"Do You Have Any Questions For Me?" — How to Use the Last Five Minutes of an Interview

Almost every interview ends the same way. The hiring manager closes their notebook, looks up, and says: “Do you have any questions for me?”

Most candidates treat this as the polite wind-down. It isn't. It's still part of the assessment and it's one of the few moments in the process where you're genuinely in control of the conversation. Handle it well and you can leave a stronger impression than anything you said in the previous hour. Handle it badly and you undo good work.

Here's how to make those five minutes count.

Why it matters more than people think

Your questions tell an interviewer three things at once.

They show whether you've actually done your homework, or just skimmed the website in the car park. They reveal what you care about: the work, or the package. And they demonstrate how you think. A sharp question about safety culture says more about your judgement than any competency answer.

There's also a practical benefit that candidates forget. You are also assessing them. A job is a two-way commitment, and this is your chance to find out whether the role is genuinely what you want before you accept it.

Prepare beyond the obvious

The company website is the starting point, not the finish line. Everyone reads the website.

Go further. Look for recent contract awards and project wins. Check whether they've been in the trade press. Look at their accreditations and any published safety performance. In our sector, it's worth knowing whether they've had an HSE intervention or a notable incident. You don't need to raise it clumsily, but knowing the context lets you ask far better questions.

A question that references something real, a project they've just won, a change in their structure, a certification they've achieved, instantly separates you from the field. It proves you're interested in them, not just in a job.

Bring more questions than you'll need

Prepare four or five. You'll likely only ask two or three, because good interviewers answer half of them as they go and if your only prepared question has already been covered, you're left with nothing.

But don't fire off a list, either. Ten questions doesn't look thorough; it looks like you haven't prioritised. Two or three excellent questions beat a barrage every time.

Questions worth asking

These work because they're open, forward-looking, and give you something useful back.

“What does success look like in this role after six or twelve months?” This tells you exactly what you'd be measured on and it signals you're already thinking about delivering, not just arriving.

“What's the biggest health and safety challenge facing the business right now?” A brilliant question in our sector. The answer tells you whether you'd be firefighting or building, whether the culture is mature or reactive, and what you'd actually be walking into.

“How does the senior leadership team engage with safety?”This is the culture question. The answer, and how comfortably they answer it, tells you whether safety is genuinely valued or treated as a compliance box. It matters enormously to how effective, and how happy, you'd be.

“What's the one skill or quality that makes someone succeed here?”The gift question. Whatever they say, you can respond with a concrete example of you doing exactly that. It's a free chance to close a gap.

“How is the team structured, and where does this role sit?” Practical, and it surfaces reporting lines, influence and progression without you having to ask about promotion directly.

“What's coming up in the project pipeline?”Particularly relevant in construction. It tells you about job security, workload, travel and the type of work you'd be exposed to.

The closing question most people never ask

If it feels right, and the conversation has gone well, try this one:

“Is there anything about my experience that gives you any hesitation, which I could address now?”

It takes nerve. But it's the single most useful question you can ask, because it surfaces objections while you're still in the room to answer them, rather than letting them quietly cost you the job after you've left.

What to leave until later

Keep this first conversation about the role and the organisation. Save the following:

• Salary and package
• Working hours and flexibility
• Holiday entitlement
• Bonus, pension and benefits

Not because these don't matter. They matter a great deal, and you're entitled to clarity on all of them. But raising them at the first interview signals that the package interests you more than the job. There will be a right time, and if you're working with a recruiter, that's exactly what they're there for. Let them handle it on your behalf.

Read the room

Watch for the signals. If the interviewer is glancing at the clock or gathering their papers, take the hint and ask one strong question rather than three. You lose nothing. Anything left unanswered can go through your recruiter, or be picked up at the second stage.

Knowing when to stop talking is itself a skill people notice.

In short

Preparation is the whole game. Research properly, prepare more questions than you need, focus on the role and the culture rather than the package, and be ready to read the room.

Do that, and the last five minutes stop being the bit you dread, and start being the bit that wins you the job.