Are you getting prepared for that first job interview? Great! Here are five questions you should never ask in an interview.

It can be a great feeling to finally get called up for that long-awaited interview for your dream job.

Now, you may be anxious or worried about what to say and what not to say. Or maybe you’re thinking about what questions to ask.

Well, it’s great that you are mindful of this because asking the wrong kind of questions during an interview can affect your chances of landing the job significantly.

You don’t want to blow up your chances with your own words, do you? After all, you are qualified for this role.

Nonetheless, what you say during the interview and how you say it is equally as important as your educational qualification and experience.

So, to avoid this, here are five questions you should never ask in a job interview.

1. Salary and benefit

Asking questions on the expected salary or benefits for the role in the first interview can be inappropriate.

It can be a big turn-off to the interviewer(s) as they may assume you are more interested in the paycheck than getting the job done.

HR consultant at the University of Minnesota, and Founder of Talento Human Resources Consulting, Norma Beasant, says it’s a turn-off to ask about salary and benefits in the first interview.

 “I am disappointed when they ask this question, especially in the first interview,” Beasant says.

Beasant believes the interviewee should be focused on selling themselves to the company at the first stage of the interview.

So, anything related to salary and benefits should be left for a later interview after an offer has been made.

Recruiter Abby Kohut of AbsolutelyAbby.com says, “Salary negotiations and company benefits don’t come into play until an offer has been extended.”

2. Why is the position available?

I believe your opportunity to ask questions in an interview should be open only to relevant questions.

This means, whenever you feel a question isn’t necessary, even if it appears like a good question to ask, you should avoid asking it out of curiosity.

So, unless you have a strong negative or unusual feeling about why the position is open, avoid asking such a question.

President of Career Pro Inc.,  John M. O’Connor advises we stay away from this question and only ask questions about the position, which shows how curious we are about the role.

3. Can I work remotely?

There is no doubt that working from home is becoming a big trend. So, it may be tempting to ask if you can work remotely, especially when you are trying to demonstrate your ability to get the job done with little or no supervision.

However, by asking this question, you may come off as someone who is not a team player, or someone not motivated to engage with the team.

So, to avoid asking this question, check out the job posting, as it should contain information that lets you know if the job allows for an off-premise function.

Also, as you progress in the interview process, the interviewer may provide you with further details that let you know if working remotely is feasible.

Companies love team players; so, avoid asking questions that make you appear uninterested in teamwork.

4. Who are your competitors?

With this kind of question, it’s easy for the interviewer to assume you are only focused on ‘getting a job’since you have failed in your due diligence to research the company.

It makes you appear unprepared.

Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter at CareerTrend.net says this kind of question could make you sound thoughtful or may completely backfire as it shows that you’ve failed to research the company.

Avoid asking questions that you could have figured out through a simple Google search.

5. What is required of the job?

Before applying for a role, it is assumed that you’ve gone through the job description to have a good idea of what is required of anyone taking on the position.

Asking to know what your function would be may prove that you only made a random application for the position without carefully going through the responsibilities and duties for the role.

So, before going for that interview, ensure you have a clear idea of the role you are applying for.

Failure to do this may make you appear incompetent, affecting your chance of landing the job.

However, a question that seeks to know the daily feel or culture for the role and the organization may not be out of order.

Not all tasks are covered in the interview or job description, so asking specific questions to give you a deeper insight into the role is welcome.

This shows your genuine interest in fully understanding the position’s requirements, not just on a general level but on an industry or company-specific level.

Conclusion

It can be tempting to want to impress by trying to ask as many questions as possible during an interview to demonstrate your interest and experience in the role.

However, be sure only to ask questions that are relevant and important for the moment.

Avoid asking questions that you could find answers to with simple online research.

When you learn how to ask better questions, you avoid asking wrong and irrelevant questions, increasing your chance of landing that dream job.

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