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Don’t ask these questions. They will only give you an answer that’s a bigger lie than the question itself.
Bad interview questions don’t provide you with useful information about an applicant, and they might reflect badly on you as an employer. Because you only have so much time with each candidate, you must be smart with the questions you ask. By eliminating time-consuming inquiries, you may get right to the point and quickly limit your list of prospects.
Here’s a list of the worst interview questions to ask, along with a quick explanation of why they’re bad and some alternatives. To avoid exposing your organization to a lawsuit, be sure you’re not asking any improper interview questions.
1. In five years, where do you picture yourself?
While this question seems to give insight into an employee’s career goals, all it accomplishes is positioning the applicant to respond that they want to stay with the organization for that period of time. This provides little information about the applicant’s career goals or, more crucially, their capacity to do the job.
Instead, think about where this work fits into your long-term career plan.
2. What is your greatest flaw?
This gives little insight into an applicant’s abilities, and it’s so prevalent that many applicants have scripted replies prepared—many will state they’re overly meticulous or committed. It’s preferable to pose an open-ended question that enables candidates to show self-awareness regarding their prospective development.
Instead, ask, “What measures would you take to handle X scenario if you experienced it?” Or what kind of professional growth might help you be a better employee?
3. What makes you the best candidate for the job?
This question puts the candidate on the spot and puts them in a difficult situation. You can find out how well the applicant understands the job criteria by asking a variant of this question.
Instead, inquire about how your past employment relates to the responsibilities of the current position.
4. What city do you live in?
This is a common question asked by interviewers to get a sense of where a person lives in relation to where they work. It is, nevertheless, on the verge of becoming banned. You may approach this question differently if you want to know whether commuting will be a problem for the applicant.
Instead, inquire as to whether or not you are at ease in your current workplace.
5. How has your upbringing influenced your work life?
This is very close to becoming an unlawful interview question and should be avoided only for that reason. Furthermore, the response will provide no insight into how the prospect will perform in the position, wasting your time. You’re particularly interested in how their previous experience relates to the position you’re looking to fill.
Instead, think about how your previous experience has prepared you for this job.
6. Write a one-sentence description of yourself.
You’re the interviewer, therefore you should be familiar with how applicants define themselves. There’s no need to spend time attempting to persuade an applicant to define themselves in what would almost certainly be a run-on phrase when open-ended inquiries may help generate dialogue and provide insight into a person’s experience and character.
Instead, offer something that isn’t on your CV but is relevant to this position.
7. How would your arch-enemy describe you?
This is a question that some individuals like to ask since they believe it demonstrates the applicant’s self-awareness. In truth, it encourages falsehoods and misstatements since one’s arch-rival is sure to have nothing nice to say about them—but that’s how most candidates will attempt to spin their response. This hypothetical question is a waste of time because you have no way of knowing whether or not the answer is correct.
Instead, consider the following question: What are the areas of professional development in which you know you need to improve?
8. Why are you interested in this position?
Candidates are looking for a new job for a variety of reasons. Better money, better benefits, they don’t like their current boss, they’re relocating—the list goes on and on. None of the responses provide you with useful information that will assist you in making a hiring choice.
Instead, ask: What is the most appealing aspect of this job to you, as you perceive it?
9. What part of your previous employment did you dislike the most?
The most common reason for people changing employment is because of a bad boss. Asking a prospect to speak about bad management or even trashing their past job is not a good idea. An alternative open-ended inquiry regarding the applicant’s previous position might provide you with more useful information.
Instead, ask: What components of your prior job were the most professionally demanding for you?
10. What would your old boss think of you?
This question forces a candidate to choose between lying or making something up. Furthermore, since your employment entails doing a reference check, you will learn directly from the applicant’s previous management what they think of them.
Instead, consider this question: Would your previous coworkers characterize you as a team player?
11. What job would you pursue if you had the option?
The majority of individuals who are asked this question respond with either an altruistic or selfish purpose. They either claim they want to create something that would benefit society or they want to work in an area that will enable them to earn more money and retire sooner. No matter what response an applicant delivers, you have no idea how they will perform on the job with your organization.
Instead, offer something like, “Tell me about a difficult project or professional experience you overcame.”
12. If you were stranded on an island, what three objects would you bring with you and why?
This hypothetical inquiry provides no insight into the applicant’s ability to do the job. Although it may seem to be a fun icebreaker, you may ask an alternative question that will provide you with more useful information.
Instead, consider the following question: What three things would you tell your successor on the final day of your present job?
13. What would your superpower be if you were a superhero?
This is another theoretical inquiry that will supply you with no useful information, so avoid it at all costs. Most candidates will respond with a scripted answer, which will waste your time.
Ask instead, “What one extra ability would you want to have to accomplish this work better?” and “Why do you believe it would be beneficial?”
14. Pretend you’ve been stopped for speeding. What are your options for getting out of a ticket?
This is a clumsy effort to ask a behavioral interview question. Unless you’re looking for a traffic officer or a bootlegger, this question has nothing to do with the position you’re looking to fill.
Instead, say something like, “Tell me about a moment when you had to stand up to a boss who ordered you to do something unethical.”
15. What was your prior manager’s weakest quality?
There are other methods to gain a response than making a poor effort to grasp how the candidate likes to be handled. When a question is phrased in this way, it simply encourages a candidate to criticize their prior boss.
Instead, consider the following question: Accomplish yourself like what has to be done and then figure out how to do it, or do you prefer to follow a set of instructions? Please provide a specific example.
16. Are you a fan of Batman or Robin?
This question has nothing to do with the applicant’s ability to do the job. The interviewer’s goal may be to determine the applicant’s work ethic based on their opinions of these two imaginary characters. If they respond with Batman, they’re attempting to demonstrate that they’re a motivated leader. If they claim they’re like Robin, they’re implying that they’re helpful and follow instructions well. In other words, the applicant will respond with a scripted statement that will not assist you in making the best hiring choice possible.
Instead, offer something like, “Tell me about a time when you had to be both a leader and a helpful participant to complete a project on time.”
Conclusion
Interviewing for a job is a difficult activity that you will improve at with practice. Because you only have so much time with each applicant, you must make every question matter by only asking the finest interview questions. By avoiding ineffective and outright poor interview questions, you can get the information you need to make the best hiring choice possible.
