11 Interview Questions You Should Never Ask a Prospective Employer

Job interviews pose great opportunities for employers to learn more about their prospective employees and choose the best talent. The various questions that an interviewer asks give him/her a peek into the personality and capabilities of the candidates. However, it is equally important for the interviewee to ask the right set of questions to come across as a potential candidate for the given position.

What most candidates fail to realize is that job interviews are also great opportunities for them to learn more about their prospective employers. In fact, recruiter / hiring managers want their candidates to ask questions. It reassures them that you are genuinely interested in the job. Plus, two-way communication makes for a more insightful session. You cannot simply ask anything and everything that comes to your mind.

While we also recently shared why and what type of questions you should ask the employer, it is equally important for job seekers to know the questions you should never ask in an interview. Often, interviewees feel lost when it comes to asking questions to the interviewer.

Also read - 10 Interview Mistakes You Should Avoid at Any Cost

To help you out, here’s a roundup of ‘worst interview question to ask’ written from a candidate’s point of view:

Q1. What Does This Job Require One To Do?

This is one of the worst questions to ask in an interview. Nothing can sabotage your chances of passing the interview round more than asking a question that suggests that you didn’t even bother to read the job description before appearing for the interview. Put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes and ask would you like to hire such a candidate. You wouldn’t.

Q2. What Does The Company Do?

This is another question that shouldn’t be on your list. Ideally, you should do a pre-interview research to know what the company does. Lack of this knowledge shows the interviewer that you didn’t do your homework. This might also give a message that maybe you are not interested in the job.

Q3. What Are Other Jobs Available Here Currently?

This gives a clear message to the interviewer that you are certainly not interested in the job role you have applied for. Make sure that you are engaged or at least interested in the job role that you have applied for as no organization would like to hire somebody who isn’t even interested in the job role they are being offered.

Q4. Do Employees Get Discounts?

Asking such a question may make you look more interested in being a customer rather than being an employee. When a hiring manager is conducting a job interview, s/he is definitely more interested in finding himself / herself a good employee.

Q5. Are You Strict About The Dress Code / Timings Followed In The Organization?

Questions like whether you can arrive late or leave early depending on the workload or adherence to the dress code are perceived in a wrong light. This gives the interviewer an impression that once hired, it might be difficult for your boss to deal with you.

Q6. I Prefer Working From Home. How Many Days Will I Be Required To Come To The Office In A Week?

If working from home is a common phenomenon in your work domain, such information is usually given in the job description. Asking whether you can work from home even before clearing the interview round makes you look presumptuous. It may also give the interviewer an impression that maybe you don’t like to work with others or you don’t work well under direct supervision.

Q7. How Soon Can I Expect To Get A Raise?

Ideally, salary talks should be reserved for later when you have been selected for the job role. Naturally, questions related to ‘expecting’ a raise completely go out of the window.

Also read - 7 Negotiation Tips for a Higher Salary Package

Q8. How Many Paid Leaves Will I Be Entitled To And How Soon Can I Take Them After Joining The Company?

A job interview is definitely not the right time to be discussing vacation policy and paid leaves. It shows that as a candidate you have different priorities and the job you have applied for is certainly not one of them.

Q9. Will I Be Required To Undergo A Drug Test?

This sends out a message that maybe you are a drug user and will make the interviewer question your dependability and health. If you give him /her even a small hint to not depend on you, s/he will hire somebody else.

Q10. When Will You Be Calling My References?

Asking this question may make you come off as presumptuous or being too eager. Some interviewer might also think that there’s something suspicious about your references or maybe you are hiding something.

Q11. How Did I Do During The Interview?

The first rule for every job candidate appearing for an interview is to be confident. Asking for a feedback in such a manner makes you look timid, not confident. What’s wrong is the choice of words here. A better way is to ask the interviewer if s/he has any doubts about your abilities to perform the tasks involved in the job role or not. If the answer is no, it means you did fine. If it is yes, you will have the opportunity to defend your abilities and end the interview on a strong note.

If you follow the list closely, you will realize that all the questions are centered around the benefits that the job have for the candidate. To put it simply, avoid asking ‘illogical’ and ‘selfish’ questions during the interview. Once you have been selected and proved yourself, you can ask such questions.

With this article, we hope to have given you the list of the interview questions not to ask the interviewer.

Best of luck!

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