QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD AVOID DURING YOUR FIRST JOB INTERVIEW:
Asking these questions during the interview process may indicate lack of interest, preparation, or intelligence. They may indicate potential problems that might disqualify you as a candidate, like lack of honesty or lack of integrity. Asking these type of questions may also demonstrate that you aren't very interested in the job at all, which is the wrong impression to give an interviewer.
What does your company do?
What are benefits like?
How many warnings do you get before you’re fired?
When will I be eligible for a raise?
Do you do background checks?
Is relocation a necessary part of the job?
Do you monitor emails or internet usage?
What is your zodiac sign?
Will I have my own office?
Can I make personal calls during the day?
Can I arrive early or leave late as long as I get my work done?
Do you check social media accounts?
How soon can I take a vacation?
Will I have an expense account?
If I decide to leave you how much notice do I have to give?
Do you have a lot of rules about what you can wear here?
Can I have a top-of-the-range smartphone?
Want to go out for drinks or coffee later?
What will my salary be?
How did I do?
Did I get the job?
These types of questions appear to put your needs before those of the employer – they are mostly “me” questions. The best interview questions focus on what you the applicant can do for the company, not what the company can do for you. Remember, interviewers will be asking themselves, “Do I really want this person?” Be certain that the questions you ask don’t raise barriers or cause interviewers to doubt your professionalism. Remember, your goal in the interview is to get an offer. Once you have the offer, that’s the time to ask what the company can do for you.
Guidelines for asking better interview questions
Ask open-ended questions: closed-ended questions can be answered “yes” or “no” and begin with words such as “did,” “have,” “do,” “would” and “are.” Open-ended questions usually begin with “how,” “when” and “who” and create opportunities for a conversation and a much richer exchange of information.
Avoid “why” questions: queries starting with “why” often come off as confrontational and can make the interviewer defensive. Reframe using “how.”
Steer away from long questions: one point per question, please.
Avoid obvious questions that are easy to look up: otherwise you look lazy.
Don’t use leading questions: leading questions signal the interviewer that you are looking for a specific answer or are being manipulative.
Get to yes: your goal is to end the interview on an affirmation. In fact, the more “yes’s” and statements of agreement you can generate, the better off you will be.
At the end of an interview the interviewer will ask if you have any questions. This is a great opportunity to find out more about the job and the company's expectations, but don’t forget that the interviewer hasn't stopped assessing you while you are asking your questions.
About the Author:
Anthony Dew is an Associate Director of Mood Group – A specialist Head-hunting and Recruitment practice to the Printing, Packaging & Industrial Processing sectors.