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Writer's pictureCynthia Fortlage

Ultimate Top 10 Questions to Ask in an Interview to Assess a Future Employer - DE&I


There are articles already written on this topic so I am assembling them here for you to craft your own top 10.


The article from Glass Door was a top contender although I added some of my own thoughts and questions to the list.


Ultimately you have to decide what's important to you and gauge the crowd as to how much you push them during the interview process. As your ultimate goal is to secure a new role, perhaps some questions may not be answered as well you would hope may pale in comparison to the trade off's you are willing to accept in order to work there, even if it is to just add it to your resume.



The original post has a lot of additional commentaries I suggest you go read as well to enhance your appreciation for each question.


Fast Company published the original article from Glass Door's Emily Moore, the original article can. befound on the glass door website:



1. What are your most important values? 2. How important is diversity to you, and what value does it bring?


New Question: How do you define diversity & inclusion and when do you know you are Diverse enough?


My own experiences as an executive lead me to believe that those interviewing you may believe they are diverse enough as an organization. What does that actually mean to them and does it include folks like yourself? They may feel that their organization is Diverse enough already but when you ask them to clarify that you may find that their diverse enough does not include folks like you. If they feel they are doing enough but it lacks inclusion for you the question of fit of that organization may become an issue for you.


This is a red flag as a cultural issue that they believe that the ongoing work to diversify is sufficient. If you have an adaptation required to do a role, such as adapting to a physically diverse person, will they not consider you as a candidate because they feel they have already made enough adaptations?


3. What are you doing to make sure everyone feels included?

4. Can you share data on the organization's diversity?

5. How diverse is the executive team?

New Question: How diverse is your management team and above?


Some firms may have very small executive teams so at first glance the best you easily assess is diversity for gender and race. By looking at the management team and above you can not only see how far up the corporate ladder diversity goes and where does it begin to filter out and perhaps become white only, male-only, end of career age only.


6. Is the leadership team committed to diversity?


New Question: How does the leadership team demonstrate that commitment?


Asking about the team's commitment is more likely to get you a simple answer. Asking about how they demonstrate that as a follow-up question gets to the heart of what actual practices beyond the hiring practice has diversity practises become part of the organizational DNA.

7. Are the company's recruiting efforts supporting a diverse culture?

8. What diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence training has my supervisor had? 9. Who holds my supervisor accountable for diversity and inclusion measures?

New Question: What ongoing diversity and inclusion training is the organization delivering and to whom in order to support developing the DNA of the organization with new and existing staff members and leadership?


Ongoing commitment is critical to continually develop organizational capabilities with regards to diversity and inclusion. This ensures that it wasn't a one-time thing to check a box and had become part of how the company develops new staff and future leaders.



New Question: What is the process for reporting and escalating a violation of the diversity and inclusion policies and practises in the organization?


If the next level of the organization is the level holding the previous level to account, what if there is an issue with that more senior level? what if the issue is within the executive team or leaders of the organization, what recourse is available to support staff? If the buck stops at the most senior staffer (president, etc.) and there is no mechanism to hold them to account you know there is s shortfall in the organizational accountability and perceptions of deep the DNA runs, it is most likely an organization doing just enough to get by.


10. Does the company have any other diversity programs in place?




45 questions in total


COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY QUESTIONS (i.e. mindset, attitudes, philosophy)


1. Describe your understanding of diversity [inclusion] and why it is important to this position.


2. What is your definition of diversity and how or why do you think diversity is important?


3. In what ways do you think diversity is important to someone in the role of _____?


4. How are diversity [inclusion] issues and [leadership] [teaching or service] [customer service] related?


5. How would you describe your current thinking about diversity, and how has your thinking changed over time?


6. What does it mean for you to have a commitment to diversity? How have you demonstrated that commitment, and how would you see yourself demonstrating it here?


7. What are some concerns you have about working with diverse populations or communities?


8. To what extent do you believe there are significant differences in how one should work with diverse cultures within the US/US minorities and diverse cultures from other nations? Are different strategies appropriate, and if so, what are they?




38 questions in total


The 38 Questions were adapted from the list from Northern Illinois University as listed above. These adaptations were to support the BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) initiatives in the UK (United Kingdom).


Many more questions exist for employers to ask you, want to get a sneak peek do a google search: ten questions to ask in an interview to assess diversity and inclusion


In Solidarity and Pride,

Cynthia




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