Questions to Ask in an Interview and Discussing Salary

Questions to Ask, and Talking About Salary

Almost every interview ends with "do you have any questions for us?" Saying no is a genuinely missed opportunity — this moment is one of the only places in the whole process where you're evaluating them too, and asking nothing reads as a lack of real interest.

Good Questions to Ask

"What does a typical first few months look like for someone in this role?"
"How does the team review code, and how often?"
"What would success look like in this role after six months?"
"What's the biggest challenge the team is working through right now?"
Something specific from your research — genuinely referencing what the company builds, which shows the preparation covered earlier actually happened.

These signal that you're thinking seriously about the actual job, not just trying to get any offer at all.

What Not to Lead With

Questions purely about vacation days, remote-work policy, or perks are not wrong to eventually ask, but leading with them in a first conversation reads as prioritising the job's conditions well before you've even earned the offer. Save those for once an offer is genuinely on the table.

The Salary Question

"What are your salary expectations?" makes most junior candidates uncomfortable, mainly because they don't know what a reasonable number even looks like yet.

Research a realistic range first — talk to instructors, alumni, or check what similar junior roles in your city and specialisation are actually paying, rather than guessing blind.
It is fine to give a range rather than a single fixed number.
It is fine to ask what the budgeted range for the role is, especially if asked before you've had the chance to research anything.
Do not undersell yourself out of pure anxiety — a number far below the going market rate is often read as a lack of confidence rather than as a bargain, and it can be genuinely hard to correct once accepted.

As a junior with limited experience, expecting a senior-level salary is unrealistic, and that's fine — the honest goal at this stage is usually a fair starting number, real experience, and room to grow, not maximising the first number on the offer.

A Reasonable Answer

"Based on what I've seen for junior roles with similar
responsibilities in this area, I was thinking somewhere in the
range of [X to Y]. I'm open to discussing it based on the full
package and the role itself."

This shows you did the research, gives room to negotiate, and doesn't lock you into a single number before you've heard their offer.

It Is a Two-Way Conversation

An interview is not only them deciding about you — you are also deciding whether this is a place worth working, which is exactly what good questions and an honest salary conversation are for. Treating the whole process as one-directional, with you doing all the auditioning, misses half of what the conversation is actually there to establish.