Blog Roundup: Don’t Ask These 45 Terrible Interview Questions

September 8, 2017

Before you go on a job interview, you probably do some pretty intensive preparation. As part of that prep, you might gather a few interview questions for the hiring manager, both to clarify points about the role and to show that you’re really interested in getting the job.

But not just any interview questions will do. If you’re asking just to ask something, or if you ask questions that you could answer with some quick research, you’ll do yourself a disservice. There are other questions to avoid, too. This week’s roundup looks at what you should never ask during an interview, plus some tips on telling the story of your life and career, and techniques for making your LinkedIn profile more visible to recruiters.

Susan P. Joyce at Job-Hunt.org: Don’t Blow an Interview by Asking These Bad Questions

What makes bad interview questions, well, bad? Mostly, they’re the questions that make you look unprepared, uninformed, or like a pain to work with. For example, here are a few of Joyce’s picks:

Is it always so noisy here?

Is it always so cold (or hot) here? Can I turn up the heat (or air conditioning) when I’m working?

I prefer working from my home. How often would you expect me to be here?

Is it OK to arrive late or leave early if my work is done or if no one needs my help?

Do you have a lot of rules about what you can wear here?

I don’t like Mac’s (or PC’s). Can I have a different kind of computer to use?

I don’t want a cubicle. Can I have an office with a window?

Would you want to hire (or work with) this person? No, you would not. More terrible interview questions to avoid, in this post.

Do You Know What You're Worth?

Dr. Maria Phalime at LinkedIn: Change Your Story, Change Your Life

The most accomplished people are the ones who’ve endured failure and grown from the experience. The challenge is to keep those reversals from derailing future success. One important step is to frame the events — to create a story.

At LinkedIn, Dr. Maria Phalime tells the story of how she reframed the events of her early career, in which she left a job in the public health system to become a speaker and author:

Events are facts. Stories, however, are interpretations of those facts. The thing with stories is that they become the filters through which you interpret future events and the place from which you live. When I was telling myself that I had failed, I avoided situations where I thought I would be “exposed” and I constantly second guessed myself because I didn’t want to fail again. Now I happily share my story with people because I know it makes a difference.

Learn how to change your story, with her tips.

Jon Shields at JobScan.co: The Only Way Recruiters Will Find You on LinkedIn

“Ranking highly in a LinkedIn search requires optimizing for both LinkedIn’s technology and the human tendencies of recruiters,” Shields writes. “…While sourcing techniques vary, virtually everyone uses LinkedIn while vetting job applicants or resume submissions. In any of these scenarios, a job seeker can improve his or her search ranking by optimizing key sections of their LinkedIn profile.”

Here’s how to make your LinkedIn profile stand out.