Around this time last year, we published 40 Favorite Interview Questions from Some of the Sharpest Folks We Know — it was an instant hit (so much so we got an influx of even more submissions that we shared exclusively with our Review subscribers).

Now we're following up by taking a seat at the opposite end of the table — the candidate's chair. When the interview is coming to a close and the hiring manager inevitably asks, "Do you have any questions for me?" there's a limited pool of unconventional, thought-provoking questions for candidates to lean on. And especially if you're in the midst of the job interview process with multiple companies, coming up with a tailored set of probing questions often sinks to the bottom of the to-do list. So it's no surprise we often fall back on somewhat boring questions interviewers have heard dozens of times before — think, "Why did you join the company?" or "What does a typical day look like?"

That's why we've spent the past month reaching out to some of the brightest and most thoughtful leaders and operators we know (some you may recognize if you're a regular Review reader, others who are new faces) to ask: What questions should candidates ask in interviews?

The 40 Best Questions for Candidates to Ask in an Interview — How to Go Deeper Than "What's the Culture Like?"

Just like last time, the responses we got back were top-notch. Some tapped into their own job-hunting experiences, and the questions that made-or-broke whether they signed on with a new company. Others recalled when they were on the receiving end of a particularly deft question from a candidate that still sticks with them today.

We've broken the collection down by topic, so you can focus on the must-haves you're looking for in your next role and company — including culture and values, diversity and inclusion, manager compatibility, and job responsibilities. In addition to their favorite questions, many of our contributors also shared why they ask them, and the red flags and promising indicators to listen for in the answers.

We hope this collection is a rich starting point to put together your own roster of questions to ask during the job-hunting process and uncover your next great move.

Thanks, as always, for reading and sharing!

-The Review editors

Here's a sneak peek at the questions:

What is something that the company changed at the request of its employees that did not originate from an executive?

How have you changed during your time here?

What are the top three customers that you’ve won, and the top three customers that you’ve lost?

How do you personally learn how to be more inclusive? What's an example of a situation in which these learnings have changed the way you do your job?

Can I see your calendar for the week?

Who is the most under-recognized person in the company, and why are they under-recognized?

Resources worth sharing: 

• Could this be an early warning sign that you're building the wrong startup? Courtesy of an entrepreneur professor at Duke University.
• Collaborative Fund outlines 13 common-yet-sneaky causes of very bad decisions.
• Lean on this quick burnout assessment from Stanford Social Innovation Review.
• Productivity strategist Tanya Dalton shares three simple ways to stop being a perfectionist and get more productive.
• Sar Haribhakti turns the tables in this interview with reporter Biz Carson.
• Y Combinator's Michael Seibel chats with his brother Jason about life as a non-technical founder.
• CircleUp founder Ryan Caldbeck shares a vulnerable thread on stepping down as CEO.
• Design leader Kristy Tillman has launched Made in the Future, a design fellowship for aspiring underrepresented designers. (Applications open Oct. 25.)

Trending this week — Review Reads: