Questions To NEVER Ask During A Job Interview
You’ve reached the end of your job interview, and almost every interview will end with the interviewer asking
“Do you have any questions?”
You should be putting in just as much thought into asking questions as you have answering them. Whether you intend it to or not, each question you ask has the potential to give your interviewer a better understanding of your knowledge of the company, your interest in the position and also most importantly your work ethic.
Of course there are plenty of posts out there about the very best questions to ask but on the reverse side, here is a list of questions that you should just never ask during an interview and why.
01 - Can I Do This Job At Home?
If you are interviewing from a telecommuting job, then the job description would have said so. Already to ask to work from home before even getting the job implies that you dislikes working with others, don’t like being supervised or have a difficult life schedule to work around.
On the occasion, employees who have been with a business for a long time will be allowed to telecommute but this is not something you should be asking for in the first interview.
02 - What Does Your Company Actually Do?
Avoid asking any questions about the company which you could have got the answer too if you did a bit of research on the company beforehand. These types of questions demonstrate that you have not prepared and done your homework, and implies that you probably aren't truly interested in the position.
03 - When Can I Take Time Off For A Holiday?
Try not to bring up previous commitments before being offered the position. Asking about having time off before even getting offered the role implies you aren't going to be a fully committed employee.
The only exception with this one is if the interviewer asks if you have any holidays booked in already. But if you haven’t then leave it at that.
04 - Did I Get The Job?
This sort of question puts the interviewer on the spot and also makes you appear impatient. Instead of directly asking if you got it or not, ask for more information on the hiring process. A good example of this would be “Do you generally do multiple rounds of interviews with job candidates?” If they are interested in you, most employers will provide you with this information at the end of the interview anyway.
05 - What’s The Salary?
Do not bring up money on the first interview unless its asked by the interviewer. If you already know that you will refuse a job which pays less than a certain amount, you can and should state that desired amount in your cover letter. If you are more flexible regarding your salary, it’s best not to discuss compensation until you are offered a position.
06 - How Many Hours Will I Work Each Week?
Questions about hours and extra work implies that you are hoping to work as little as possible. A much better question regarding this topic would be “what does a typical workday look like?” The answer to this will more than likely give you insight into expected work hours.
07 - How Long Until I Can Get Promoted?
This question implies that you’re actually not interested in the position you’re applying for at all, and that you’re merely waiting to move on to something bigger and better and worth more money. Instead you could ask your employer “What are some of the opportunities for growth at the company?”
The questions above are the big ones which we have seen in the past and should be avoided at all cost. We’re hoping you knew about all of these already though. There are still loads of questions out there which are inappropriate to ask during a job interview. Below are a few more which to be honest don’t need any explanation…
How late can I be without getting fired?
How long is lunch and breaks?
Can I bring my dog into the office?
Will I ever have to do a drug test?
Does this company monitor my internet usage?
How many warnings do you get before you get fired.