Questions You Should Not Ask During a Job Interview

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I have been a hiring authority in one form or another with the companies I have worked with for over 10 years. During that time I have interviewed thousands of people for various positions. Below is a list of actual examples of horrible questions that I have been asked by interviewees. Never asked any of these questions on the job interview. Unless you do not want to get the job.

This list of questions could go on and on. I narrowed it down not by what the most bizarre job interview questions where but by the most common questions that should not be asked on the job interview are. To this day I am surprised how many interviewees question the importance of showing up on time for work. That is probably the most popular job interview question you should not ask.

1) What does your company do? This question is extremely common. When you ask a question like this to a potential employer it shows a complete lack of effort on your part to take 2 minutes of your time and do some research on the company.

2) What are your psychiatric benefits? This is not a joke. I was actually asked this question. What ever your personal issues are they need to stay exactly that, personal. This is a question to be addressed confidentially with the insurance company.

3) Can you guarantee me that I will have a job a year from now? There are no guarantees in life. Can you guarantee to an employer that you will still be working their in a year? Of course not. So why would you expect that from an employer?

4) The job description mentions weekend work. Would I really have to do that? If it is in the job description it is part of the job.

5) I'm not really a morning person. Is it really important that I be here at 8 am? Once again if it is in the job description it is part of the job. If some one is already whining about the requirements of a position before they even have it, are they going to be a good fit?

6) When can I take time off? How much time off do I get? These are also very common questions you should not ask on a job interview. All of this information will be laid out in a job offer. By asking these questions to the interviewer during the job interview process you are showing more interest in taking time off from work then the job at hand.

7) Gee, how long is this interview going to take? A general rule of thumb is; the longer a interview takes the better it is going. If you are already whining about putting some extra effort in before you have the job, why would they want to hire you?

8) If I don't like my boss here, what can I do to change that? Not work there.

9) How can you determine my qualifications in a short interview? Insulting the interviewers ability to do their job usually is NOT the best way to score a second interview.

10) Would anyone notice If I come in late and leave early? If you are already trying to figure out ways to shrug your responsibilities before you have a position it is usually not going to be a good fit.

11) What is the zodiac sign of your company's president? Just plain inappropriate.

12 )How many (insert the name of any ethnic group) do you have working here? Once again, just plain inappropriate. If you need an explanation you really need to join us in the 21st century.

13) What does this company consider a good absenteeism record? If you are trying to figure out with the interviewer during the job interview how many times you can call out before you get fired they will probably not hire you for the position.