Interviews

Sorry I’m late posting today.  Two weeks ago I was in a conversation about some of the interesting (useless) questions people are asked in interviews.  I say useless because the answers to the questions don’t necessarily have a bearing on the performance of the potential employee.

The first thing that comes to mind is “where do you see yourself two to five years from now”.  Anyone reading this that has asked this question please share with me why you asked this question.  What insight did you gain about that person specifically in reference to the position they were applying for?  I can only speak for myself but sometimes I have wanted to say “in your position”.  I’ve wanted to give that response for two reasons 1) I think the question is irrelevant and 2) sometimes it has been the truth.

What if, in a sincere tone, the interviewee says in your position?  As the interviewer what is your response?  You can’t say they’re being a smartaleck because you don’t know if their answer is true or not.  How do you recover from that?  To me this is a setup question by the interviewer.  You may honestly want to know if that person has thought about his/her future but if they haven’t should you really hold that against them?  I’m not saying you shouldn’t be looking for someone who is thinking about their future however since you’ll never know if their answer is true or not why ask the question?

Another interesting question is “why do you want to work for this company”.  People don’t always apply for a job at a company they want to work for.  It’s easier to find a job in the field you want to work in than at a company you want to work for.

The only questions that should be asked in an interview are questions related to the job that someone is going to perform.  There are many questions that can be asked if you are trying to determine if that person is a good fit for your company. Interviewing for a job should not be like playing chess or checkers, a game.  No one has time to play games.  Useless questions in an interview waste everyone’s time, the interviewer and the interviewee.  If you want to play games do it on your time not someone else’s.

No one wants to go on a job interview and leave feeling frustrated or like they could have had a V8! Don’t waste someone’s time! In this day of social media your company may get negative publicity on a website (it really does happen).

Cornell Jenkins
If you have any questions please leave a comment or email me at corjoejen@yahoo.com