20 Best Get to Know You Questions for Work

You and your team members work together every day. You know their names and when they arrive at work. But how much else do you really know about them? And how much do your team members know about each other? 

A better understanding of everyone’s personalities, goals, and interests can help everyone work better together. To help break the ice, here are 20 of the best “get to know you questions” for work.

• Top 10 best career-related “get to know you” questions for work
• Top 10 best non-career “get to know you” questions for work 

Top 10 best career-related “get to know you” questions for work

Below is a list of 10 career-related questions you can pull from your back pocket to help everyone get to know each other.

• What do you do here?
• What’s your best productivity trick?
• Do you have a mentor?
• What was your first job?
• Where did you get your prior experience?
• Where do you see yourself within the company in three years?
• What made you want to enter this field?
• What are some of your biggest career goals?
• What accomplishments have made you the proudest?
• Is there another type of work you’d like to pursue?

1What do you do here?

This question gives team members space to explain their job title. It can also give you an idea of how well your team members understand their jobs. If you see that a team member doesn’t fully understand their role, you can offer some additional insight. This question can also highlight how one team member’s role complements others.

2What’s your best productivity trick?

This question opens the door for everyone to learn some new productivity tips. Someone might make a detailed to-do list at the beginning of every workday. Another team member might use an app that makes time management easier. The productivity secrets your team shares can ultimately benefit everyone.

3Do you have a mentor?

Mentorship can help team members learn more about their roles and how they can grow. Having a mentor also gives team members someone to go to for career advice or general guidance. Asking this question allows team members to share how mentorship has helped them and find or recommend potential mentors. If a few team members don’t have a mentor, consider starting a mentorship program to help them advance in their career paths.

If you find yourself in a mentorship meeting, try this free meeting agenda template to fuel learning and growth!

4What was your first job?

Your team members come from a variety of backgrounds. Some of their answers to this question may be about their present role, while others might completely surprise you. An IT specialist’s first job may have been a tech support worker, while another specialist may have originally been a baker. Asking about everyone’s first jobs can help you learn about their other interests.

5Where did you get your prior experience?

This question can help you understand how your team members learned everything they use for their current roles. Knowing about each other’s backgrounds can help you and your team members better understand how to collaborate too. You can plan future projects based on everyone’s individual strengths and experiences.

6Where do you see yourself within the company in three years?

You can ask this question to learn about your team members’ goals within your organization. You can then train members on the skills they’ll need to get where they’re going. Plus, as team members learn about everyone’s goals, they can also share insights and encourage each other to learn and grow.

7What made you want to enter this field?

This question can help you understand your team’s interests and motivations. You’ll get an idea of your team members’ initial plans when they entered their field. Their answers can also give their fellow team members new inspiration. For example, one person might say their love of helping people solve problems led them to be a customer service representative. Other team members might fold this perspective into their approach to handling sales.

8What are some of your biggest career goals?

This question will fill you in on your team’s goals outside your organization. Encouragement and motivation are some of the key results that can come from asking this question. Other team members can offer support and guidance along the way.

9What accomplishments have made you the proudest?

With the answers you get from this question, you’ll have an idea of what you can help your team do in the future. Say, for example, someone says they felt most accomplished when they led a successful project. You might then consider letting them lead or help manage a future project or presentation. 

Everyone likes to feel valued, and shaping work around your team members’ accomplishments can emphasize this feeling. A team member sharing their accomplishments can also help everyone see the value they bring to the team.

10Is there another type of work you’d like to pursue?

Asking this question can help you learn more about a team member’s interests and goals. From there, you can identify ways to help them fold their interests into their current work. Other team members might also be down to share some insights on working in that team member’s target area. That could include tips on how this team member can prepare.

Top 10 best non-career “get to know you” questions for work 

Who are your team members before they walk into the office every morning and after they leave in the evening? Below are 10 fun questions that can help everyone learn about each other and who they are outside the workplace.

• Who or what inspires you?
• Do you like to travel?
• What’s your dream destination?
• What’s your favorite place you’ve traveled to?
• Do you have a pet?
• What do you like to do in your free time?
• What’s the best concert you’ve ever attended?
• Who’s your favorite artist or band?
• Do you have a favorite movie?
• What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

1Who or what inspires you?

Singers, artists, motivational speakers…They all can be sources of inspiration. Knowing who or what your team members admire can help you see which qualities they value. 

One team member might look up to an athlete because of their discipline and dedication. Another team member might find inspiration from a new challenge and its opportunities for problem-solving and growth. Everyone’s answers to this question can point to some shared values, perspectives, and strengths.

2Do you like to travel?

From road trips to international vacations, traveling can mean different things to different people. With their answers to this question, your team members might discover a mutual love for traveling and share some handy tips. And who knows? Maybe one day, you’ll use everyone’s responses to plan a team getaway.

3What’s your dream destination?

One team member’s passion for fashion might have them seeking out a trip to Paris. Another’s love of calming waves might take them to a desert island. Asking your team this question can open the floor to everyone sharing their fantasy vision for the rest of their lives.

4What’s your favorite place you’ve traveled to?

This question can spark exciting conversations around crazy travel stories. Maybe you’ll learn about the time a team member encountered an angry zebra on a safari trip. Or maybe you’ll hear about another team member who befriended the friendly stray dogs in a foreign city. The intrigue and good laughs are sure to spark some open communication and get team members engaged with one another.

5Do you have a pet?

Who’s the dog person or cat lover on your team? If a team member has a pet, they’ll more than likely be excited to tell you and everyone else about their best friend. You also might discover there’s a team member who has an exotic or uniquely trained pet they’d love to bring to work one day.

6What do you like to do in your free time?

This question is one of the most common ways to learn the basics about someone. In their answer, they can share any number of hobbies, activities, and TV shows that keep them busy when they’re away from work. This way, when their birthday or the time for a big celebration comes, you know which themes or ideas might go over well.

7What’s the best concert you’ve ever attended?

Reminiscing on a concert experience can bring back great memories, whether the event was last week or 30 years ago. Asking about these experiences can get a team member to reflect on a fond memory. That excitement can translate into this team member feeling more comfortable and open with you and the team.

8Who’s your favorite artist or band?

Does a team member enjoy jamming out to rock music or swaying to the sounds of jazz? Everyone has a favorite artist or two whose music deeply connects with them. Letting team members talk about their music tastes can spark some lighthearted conversation. It can also give you a company gift idea for when their favorite artist comes to town.

9Do you have a favorite movie?

The movies people enjoy can say a lot about their interests. One team member might prefer the fast-paced scenes of an action movie, while another might enjoy the tear-jerking moments in a rom-com. When it’s time for your next team outing, you’ll know which movies to consider and which ones to leave off the list. 

10What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Answering this question will likely require some thinking, but it could inspire some wisdom that just about anyone can use. A team member’s advice on patience might be just what another member could use to stop overthinking at work. This question can help you and your team members reflect on how they’ve grown – and how others can do the same.

Getting to know your team every day

Learning about your team members, and your team members learning about each other, can create an engaging workplace and build trust within your team. As team members learn more about each other, their interests, and preferences, you all can create spaces for everyone to work better together.

Try starting your meetings with one or two of these icebreaker questions to make them a natural part of your workday. You can include these questions on your meeting agenda to give attendees a chance to prepare their answers. With Fellow, your invitees can collaborate on agendas and jot down great questions and other talking points they want to raise during meetings. Now, you have everything you need for well-organized, engaging team meetings.