Towards the end of any of the interviews that you have faced in the past, almost every employer must have asked you, “Do you have any questions for me?”
As a job applicant, you should put just as much thought into asking questions as you do while answering the questions in an interview. And there are certain questions you should never ask while attending a job interview.
Most employers agree that “No, I have no questions,” is the worst possible response from an applicant at the end of the interview. Again, whether you intend it or not, each question you ask has the potential to reflect your knowledge of the company, your interest in the position, and your work ethic.
There are a few questions you should never ask while attending a job interview:
Never ask for any information that is available on Google:
Never ask for any information you could easily have found with a quick Google search at the interview. If you are doing so the interviewer may conclude that you are not serious about the job or the organization. Every interviewer or the hiring manager expects that you have gone in detail through the job description or the company background before you are attending an interview!
Never ask can you do the job from home?
If you are interviewing for a telecommuting job, the job description would have said so. Asking to work from home implies that you dislike working with others, or maybe you do not work well under direct supervision, or you have a difficult schedule to work around.
Occasionally, employees who have held a position for a long period can telecommute, but this is not a concession you should ever ask for in a first interview. Besides, in India work-from-home is till now not seen as a normal way of working.
Questions that start with “Why?”
“Why?” – is a matter of psychology. These kinds of questions put the interviewer on the defensive mode. And this can spoil the initial warmth garnered by you during the interview.
Reframe your questions on a more friendly note, like, “Why you are doing so…” to “I have heard about you are doing so…can you throw some more light about the same?”
Anything related to Salary or Benefits that are not mentioned by the hiring manager:
Do not ask this question in the first round of interviews. If you know that you will refuse a job that pays less than a certain amount, you can and should state the amount in your cover letter.
However, if you are even somewhat flexible regarding salary, it is best not to discuss compensation until you are offered a position.
Questions related to whether you got the job or not?
This question puts employers on the spot and makes you appear impatient or too aggressive. Most interviewers pass the information to higher-ups or take multiple rounds of the interview before they hire anyone.
The hiring decision requires time in most of the cases, thus it’s better to abstain from asking such questions while attending the job interviews.
So, these are a few questions you should never ask while attending a job interview. Even during the interview process, the interviewers appear friendly – but don’t loosen up too much and think of them as your true-blue friends. Keep a professional distance from them and be curt and polite.
There are a few things that help you ace job interviews. Asking the right questions to the interviewer is one of them.
Sayak takes care of both recruitments and assessment projects of The HR Monks team. He loves helping people finding their dream job.
He started his journey in career leaving the shores of Waiting for Godot and found The HR Monks a better place, where he can change the lives of people by helping them achieve their dreams.
He has been to quite a fewer place across India and loves to travel. He loves two books, in particular, one Siddhartha by Herman Hesse and the other The Shift by Dr. Wayne Dyer.