Discussion on:

Questions you should never ask in an interview

( Don't say doing your wife, Don't say doing your wife, Don't say doing your wife, Don't say doing your wife, )

"Doing your son?"

*Classic*

"when do I start?"

"Does the company have a drug policy?"

I've noticed that some recruitment agents say "never discuss pay on the first interview" - generally from experience I have found that these almost always means that the agent has lied to you about the salary/rate of the role. It is ALWAYS within your rights and sensible to verify any information given to you about a role, especially if that information persuaded you to attend the interview.
Explicitly take notice if a recruitment agent tells you which questions not to ask at an interview - it can be an exceptionally good indicator of what they have lied to you about.

Surely details like vacation time don't need to be asked, that information should have been supplied as part of either the job description or at the interview? Although that's really a U.S specific view, as most other countries have statutory holiday entitlement that applies to everyone. Yes, it's true, the U.S.A. lags sadly behind on the vacation time front.
I'd ask for a job description if one is available, that's always useful.

... I get 5 - 6 weeks a year, as part of my entitlement. Which I can take all at one go. I'd be flat-out taking 2 weeks back in Calif (working as an RN in a hospital) - more than that, I'd have to apply for a sabbatical.
Ridiculous.

An applicant is supposed to have asked in the first (and last) interview "What about company loans?"
Answer: We leave loans to the bank.
End of interview

Ms Halll seems to think that only the recruiter should appear to have a choice, in an interview situation. While it's true that (usually) emloyees must work to make a living, it's also true that employers must hire in order to produce... A employment contract should definitely be a win-win situation, and I've always felt that, as much as "Why should we hire you?" is a legitimate question from the recruiter, I'm equally entitled to ask "Why should I work for you?" and get a convincing answer... "Because we are going to pay you a minimal wage for as much workhours as we can get" is definitely not convincing...

While I agree, I think that type of approach is for later in the process when you have made the short list or an offer has been put on the table. My frustration is that most employers think the only thing in an offer is a dollar amount, we all know there is much more to consider. Just look at employee surveys.

when you wait too long into the interview process to ask the money questions, you might be surprised to find that the salary is NOT what you were looking for, the company has no benefits to speak of and you've wasted a lot of your valuable time in the process.

I wonder sometimes if the authors at sites like this one don't deliberately give bad advice just to get people to post a reply showing that the author is doing their job and increasing the viewing of the ads on the page.

...and I thought I was cynical LOL

Couldn't agree more. If you have a good resum you're calling the shots. I also think it's in everyone's interest to have a crystal clear idea of the job (the duties and the privileges involved). There's no use in a shady interview if people are gonna leave after 2 months because of things left out in the interview.

What you've said is true enough, but the interview isn't the place for it. The questions are things that a bit of research will generally tell you. And, if not, they are things to talk about during the offer. They hold the job -- you have to convince first that they want to hire you. Once you're at that point, it is time to talk terms.

Having said that, I would never ask "What is a typical work week like" or "What do you like about working here" or similar. These silly questions don't impress me as someone who is prepared for an interview. Interview should be some kind of conversation about the company, the job and the candidate, but I would hope you could come up with specific questions based on the interview.

I think that: "Ms. Hall says, Bottom line: An interview should be about what you can give to a company, not what you can get from a company." is a bit backward. It is actually two things going on during an interview, first the applicant that is trying to market him/herself as a good employee, second the company trying to market itself as a good employer.

I would find it stupid to sign the contract in case the company have not convinced me that they are a good employer. A very one-way interview is a strong sign that this employer is probably not a good choice.

And yes I might go to an interview not being that convinced about the quality of the employer just to find out, just as they may call people on interviews just to find out.

Companies with that attitude don't deserve the best and I doubt that they will get them. Still you should probably not ask the questions above, but if the employers dont tell you about these things, the silence will indicate their answer.

I absolutely agree with Anders on this ... no question should be off limits if you are just trying to find out what the deal is about the job, the conditions, and your remuneration ... in fact I think it is a joke to say otherwise

When I go for a job, yes I am trying to sell myself, but I am also asking myself the whole time "are these guys worthy of employing me", and way more than once I have walked out on an interview, either because they would not reveal such information, or because they were misleading or deceptive in the way it was presented (and if I had know the truth I would never have come to the interview in the first place), or some other similar reason.

There are plenty of dodgy employers out there, and if you DON'T ask these kinds of questions, then you are really taking a huge risk with your career.

The main point of this article was that it was O.K. to ask questions, just dont ask stupid questions. From your response I gather you are either a C.E.O. or unemployed.

I like your comments and I am totally agree what you said about these guys

The company is interviewing the candidate as a potential employee.
The candidate is interviewing the company and a potential employer.

It's a negotiation of equals - both parties should be able to get legitimate concerns aired and addressed so that they can each make an informed decision. With the possible exception of the 'bring you dog to work' question, I don't see why these shouldn't be legitimate enquiries. Better to get them on the table up front, than to have these become issues down the road. Ms Hall needs to realize that 'at will' works in both directions.

actually, I personally think (having met a company who have a pet friendly work-place), that even the dog thing is a perfectly legitimate question ... if someone is looking for an animal friendly workplace, and if they will actually consider turning down the job on that basis, then why not ask the question early in the piece & save everyone the time of taking the interview process further if there is no point doing so?

But it is not a negotiation of equals, at least in the first interview. They have something that you need. That puts them in the driver's seat initially. Once they are ready to make you an offer, then you are on more of an equal footing. The time for pay, benefits, etc. is during that offer phase. This almost never comes during the first interview when they are interviewing several people to decide who they want to hire.

