Questions You Should Not Ask in an Interview
We have elaborated in our other article about questions you should ask in an interview, now we will explain about questions that you should not ask in an interview. You’re probably wondering if there is such a thing as questions you should never ask to a recruiter or interviewer. The answer is yes. Most interviewers or recruiters already have their preferred candidates even before the interview, so to minimize your chance of losing the job opportunity it is better for you to avoid some questions. You could be their top choice to be hired for the job but if you ask wrong questions, the recruiters or interviewers would put you on the rejection list.
- What does the company do? If you ask this question during the interview, probably the interviewer or recruiter will end the interview right away. This question shows you didn’t learn or find out about the company, pretty much just applied randomly and don't care about the job. You have to know what the companies do before you attend the interview.
- What is the salary? Never ask about the salary, benefits and such during the first round of interview. You will sound not really care about the job and you would be looked down upon. If the recruiter or interviewer doesn’t start discussion regarding salary and benefits, as a candidate you should never start this conversation.
- What is this job about? This is another question that shows you applied for a job randomly, didn’t read the job post and had zero preparation before the interview. It’s better to ask, what would be my daily tasks in this job? All job vacancies lay out the responsibilities and perhaps day to day tasks unless it’s a shady or scam job. So you should have known already about what the job entails.
- How many holidays or paid off days? You haven't even started the job yet, so you definitely should not ask this question. It looks like you only look forward to not working, not vice versa. As a candidate who is looking for a job, you should be excited about when you will start the job, not when you will be not working.
- Can I work from home or remotely? If the job post doesn’t state anything about whether you can work from home or remotely, then never ask this question. Remember that a job interview is when you sell or promote yourself, by asking this question it indicates that you are just looking for something to benefit you. If it is possible then the recruiter or interviewer will mention it.
- How long does it take to be promoted? Again, this is another question that you are looking for something to benefit you. When you are not even offered the job yet, you should never ask this question. It shows that you are impatient and only want to stay in the position not for long. A better question is, are there any opportunities to grow in this company and what is it?
- Asking the “why” This means like a few questions start with why. For example: why did the company open this position?, why did the company lay off people last month?, why is the position not filled for months? and so on. By asking a why question, the interviewer or recruiter will feel like being cornered and offended; it sounds like the interview is an interrogation.