'Get to know you' questions at work and how to use them

Getting to know the people you work with helps build connections and form positive and productive relationships. A good way you can do this is by asking your workmates ‘getting to know you’ questions.

Having friendly working relationships with colleagues is a great way to foster opportunities for collaboration, and do your part to create a positive workplace culture. To help you get the conversation started, we’ve created a list of icebreaker questions for work and provided examples of appropriate times you can ask them. 

Why ‘getting to know you’ questions are important 

Whether you’re new to a job or you’re welcoming a new member to the team, it can be helpful to have some ‘get to know you’ questions for work mates. Asking questions shows you’re interested in them – and interested in having good working relationships with them. By learning more about your co-workers, you find out about their strengths, weaknesses, skills and experience – areas you may be able to help them with, and vice versa.

Examples of get to know you questions 

Here are some common ‘get to know you’ questions that you can ask to learn more about the people in your team. 

Questions about their role in the workplace

• What is your position? 
• How long have you been working here? 
• What are your main duties? 
• What’s your favourite part of working here? 
• Has your role changed since you’ve been here? 

Questions about their professional experience

• What’s your professional background?
• What was your first job? 
• Have you had a job like this before? 
• Do you have a career mentor?
• Have you always worked in this field? 

Questions about their hobbies and interests

• What do you get up to outside of work? 
• Do you play or watch any sports? 
• Have you seen any good movies lately? 
• Do you have any pets? 
• Do you like travelling? Where have you visited recently? 

How to ask ‘get to know you’ questions

When you’re asking co-workers questions, it’s important that your approach is right. Be mindful of your tone, your body language and the setting. The overall mood should be friendly and laidback. Here are a few tips to help you get good responses from ‘get to know you’ questions:

• Choose the right setting. Start a conversation in a relaxed environment – don’t put a colleague on the spot. 
• Be genuine in your approach. Your tone should be genuine and warm. People can often tell if interest is forced or fake.
• Practise active listening. This involves paying attention and making an effort to understand and remember your colleagues’ responses. 
• Keep things light and positive. Don’t ask probing or controversial questions. 
• Share relevant details about yourself. Creating a connection means sharing some information about yourself too. 
• Be mindful of non-verbal cues. Pay attention to body language. It’s important to be sensitive when asking ‘get to know’ you questions. Some people may not feel comfortable discussing specific topics, so be perceptive to non-verbal cues. 
• Encourage group participation. Asking ‘getting to know you’ questions as a group can be a great way to build team relationships and rapport. 

When to ask ‘get to know you’ questions 

There are a few situations where it’s typical to ask, and be asked, ‘get to know’ you questions. Here are some common instances. 

How to ask ‘get to know’ you questions during an interview 

Asking your potential employer questions is a great way to learn more about them and the organisation. Plus, it shows that you’re genuinely interested in the position. Remember to be genuine in your approach and practise active listening when they reply. 

What are ‘get to know’ you questions to ask a manager? Here are a few questions you might like to ask as part of your interview:

• What qualities do you value most in team members and employees?
• What attracted you to this company? 
• What aspects of the team’s projects are most enjoyable to you?

Asking ‘get to know’ you questions at a new workplace 

Asking ‘meet the team’ questions is the perfect way to break the ice and get to know your new colleagues. While it can be daunting to approach a new work team, sometimes the hardest part is simply striking up a conversation. It can often help to brainstorm a few engaging and appropriate questions beforehand. Research ‘What are 5 questions to get to know your team?’ if you’re stuck for some good ‘getting to know’ you questions.

Here are some tips for asking introduction questions at a new job:

• Start with simple questions
• Show genuine interest
• Be respectful of your colleagues’ time (don’t try to start a conversation when they’re clearly busy)
• Ask open-ended questions like, What’s your favourite thing about working here? and What led you to this career?
• Join group conversations when appropriate
• Keep it light
• Make use of lunchtime or coffee breaks to socialise

Examples of good ‘get to know you’ questions on your first day at work 

If you’re about to start a new job and you don’t know anyone, it can be tempting to try and fast-track work friendships. In your first days, it’s better to take things slowly and just stick to basic, superficial questions. What are some fun questions to ask co-workers? Here’s a list of example questions you can ask on your first day or week at a new workplace.

About the company and your colleague’s roles

Asking questions about the company and your co-workers’ roles can give you a good understanding of how you will be working together on a day-to-day basis. This can help you establish which people you’ll work most closely with and who you can reach out to when you have questions.

Example questions can include:

• What do you enjoy most about your role here?
• What advice do you wish you’d been given on your first day here?

About work style and collaboration

Questions around work style and collaboration can shed insight into the daily workings of your new team. By understanding the processes, you’ll be able to integrate quickly into the team. Some example work style questions can include:

• How do you prefer to communicate: email, instant messaging or face-to-face?
• What’s the typical workflow or process like in our team?
• Are there any regular team meetings or check-ins I should be aware of?

About team dynamics

Asking questions about the team can indirectly shed light on the team dynamics, and give you a feel for any internal politics. You’ll naturally learn about team dynamics over time, but it can’t hurt to ask a few culture-related questions as a new joiner. 

Some examples of team dynamic questions may be:

• Who on the team has been here the longest?
• Can you tell me about any team traditions or activities?
• How does the team usually celebrate successes or milestones?

