Best Questions to Ask in Job Interviews 2025
You've perfected your resume. You've practised your elevator pitch. But when you finally manage to get an interview for a job, you get no success.
Here's the brutal truth: Most job seekers ask the same predictable questions about company culture, benefits, or "what does a typical day look like?" These generic enquiries do nothing to differentiate you from the 250+ other applicants.
With job applications rising since 2022, and 31-58% of candidates now using AI tools, standing out has never been more critical. Whether you're preparing for your first job interview or you're an experienced professional looking to advance your career, the questions you ask matter more than ever.
In November 2024, there was on average a 286% increase in applications per job compared to the previous year (Tribepad, May 2025).
Overall, with high application volumes and widespread use of AI tools, experts and hiring managers emphasise that personalisation, strategic questioning, and demonstrating genuine interest during interviews are key differentiators between candidates (StandOut CV, March 2025)
The questions you ask is the difference between getting a job offer and being forgotten.
Why Most Interview Questions Kill Your Chances
The "Safe" Question Trap That Makes You Forgettable
Before diving into the GRAMS Method™, let's understand why most interview questions to ask employers that have seemed like the good go-to option fail spectacularly, and make you instantly forgettable:
"What does a typical day look like?" (Shows lack of research)
"What's the company culture like?" (Uninspiring and overused)
"What are the benefits?" (Focuses on what you get, not what you give)
"When can I expect to hear back?" (Adds zero value)
These questions are safe, predictable, and instantly forgettable.
They don't demonstrate critical thinking, business acumen, or genuine interest in solving problems.
Successful candidates know that the interview process is about building rapport and demonstrating value, not just gathering basic information.
Why Generic Questions Actually Damage Your Chances
Traditional interview preparation questions don't just fail to help you—they actively harm your prospects.
Not only are they so generic that you become instantly forgettable, but they completely miss the opportunity to advocate for:
Who you are
What you provide
Why they should hire you
Here's the crucial insight most candidates miss: it's not just your interview responses that paint a picture of why they should hire you. The best questions to ask in an interview are equally powerful tools for communicating your:
Values
Demonstrating your interests
Showcasing your ability to think strategically
Research from SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) shows that candidates who ask strategic questions are 67% more likely to receive job offers. This is particularly crucial for remote interviews and video calls where building connection can be more challenging.
Think of it this way: every generic question is a missed opportunity to understand what they actually need and position yourself as the solution.
My Interview Horror Story (To Add a Personal Touch)
I learned this the hard way early in my career. I'd prepared meticulously for what I thought was my dream job—rehearsed answers, researched the company, even bought a new outfit (which okay, fine, the outfit was sort of a bonus).
When they asked if I had any questions, I confidently rattled off my list of "thoughtful" enquiries about company culture, what the typical day looks like, their expectations, and growth opportunities.
The interview ended with polite smiles and promises to "be in touch soon."
They were never in touch.....
I never heard back. Not even a rejection email. Later, through a mutual connection, I discovered they'd hired someone who'd asked penetrating questions about their biggest operational challenges and emerging market pressures.
Whilst I was asking about their employee handbook, my successful competitor was already thinking like a consultant, demonstrating exactly the kind of strategic thinking they desperately needed.
That painful lesson taught me that safe questions don't just fail to impress—they actively signal that you're not ready to engage with their real world.
This motivated me to find a new job interview technique in order for greater success - and that is how I found the GRAMS Method™.
The GRAMS Method™: Your Secret Weapon for Interview Success
What Makes GRAMS Different
The harsh reality is that most job seekers ask questions focused on themselves - their benefits, their growth, their experience. If you’re feeling a bit self-conscious right now, don’t worry, I used to do it too!
GRAMS stands for Goals, Reality, Alternatives, Motivations, and Solutions - five key areas that reveal what's actually happening in your interviewer's world. This framework shifts your focus from trying to impress to genuinely understanding the challenges, pressures, and needs your interviewer faces every day.
But here's what research reveals about what's really happening in interviews today, and how GRAMS benefits everyone partaking in job interview right now:
From Crippling Anxiety to Confident Understanding
Research from CareerBuilder (2023) shows that 79% of job seekers experience anxiety because they don't know what interviewers actually want to hear. GRAMS eliminates this uncertainty by teaching you to discover their real priorities in real-time, transforming nervous guesswork into confident insight.
This framework works particularly well for behavioural interviews and competency-based questions.
From Artificial Performance to Authentic Connection
LinkedIn's Global Talent Trends report (2024) reveals that candidates consistently fail to build genuine rapport because they're focused on "performing" rather than understanding. According to McKinsey Global Institute, authentic interactions increase hiring success rates by 43%.
When you use GRAMS to genuinely explore their reality, struggles, and goals - authentic conversations replace rehearsed presentations.
