Recently, we came across an article from Mashable called 6 Job Interview Questions and Answers to Avoid. Obviously we are not talking about the illegal questions that you should not ask nor answer from a hiring manager. Some of the ones we enjoyed from this article:
* What does your company do? – Dead giveaway that you’ve not done your research. The interview will be done even before it gets started if you ask this question … so don’t!
* What is your company culture like? – “Let’s see … we make people’s lives miserable and everyone pretty much hates it here. So, do you want to come work for us?” You’re not likely to get a straight answer so why bother asking. Inquire instead confidentially with people you know who have recently worked or currently work at the company. Maybe ask for the opportunity to interview some of the current staff (although unlikely you’ll be allowed)
* You’ve covered everything. – Really? At the end of the interview when the hiring manager asks if you have any other questions, don’t say this because you’ll be appear disinterested (unless you truly are!). Like the article suggests, ask a follow up clarification question or make sure you have a list of a dozen questions ready to be asked. The likelihood of the hiring manager actually answering ALL of your questions is slim so you should never say “you’ve covered it all”.