teams?
- Can one develop toward team leadership or architecture?
Questions About Culture and Processes
Work Environment:
- What does a typical workday look like?
- How many meetings do developers have on average?
- Is there time for research and experiments?
- How are conflicts resolved in the team?
Communication:
- What tools are used for communication?
- How often do one-on-ones with the manager happen?
- Are there retrospectives? How often?
- How does the team share knowledge?
Questions About Company and Stability
Business:
- What are the company’s main goals for the next year?
- How does the IT team influence business goal achievement?
- Is expansion of the development team planned?
- Are there plans for product development?
Stability:
- How did the company weather recent crises?
- What’s the turnover rate in the IT department?
- How long do developers work at the company on average?
- Are there plans for attracting investments?
How to Ask Questions Properly
Dialogue Structure
1. Start with gratitude
“Thank you for the detailed overview of the position. I have several questions that will help me better understand the context.”
2. Group questions by topics
“First, I’d like to clarify about technologies, then about the team and processes.”
3. Adapt to your interviewer
Ask technical questions to tech leads, culture and process questions to HR.
4. Listen actively
Ask follow-up questions, show interest.
Instead of: “Are there problems with legacy?”
Better: “How does the team work with existing code? Are there refactoring plans?”
Instead of: “How much do you pay?”
Better: “Could you tell me about the compensation package and salary review system?”
Instead of: “Do you work weekends?”
Better: “How does the team handle deadlines? Do force majeure situations occur?”
Red Flags in Responses
Technical Red Flags
❌ “We use custom solutions for everything”
❌ “We don’t have time for tests”
❌ “We do code review sometimes”
❌ “There’s not much documentation”
❌ “We deploy manually”
Process Red Flags
❌ “Planning? We work situationally”
❌ “Requirements change daily”
❌ “CEO makes all decisions”
❌ “We don’t do retrospectives”
❌ “Overtime is normal”
Cultural Red Flags
❌ “We’re like family” (blurred boundaries)
❌ “Learning is your responsibility”
❌ “Career growth? We’ll see in a couple years”
❌ “Conflicts? We don’t have them” (problem denial)
❌ “Previous developer didn’t fit” (without details)
Questions for Different Interview Stages
First Interview (HR/Recruiter)
Focus: General company and position understanding
- What’s the development team structure?
- What are the main projects in the company?
- What does the hiring process look like going forward?
- What are the main requirements for candidates?
Technical Interview
Focus: Technologies, processes, architecture
- What technology stack is used?
- How is code organized? Is there a monorepo?
- What tools are used for build and deployment?
- How is frontend tested?
- Is there technical debt? How is it managed?
Interview with Future Manager
Focus: Expectations, development, processes
- What tasks will be priority in the first months?
- How is performance evaluated?
- What growth opportunities exist?
- How do one-on-ones work?
- What management style do you prefer?
Final Interview
Focus: Strategy, culture, decision-making
- What are the product development plans?
- How does IT influence business results?
- What do you like most about working here?
- What challenges do you see for the team?
- When can I expect a decision?
Special Situations
Remote Work
Additional Questions:
- How is communication organized in a distributed team?
- Are there mandatory online presence hours?
- How do team meetings work?
- Is work equipment provided?
- Is there compensation for internet and workspace?
- How are technical issues resolved remotely?
Startup
Specific Questions:
- What stage is the product at?
- What’s the company’s runway?
- Are new investment rounds planned?
- How quickly do requirements change?
- Is there equity for employees?
- What are the scaling plans?
Large Corporation
Focus Areas:
- How are technical decisions made?
- How many approval levels are there?
- Are there internal development tools?
- How does rotation between projects work?
- What opportunities exist for internal transfers?
- Are there training programs?
Preparation Checklist
Before the Interview
During the Interview
After the Interview
Dialogue Examples
Example 1: Technology Questions
Candidate: “What’s the main stack used in the project?”
Interviewer: “React, TypeScript, Redux Toolkit”
Candidate: “Interesting! What React version? Do you use new features like Concurrent Features?”
Interviewer: “Version 18, but we haven’t implemented Concurrent yet”
Candidate: “I see. How are decisions made about adopting new technologies? Is there an evaluation process?”
Example 2: Team Questions
Candidate: “Could you tell me about the frontend team structure?”
Interviewer: “We have 6 developers: 2 seniors, 3 middles, and 1 junior”
Candidate: “How are tasks distributed? Do you work by features or is there specialization?”
Interviewer: “Mainly by features, but seniors also handle architectural questions”
Candidate: “Is there opportunity for a middle to participate in architectural decisions?”
Conclusion
Asking the right questions in interviews is an investment in your professional future. They help:
✅ Avoid unsuitable positions
✅ Make a professional impression
✅ Get information for decision-making
✅ Show interest in long-term collaboration
Remember: interviews are a two-way process. You’re not just answering questions but also evaluating the employer. Quality questions are your tool for making an informed decision about your next career step.
Main rule: it’s better to ask fewer but deeper and more thoughtful questions than many superficial ones. Each question should bring you closer to understanding whether this job is right for you.