The JobSync Blog
Questions You Should Never Ask in an Interview
November 10, 2011
Congratulations! You just got an interview for the job of your dreams. In today’s job landscape, simply scoring an interview can sometimes seem as big as getting the job itself. Now all you have to do is go in there and impress them further and show them how your achievement-driven past will fuel their future growth.
Of course, you’ll want to pose questions to satisfy your curiosity about the company and show them that you’re sincerely interested. And asking questions is one area where a little common sense can go a long way in keeping you in contention. Recently, U.S. News & World Report featured a piece on the ten questions you should never raise in an interview, and they include:
1. What does your company do?
2. What benefits do you offer?
3. Can I leave at 3:00 on Thursdays?
4. Do you drug test?
5. Would I be able to play a role in [something unrelated to the job you’re applying for]?
6. Do employees get a discount on your product?
7. Do you check references?
8. How long do you get for lunch?
9. Why should I take this job?
10. How did I do?
As different as these questions may seem, they all have one thing in common: None of them helps a jobseeker address what should always be the primary focus of an initial job interview: to help a candidate determine if the job and company are a good fit. This applies to question #9 as well, as it is up to the candidate to ask questions that will enable the candidate alone to figure out if the job and company are a great match.
To gain greater clarity on this matter, imagine if you were a hiring manager and someone posed these questions to you – would you hire this person? The only question you might ask is if that individual wants to leave now.
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