About individual insights

Asking questions about your coworker’s role or project provides insight into their skill set and responsibilities. 

Some examples of these questions include:

• What projects are you currently excited about?
• How has your role evolved since you started here?
• What do you find is the most challenging part of your role?

About personal interests (if appropriate)

At first, it’s best to steer clear of personal questions. However, that doesn’t mean all your questions should be about work – you can ask general questions to learn more about your colleagues’ interests. 

Here are some examples of light questions to ask co-workers: 

• Do you have any favourite lunch spots around the office you'd recommend?
• What do you like to do outside of work?
• Have you read any good books or watched any interesting shows recently?

Future-oriented questions

Asking your co-workers for their opinions about the future of your team can help you prepare for any upcoming changes, while giving you insights into their personalities. Some examples of future-oriented questions can include:

• What are some goals or projects you’re looking forward to in the near future?
• How do you see our team or department evolving over the next year?

Advice and tips

Getting advice and tips from your new colleagues can be a great way to build mutual trust and respect. Here are some examples of asking for advice or tips in the workplace:

• Do you have any advice for someone just starting in this role?
• Are there any resources or tools you’d recommend to help me get up to speed?
• What’s the best way to do [one of your tasks]?

Answering ‘get to know’ you questions at work 

Communication is a two-way street. Your new colleagues will likely ask you questions about yourself. Here are a few tips to help you answer get to know me questions:

• Be approachable and open
• Keep your answers concise (don’t ramble)
• Share experiences or facts about yourself that you’re comfortable sharing
• Respond honestly but professionally
• Be mindful of office culture
• Show interest in others

Answering ‘get to know you’ questions during an interview 

Hiring managers and potential employers might ask ‘get to know’ you questions during your job interview. This helps them to get a better understanding of whether you’d be a good fit for their organisation. 

Here are some things to keep in mind when answering these types of interview questions:

• Be genuine. When it comes to answering ‘get to know’ you questions in an interview, it’s important to be yourself. Authenticity helps build trust and shows a glimpse of your personality.
• Keep it positive and professional. Keep your answers polite and relevant to the job. Don’t bring up negative opinions or contentious issues.
• Prepare in advance. Before your interview, spend time reviewing common ‘get to know’ you questions and preparing your responses. Think about aspects of your personality, hobbies and experiences that you’d like to highlight.
• Focus on relevant information. It’s important to keep your responses relevant to the position and the organisation. Try to answer in a way that shows sought-after personal qualities. 
• Use anecdotes. Where appropriate, share stories that illustrate your best qualities in action. This can help make your answers more memorable, so you’re more likely to stand out to the interviewer. 

‘Get to know you’ questions play an important role in creating good working relationships with colleagues. They help build familiarity and trust between co-workers and can ease the transition into a new team, whether for you or for a newcomer. When it comes to asking and answering these types of questions, keep your questions professional and show genuine interest in the responses you get.

FAQs 

What are some unique icebreaker questions for remote teams?

It can be challenging getting to know new colleagues when you work remotely. However, here are some unique icebreaker ideas and questions that you can use to get to know your new team over a video call:

• Share something on your desk or in your workspace that has a special meaning to you.
• If you could teleport anywhere in the world for a day, where would you go and why?
• If your workday had a theme song, what would it be?

How can I make team meetings more engaging with icebreakers?

Using icebreaker questions during team meetings can be a great way to get the conversation flowing. Here are some tips to get you started:

• Keep it short and sweet. It’s important not to get too off-track in work meetings, so aim to keep your icebreakers around the five-minute mark.
• Variety is key. Avoid using the same icebreakers every time a new person joins the team. Instead, switch them up to keep it interesting and so that existing team members can find out something new about their colleagues.
• Be flexible. If icebreaker questions aren’t working with your team, move on with the meeting and try a different approach next time.

What questions should I ask when getting to know a coworker in a diverse workplace? 

If you work with people from different backgrounds to your own, be mindful of cultural considerations when asking ‘get to know you’ questions. Practising cultural awareness means you don’t assume all your co-workers have the same personal values, beliefs and cultural traditions as you. Good questions include those that allow a person to answer in a generic way if they’re not comfortable sharing: Did you get up to much on the long weekend?, Do you have any pets?, Have you travelled much around the state?, etc.)  

Can you share some icebreakers for virtual onboarding?

If you’re an HR professional or a team leader, here are some engaging icebreakers that you can use for virtual onboarding:

• Two truths and a lie. Each new person shares two true statements and one false statement about themselves. The team tries to guess which statement is the lie.
• Bucket-list sharing. Have new people share one item from their personal or professional bucket list. This can spark conversations and provide info that helps the new joiner remember their teammates.
• Team trivia. Create a set of trivia questions related to the company, its history and its employees. This is a fun way for new people to learn about the organisation.

What’s the difference between icebreakers for small teams and large organisations?

The main difference between icebreaker activities for small teams and those for larger teams is that larger teams need to be broken into smaller groups. It’s hard for people to connect when they’re all in one large group, and it’s not time effective to have a large number of people taking turns to speak. With small teams, everyone has a chance to contribute to incebreaker activities, and can focus on getting to know a manageable number of new people at a time.