If they are advertising to fill the position and you meet the qualifications, then it's quite obvious you have something they need, which brings us back to a negotiation of equals.

I did not miss that, I personally believe that you should get as many questions out of the way as early in the process as possible ... after all, why waste your time (or theirs) continuing through a process, if you can discover reasons why you are going to step out of it? ...it makes no sense NOT to ask these questions as early as possible ... both parties should be looking for the "deal-breakers" from their own perspective, and it is not up to one party to determine what someone else's deal-breakers are or should be.

the company that hired the recruiter wouldn't be doing so hot-to-trot either...

Funny how you play into the supply side paradigm so one-sidedly...

Only if you consider "competetive salary" and "excellent benefits" as a 'listing'.

great point Nick, the details provided in many job adverts is really lacking any depth of detail ... the two quotes you gave there ("competitive salary" & "excellent benefits") really don't mean anything.

I automatically assume salary descriptions of "competitive", "market", or "based on experience" to mean the prospective employer is going to try to low-ball whoever gets hired.

So far, I've not been disabused of that assumption.

yes there are a lot of techniques people seem willing to use to mislead candidates to come for job interviews & consider things that you wouldn't otherwise consider ... and so I guess in a way, what they are looking for, is that person who is still as naive as we used to be before we learned the lesson ... the person who has no idea what they are getting themselves into.

Never say never: If the job ad said "we may allow you to occasionally work from home" OF COURSE you can ask "how often". If you already have a vacation booked in 6 weeks time that cost more than you're going to earn in the next 6 weeks OF COURSE you should ask how quickly you accrue vacation time, and as a prospective employer I want to know that before I make you ANY sort of offer.

And if you walk in to an office for and interview and see cats, dogs and guneas pigs under every desk of course you can ask "CAN i BRING MY DOG TO WORK ...TOO". I allow my staff to bring dogs (and small kids) to work provided they are friendly and well behaved and socialised... I'd sooner they ask the question up front that just assume and us have a problem day1.

I think Vitamin T are slightly up their own.... to slap the NEVER word in front of these

It should be can I bring my kids to work, when I get screwed over by wife/sitter/circumstances - LOL.

They have iPad/DS's so won;t run around. My 9 year old say work was boring when I was in a bind and had to bring her for the day.

Then I think it'll be much clear. You work very hard and build a company. You need new employees to improve the operations or extend the company. You need some members to work with you, to support you. Then candidate asks about vacations, working from home policies etc. While you work very hard to build the company from scratch, do you employ some selfish people just to give them your money and increase their comfort level? Of course there will be rules and borders but the essence is always the same.

Your goal as the owner of the company is ultimately to pad your wallet. Is it any wonder employees are EXACTLY THE SAME?

Employees are trading their time and talents in exchange for your capital. Just as your customers expect a good product or service in exchange for their money, employees expect you to compensate them fairly for their time/services. The idea here is that BOTH the employer and the employee get something they want. The thing is: no two employees value the same things. You should actually welcome these types of questions as part of the interview process because it exposes the corporate culture the potential employee is looking for. This is a big deal. Instead of looking at these questions as a burden on you, look at them as a window into them: their motivations, their concerns, etc. If you find that they want things that don't match well with your company this way, you've just saved yourself from hiring someone who isn't going to perform well at your company. Isn't that worth a little Q&A?

Yes, we work hard to build our companies.

We know that it takes customers to buy.

We know they are workers.

They can only spend if they get good pay in return for their work.

I like giving merit-based pay, as appreciation for what my workers do. I don't demand more out of them, for the same pay and/or after pay cuts.

I only give out pay cuts if I have to take them.

And my company runs on software built by others, uses automobiles others built, on roads other people paved...

So spare us the cant on who should be thinking of the other's POV. I, and others, already do.

Are the young job seekers today really so stupid they need this advice? Are they really so dumbed-down?! My generation would not have entertained such stupid questions. I guess the American youth of today are no-brainers to use one of Dick Chaney's favorite phrases.

Young job seekers may be looking for more than a paycheck. You spend 1/3 or more of your life working. If you don't enjoy the work a little then the other 2/3's is going to not be as enjoyable. Sure, if you really need a job and will take anything than don't ask the questions. If you have a job and are looking for a good move then make sure it is a good move by asking questions that are important to you.

Bill

One time I interviewed a woman (not so young) for a position who couldn't wait to get through the job description part of the session, seemed pretty confident and sure of herself. Then when I asked if she had questions, oh boy, did she have questions: how many breaks a day, how long were they, was the lunch a whole hour or half hour, what about paid vacations, how long did she have to work before getting a vacation, what about leaving early, etc. I know that benefits are important, but it appeared to me she was more interested in HER time than ours. I did not hire her.

1. Liability issues.
2. Distracts other employees.
3. Your performance is subpar.
4. If there is a way for something to break, or get screwed up, a kid will find it.
5. If there is no way for something to break, or get screwed up, a kid will invent it.

Ms Hall didnt say not to ask those questions, but to wait till you get to the offer stage!

Well i disagree with some of what the article is talking about. First off a hiring company can ask you about almost anything they want, give you quizes ask you obscure questions to see how you react and think, but when it comes to basic questions about your pay and work environment you cannot ask. Please take a reality pill. these types of conversations are not in reality. first off. you can ask what you want . if you prove you have a good head on your shoulders and qualified you will most likely ask lots of questions throughout the process the politically incorrect ones will be forgotten about. The process should be a give and take with you engaged in the process. if you save up for the end you will not most likely be hired. Remember once you are hired you are stuck so you better find out all those dumb questions ahead of time, you do not want to be working for a company and be suprised on your first day.