8 Interview Questions You Should NEVER Ask

Congratulations. You’ve made it to the interview round. Your resume and cover letter made the cut. Now it’s time to let your personality shine and convince the recruiter that you’re the perfect person for the job.

The job interview is your first face to face meeting with your potential employer. This is your big chance. You’re going to get asked a lot of tricky interview questions about yourself, your goals, your skill sets, and your experience, but remember that an interview is a two way conversation.

As the interview comes to an end, the recruiter is bound to ask, “Do you have any questions for me?” Whatever you do, don’t say no. You always need to have a selection of questions in your back pocket that are ready to go. Good questions to ask at an interview include things like:

• What’s the next step?
• What do you like most about working for this company?
• What would you like to see me accomplish?
• Can you explain the company culture?

At the same time, there are certain interview questions that you should NEVER ask. They include things like:

1. How much money will I be making? – It’s wise to steer clear of salary question in preliminary interviews. Show the recruiter that you’re more interested in the job than the paycheck.
2. Can I work a flexible schedule? Telecommute? – This is a great question six months into the job, but not before you’ve even been hired.
3. How long until I’m eligible for a promotion? – You haven’t even been hired yet! Don’t get ahead of yourself.
4. Are you going to drug test me? Will you require a background check? – These questions make you appear sketchy. Assume that the company will require these things unless told otherwise.
5. How many days of vacation do I get? – Every job offers vacation. You’ll have to earn yours just like everyone else.
6. Can I work a part time job at another company? – This shows that you’re not entirely committed to the job your interviewing for, which is not something that a recruiter will approve of.
7. Who is your competition? – You should already know this if you did any research before your interview. Avoid any questions that you should already know the answer too.
8. Are you going to check my social media pages? – Hopefully you don’t have anything to hide, but if you do start to edit what’s on those pages before it’s too late! And, yes, they will check up on your web presence.

These are just a few interview questions you should never ask. Avoid them. Do you have other interview questions to avoid? Tell us in the comments below.

In every interview, dress the part, be positive, exude confidence, and be yourself. Don’t be afraid to turn down the job if you know that it’s a terrible fit for you. Head over to JobMonkey to get lots of other job interview tips. Best of luck!