I Beg You, Do Not Ask These Interview Questions
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So you’ve asked a bad question during an interview? Yea, we all have.
Lets Be honest…going on an interview ranks as one of the more nerve-racking experiences we face during our careers. Sweaty palms before you shake the hiring manager’s hand? We’ve been there. Once a company brings you in for an interview, they’ve proven their interest and you don’t want to mess that up. The interview is your chance to get the dream job. Don’t let any inappropriate questions cost you all of the work you’ve done so far!
Over the next few paragraphs, I’d like to cover some examples of questions that you should NOT ask during the interview process.
Okay, you never want to ask questions that could be easily attainable with an internet search. Come on people, it is 2014! The internet is your friend. You basically have the whole history of a company at the click of a mouse. It’s Interviewing 101: you want to be as prepared as possible. You should be able to find answers to your basic questions by doing a specific company search for the position you are interviewing for. A little research really does go a long way – letting your potential employer know you are prepared and proactive in learning about the company, most definitely betters your chance for an offer. That, and you didn’t waste time during the interview attempting to get to know the company…they need to get to know you!
Red flag #2- You really don’t want to inquire about vacation or personal time this early in the process. By doing this, you’re telling the hiring manager that incentives take precedence over them getting to know you. You want to let the process play out until the end and definitely do not want to put any negative thoughts about asking for time off, so far in advance. While it’s important to be honest and open with the future employer, this can be saved for the offer stage. Put yourself in the company’s shoes; if someone asked you for time off before you offered them the job, you might find yourself a bit aggravated. The interview is your time to shine. Time off comes after the job offer and hard work.
And another no-no: You’ll never want to ask about when you can expect a raise.Yikes. From the interviewer’s perspective, this can be a very bad sign. This gives the interviewer a bad taste in their mouth from the start. If you’re already thinking about a raise before you’ve shown them how you can perform, they may not give you the chance. It also doesn’t portray you in the best light and may give your potential employer the feeling that you won’t be happy at the current salary and could jump ship. Remember, once you’ve been offered the job, you can always politely negotiate.
If you are interviewing with a larger company that has many different departments, you’ll never want to ask when you can inquire about other positions. Growth within a company is one thing, but giving the interviewer the sense that you like to jump around a lot shows you are lacking passion.
Lastly, and most importantly, you don’t want to complete the interview and not ask any questions at all! Not asking any questions can make you seem under-prepared and not interested. You’ll always want to have a few, well prepared questions to ask the interviewer that show that you are ready for this opportunity.
In preparing for your next interview, here are a few questions you can ask:
- What have you enjoyed most about working at this company?
- The last person that worked in this role, what made them successful?
- Is this a new position within the company?
- What is the top priority for this position over the next several months?
- What are your overall goals for the company and how can I help you work toward them?
Think you’re ready for an interview? Let us help you find your dream job. Happy job hunt!
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