From Invisible Amongst 250+ Applicants to Memorable Through Relevance
Harvard Business Review (2023) found that generic responses make hundreds of applicants blend together because no one addresses the interviewer's actual world. GRAMS helps you cut through the noise by focusing on what genuinely matters to them, not what you think they want to hear.
From Missing Hidden Concerns to Addressing Unspoken Priorities
Glassdoor's Hiring Research (2024) discovered that interviewers have critical concerns they never voice directly - concerns that silently cost candidates jobs. GRAMS reveals these hidden priorities through strategic questioning, allowing you to address what's really on their mind before they even realise it themselves.
Whether you're in a panel interview, one-on-one meeting, or group interview setting, GRAMS adapts to any interview format.
25 Strategic Questions Using GRAMS Framework
GOALS: Understanding Their True Objectives
Employers want to know you're thinking about results and impact. These questions reveal what success looks like and how this role contributes to bigger objectives. Use these goal-focused questions to demonstrate your results-oriented mindset:
What are the main goals you're hoping this role will help achieve in the first 90 days?
How does this position contribute to the team's broader objectives this year?
What would need to happen for you to consider this hire a complete success?
What key metrics or outcomes will define success in this role?
How will you measure the impact of this position on the team's performance?
REALITY: Current State and Challenges
Understanding the current situation shows practical thinking and helps you position yourself effectively. These reality-check questions help you understand the day-to-day challenges:
What's the current reality of how this work gets accomplished?
How is the team currently handling [specific responsibility] without this position filled?
What resources and tools does the team currently have available?
What does the existing workflow look like for this type of work?
How has the team been managing the workload during the hiring process?
ALTERNATIVES: Other Solutions They've Considered
These questions demonstrate strategic thinking and show you understand that hiring involves choices. Alternative-focused questions prove you understand business decision-making:
What other approaches have you considered for addressing this challenge?
Have you thought about structuring this role differently, or is this the ideal setup?
What made you decide to hire for this position versus other potential solutions?
How does this role compare to similar positions you've had in the past?
What alternatives did you explore before deciding to create this position?
MOTIVATIONS: Understanding the Why Behind the Hire
Uncovering motivations helps you align with what truly matters to the hiring manager. Motivation questions reveal the emotional drivers and their why behind the hiring decision:
What's driving the urgency to fill this position now?
What made this role a priority for the organisation at this time?
What's important to you personally in finding the right candidate?
What initially motivated the creation of this position?
What would make you excited about someone joining in this role?
SOLUTIONS: Identifying Pain Points - Which Ones Do They Want to Improve?
Understanding which hurdles they face in achieving their goals, and which ones they'd want you to improve first. These solution-oriented questions position you as a problem-solver from day one:
What problems are you hoping this hire will help solve?
Where do you see the main gaps right now?
What would you want someone in this position to focus on first?
Which problems, once solved, would make the other issues easier to handle?
If we're talking again in six months, what would you most want to see resolved?
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FAQ: Common Interview Questions Concerns
Q: Won't these questions seem too forward or pushy?
A: When asked with genuine curiosity rather than aggressive interrogation, these questions demonstrate exactly the kind of strategic thinking employers want to see. The key is tone and authentic interest.
Q: What if the interviewer doesn't know the answers?
A: This actually works in your favour. It shows you're thinking at a strategic level that goes beyond their immediate scope, demonstrating business acumen.
Q: How many GRAMS questions should I ask?
A: Choose 3-5 questions that feel most relevant to the role and situation. Quality over quantity always wins.
Q: What if I'm interviewing for an entry-level position?
A: These questions work especially well for entry-level roles because they show you're thinking beyond task-level responsibilities to business impact.
Q: Can I use GRAMS for phone or video interviews?
A: Absolutely. The framework works across all interview formats and actually helps create more engaging virtual conversations.
Next Steps to Master Interview Success
Ready to Stand Out in a Job Interview?
The job market has never been more competitive. With rising application numbers, AI-generated resumes, and ghost jobs creating unprecedented challenges, the ability to ask intelligent, strategic questions isn't just helpful - it's essential for getting hired.
The GRAMS Method™ gives you a systematic framework for uncovering the deeper needs that hiring managers rarely voice directly. By asking questions that reveal Goals, Reality, Alternatives, Motivations, and Struggles, you demonstrate the strategic thinking and genuine interest that employers desperately want to see.
Stop asking generic questions that make you forgettable. Start using GRAMS to ask the questions that can get you hired.
Remember: successful interview preparation is about understanding their world, not just presenting yourself.
Become interview-Ready with GRAMS
On a final note, I shall repeat what I previously mentioned (just for extra impact!): The best interview questions aren't about you - they're about understanding the world your interviewer lives in and showing how you can make it better.
