Andy 0:04
Welcome to the HigherEdJobs podcast. I'm Andy Hibel, the chief operating officer and one of the co-founders of HigherEdJobs.

Kelly 0:10
And I'm Kelly Cherwin, the director of editorial strategy.

Andy 0:30
I remember about a year ago, one of my favorite episodes we’ve ever done. We talked about dropping our children off as freshmen on the college campus. I wanted to ask you a question because I got feedback from my child about freshman year specific to this podcast. Did your child at all give you feedback about the podcast and their year on campus?

Kelly 0:55
No, he didn’t listen to the podcast. So yeah, he didn’t even know I was talking about him.

Andy 1:01
Oh, wow. So I did get feedback. Mine did listen. The feedback I received was not only did they listen, they persuaded other people in their residence hall to listen as well.

Kelly 1:17
Oh, that’s quite a compliment.

Andy 1:19
I thought so. I was pretty happy about that. I asked specifically about that episode, and the answer kind of shocked me. The answer was, “I don’t know.” Like, you don’t know? “Well, the reason we listened to the podcast, Dad, is because it puts us to sleep.”

Kelly 1:40
Okay, so that wasn’t a compliment.

Andy 1:43
It was not. But there was a little bit of a backhanded compliment, which was, “Your voice is pretty soothing.” I don’t listen to my own voice, but I guess I’m going to take it as a win. It serves a purpose for my children, so I’ll take that as a win. But I think that’s one of the last times it was just the two of us. We don’t get to do this often, and I think these are some of my favorite episodes.

Kelly 2:10
Well, now with all that said, I feel like we might have prepped people to get ready for a nap.

Andy 2:19
Wake up, wake up, wake up if you’re falling asleep.

Kelly 2:21
Yes, wake up, because this is a really good article and a good topic written by one of our authors.

Andy 2:27
Yeah. And even if you’re not thinking about going into higher ed, there are parts of this that are applicable. But I think this article has fantastic advice for anybody who’s interviewing. The article we’re talking about ran back in April 2025 on HigherEdJobs, called “The One Question That Higher Ed Interviewers Love to Hear,” by our friend Justin Zackal, who does a great job with his pieces. Thank you, Justin, for all your great work over the years.

It starts off with the perfect sentence: “The question you ask employers at the end of your job interview can make or break your candidacy.” If you stop right there, that’s the most important thing to know. The questions at the end of your interview aren’t throwaways--they’re essential.

Now, I always think of the contrary voice here--you’ve just gone through an hour-long interview, and now they ask if you have questions, but also tell you there are two minutes left. Let’s set that scenario aside. If an employer is only giving you two minutes to ask questions, you still want to ask a great one. You might not get a detailed answer, but still do it.

We talk regularly about interviewing the institution. It’s not a good sign if the institution doesn’t give you time for questions. You really want to allow candidates the ability to start a conversation on their own terms, because working with someone is a two-way street.

Kelly 4:22
There were so many parts of this article that I liked. The opening question is great--the questions you ask at the end--but also, when I flip it, the questions you don’t ask are just as highlighted in there. This typically happens toward the end of the interview when they ask, “Do you have any questions for us?” What should you never say, Andy?

Andy 4:44
“How long is the lunch break?”

Kelly 4:48
Exactly. Don’t say that. But don’t ever say, “No, I don’t have any questions.” I highlighted this--Justin put it in his article: if the committee is scoring each question, don’t get a zero for “Do you have any questions for us?” Always have a question.

We’re going to ease into what Justin suggested--ways to approach this type of question to explore what it’s like to work there. Do you want to go into what Justin was suggesting?

Andy 5:18
I’ll maybe take a step back and leave that to you. I’m still fixated on the break because that’s important to me. If there’s only 15 minutes for lunch, that’s not adequate. I need at least a half hour.

Kelly 5:33
I thought you were going to throw me under the bus with my--

Andy 5:35
No, no, I’m taking this one all myself. But there’s a whole litany of questions that are better for a different time and place. The core questions you should ask are those that go deeper into the role, the expectations, and the culture.

