The interview's almost over. The technical part went okay, maybe you even solved the coding question. Then the engineering manager leans back and says "So, do you have any questions for us?"

And your brain goes completely blank. You say "No, I think you covered everything" and walk out kind of annoyed at yourself.

If that sounds familiar you're not alone. It's the most searched interview question on Google, around 17,500 searches a month according to a Ciphr study of Google data. Makes sense, it's the one part most people don't prepare for.

Here's the thing though. Saying no is one of the easiest ways to look less interested than the other candidates. Asking one or two good questions does the opposite. And honestly as a dev this is your chance to find out if the codebase and the team are something you actually want to work in.

So here's a list you can pull from.

How many questions should you ask

Two or three is the sweet spot. If there's plenty of time left, maybe four.

Write down five or six before the interview though. Some will get answered during the conversation and you don't want to ask something they literally just explained.

Questions about the work

1. "What does a normal week look like for someone on this team?" You get the real picture, not the polished version in the job post.

2. "What would you want the person in this role to have shipped in the first three months?" Great question. It tells you what they actually care about and makes them picture you doing it.

3. "What's the hardest technical problem the team is dealing with right now?" Engineers usually love answering this one, and if you have done something similar you can bring it up briefly.

4. "Is this a new role or am I replacing someone?" Tells you if the team is growing or if someone left.

Questions about how the team works

5. "How does code review work here?" You learn a lot about the culture from this. Are reviews quick and helpful or does a PR sit for a week?

6. "How do you handle deploys and on call?" Super practical. Some teams deploy ten times a day, some once a month, and on call can make or break the job for a lot of people.

7. "How much tech debt is the team carrying, and is there time to work on it?" A little bold but most engineers respect it. The answer tells you if you will spend your days building or patching.

8. "What do you like most about working here?" People usually answer this honestly and you can tell a lot from how fast they answer.

Questions about growth

9. "How do you measure success for this role?" Shows you care about doing well, not just getting hired.

10. "What does growth look like for a developer here, like from junior to intermediate?" Better than "when can I get promoted."

11. "Is there time or budget for learning, like courses, conferences or certifications?" Especially good if you're a new grad or bootcamp grad.

Questions about the company and product

12. "What's the team focused on for the next year?" Tells you where the product is headed and whether you would actually fit into that.

13. "I read your engineering blog post on [something specific]. How did that change things for the team?" Takes five minutes of research before the interview and shows you did your homework better than anything else on this list.

Questions to wrap things up

14. "Is there anything about my background that makes you unsure I'd be a good fit?" Feels scary to ask. But it gives you a chance to clear up a concern before they leave the room thinking about it.

15. "What are the next steps, and when do you expect to decide?" Always ask if they haven't said it. Especially useful if there's a take home assignment or another technical round coming.

A quick tip if you're new to Canada

Asking questions at the end is pretty much expected in Canadian interviews. In some countries it can feel rude or like you're questioning the interviewer. Here it's the opposite, not asking anything can come across as not interested. So even if it feels a bit unnatural, do it.

Questions to skip (at least in the first round)

Don't ask anything you could find on their website in 30 seconds, like "So what does your product do?"

Hold off on salary, vacation and remote work in the very first round unless they bring it up. These totally matter, it's just better to ask once they're clearly interested, usually later or when an offer is coming. (In Ontario larger employers now have to include a pay range in their job posts anyway, so check the posting first.)

And skip yes or no questions like "Do you use agile?" You'll get a one word answer and an awkward pause. "How does the team plan its work?" gets you way more.

Make it a conversation

The best questions don't sound like they came from a list, even if they did. Listen and react. A quick follow up like "Interesting, how did you decide on that approach?" makes it feel like two engineers talking, and that's exactly what you want them to remember.

It's also totally fine to have your questions in a notebook. Just glance at them, don't read them out like a script.

Prep for the whole interview, not just the end

The end is easier when the rest of it went well. If you want to practice, ResumeStart's interview prep gives you the questions you're likely to get for a specific job, with sample answers and a short intro about yourself to practice with.

The bottom line

"Do you have any questions for us?" isn't the end of the interview, it's the last part of it. Bring five questions, ask two or three, actually listen to the answers and always find out what happens next.

Ten minutes of prep and it can be the thing that makes you the candidate they remember.