Sometimes knowing what not to do is very important, and nowhere is that more true than when conducting a job interview. There are three general categories of questions that you should always avoid.

Buzz-Feed Type Personality Questions

    What type of shape do you most identify with? or You come across a river, what type of river is it?

     These type of questions don't give an employer any useful information. They are often based on nonsensical beliefs and the answers they generate aren't relevant to anything. At best, these types of questions are based on cultural assumptions, so a person's answer tells you that they, like thousands of other candidates, are immersed in your culture. 

      Worse, they make your company look unprofessional and silly. Good potential candidates will have visions of chaotic work days dictated by Ouija boards and they will most likely run for the door.

Overly Personal Questions

    If you are in HR, you have probably already been told not to ask questions relating to a person's home life because such questions make it sound like you are discriminating against protected groups of people. But there are other reasons not to ask about kids, partners, and the like. Such questions can turn off potentially good employees, and they make your company sound like it could be against a work-life balance. People often do want to work for a place that they believe in, but they also want to go home in the evening and spend time on other areas of their lives. Very good employees will avoid companies that don't respect that desire. The smart ones, the ones you definitely want working for you, will also be able to see right through indirect probing of their personal lives too. And they will probably find this very insulting.

Direct Questions About Personality Traits

   Asking for examples of a time when a person solved a problem reveals whether a potential candidate has the ability to think flexibly or not. Asking "Are you good at solving problems?" reveals that the candidate may have a high opinion of themselves. Most people have a hard time assessing their own abilities, and they are striving to impress you, so such questions as "Why should we hire you?" isn't going to get you much information.

    Fortunately, Nextaff is here to conduct preliminary interviews with candidates so that you can focus on asking the perfect questions. If you want to know more about how we can help you find quality talent and perfecting the perfect hire, contact us.

Recommended For You:

• How To Use Probing Questions To Hire Quality Talent
• Behavior-Based Restructuring of Common Interview Questions
• Hire Quality Talent Without Letting Your Personal Bias Get In The Way

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