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Questions to ask them

Asking good questions is half the interview. It signals seniority, intentionality, and that you're evaluating them too. Different questions belong in different stages — here's the catalog, organized.

01Stage 1 — Screening (recruiter / HM)

Pick 3–4. Don't ask all of these — pick the ones that fit who's interviewing you and what you genuinely want to know.

About the role

About process

About the company

The closing question (always end on something positive)

02Stage 2 — Culture fit (leadership)

Now you're talking to leadership. Questions should signal that you think about company-building, not just code.

03Stage 3 — Technical (frontend leadership)

Questions that show you think about engineering trade-offs, not just code.

Architecture

State & data

Tooling, perf, quality

Team & ways of working

04Stage 4 — CEO conversation

The CEO interview is about vision, ambition, and "would I want this person on my team for years?" Your questions should match.

The closer for stage 4: "What's the next step from here?" Don't be coy at the end of a CEO conversation. Be direct about wanting to move forward.

05The "always have these in your back pocket" set

If you blank in any stage, these three never miss:

1.

"What does success look like in this role in 6 months?"

2.

"What's the biggest challenge the team is facing right now?"

3.

"What excites you most about working here?"

06Questions you should NOT ask in stage 1

Save for later

  • Detailed comp negotiation
  • Vacation policy specifics
  • Equity / bonus structure
  • Day-off / flexibility specifics
  • Anything that telegraphs "I'm already negotiating"

Never ask

  • "What does the company do?" — they'll know you didn't read the site
  • "Will I get a Mac or Windows?" — too small a thing for stage 1
  • "Are there other candidates?" — fishing
  • "How am I doing so far?" — desperate

07Practice protocol

Pick your top 5 across all stages. Write them on a small index card or sticky note. Have it visible during every interview. Glance at it when they say "do you have any questions for me." Don't rely on memory — even seasoned candidates blank at this moment.