Some questions are better for HR during later stages of the search. Nowadays, with pay transparency, lots of states require salary ranges in postings. You’ll see them on HigherEdJobs. If you do, I’d suggest confirming that range prior to an in-person interview.

Now, don’t presume you’ll get the top of that range, or that exceeding it is possible. If there’s no salary band, it’s reasonable to ask, “What is the salary range for this position?”

Kelly 7:31
I love that you bring that up, Andy, because we’re going to do a podcast later in the fall about how to answer that question if someone asks you. I like that you’re talking about timing.

It’s probably been a couple of seasons since we did our “Bad Interview Questions, Good Interview Questions” episode. Justin gave great examples of appropriate questions to ask--and when. Also, some of the “bad” questions show you haven’t done your research. For example, if you ask, “What is the mission of the institution?”--that’s something you should’ve found on their website.

Andy 8:30
I love that you bring up mission, because I think it’s a great part of it. Instead of asking what the mission is, you could say, “I understand the mission is to further research and educate students. How do you see that coming into practice in this role?”

That shows you’ve done your homework and that you care how the mission is lived out day-to-day. The overall goal of these questions, when asked professionally and thoughtfully, is to assess whether the environment will help you succeed.

If you’re in admissions, asking about the budget isn’t inappropriate. It’s key to your success. If expectations are high but resources are low, that’s hard to manage.

Kelly 10:00
Thank you, Andy, because you set the stage well for what Justin suggested. Every department is different, so candidates should ask, “What does it take to be a good colleague in your department?”

I love that question. It helps both sides. The candidate learns about the culture, and the employer learns about the candidate. It shows you’re interested in fit--not changing yourself to fit in, but seeing whether your work ethic and values align with theirs.

Andy 12:05
I love that. Justin even broke down why the word “colleague” matters. “Colleague” and “collegial” share the Latin root col, meaning “together.” It suggests collaboration and shared responsibility.

That respect for teamwork is key. Departments don’t win--institutions win. A cohesive team builds consensus easily.

Kelly 13:29
Exactly. And notice Justin didn’t say, “What can I do to thrive here?” He said, “What type of people thrive here, and why are they successful?” That helps the interviewer reflect on their environment and talk about their team. It reveals culture naturally.

Andy 14:17
I like taking that further. Justin writes, “Notice the signals.” I think that means notice the answers to questions you didn’t ask.

Ask which departments they work with most, and notice where they’re located in relation to each other. That can show whether leadership understands interdepartmental collaboration. If teams that need to work together are far apart, that might hint at silos.

If you’ve researched ahead, you can say, “I know we’d work closely with this department, but they’re on the other side of campus. Is there a reason for that?” That shows awareness and initiative.

Kelly 15:58
I love that, Andy. You’re right--it’s a two-way interview. Pay attention to tone and signals. If someone responds negatively about another department, that could be a red flag.

Andy 16:35
Exactly. But sometimes it’s a green flag. If they acknowledge a challenge but show that leadership is addressing it, that demonstrates collaboration and honesty.

We’ve talked before about shifting from “you and me” to “us.” That’s how you help them picture you as part of their team.

Kelly 17:41
Well, Andy, I think you rounded that out really well.

Andy 17:45
We’ve exceeded our time--which is shocking, knowing the two of us.

Kelly 17:49
I’m glad we had this conversation. Thank you again, Justin, for writing this fantastic article.

Andy 17:54
For those listening, if you’re falling asleep--wake up, turn off your phone, and go to bed. It’s okay, we forgive you.

If you’re still awake and have questions you’d like Kelly and me to ask one of our experts, or any other thoughts, please send them to podcast@HigherEdJobs.com
or DM us on X @HigherEdCareers. Thanks, Kelly.

Kelly 18:25
Thank you, Andy.

Andy 18:26
And thank you all for listening. We look forward to talking to you again real soon.