The Top 5 Worst Questions to Ask your Potential Employer

The Top 5 Worst Questions to Ask your Potential Employer

Labor Day weekend is officially over, summer has come to an end and it’s now time to start that dreadful job hunt after months of fun in the sun. According to a recent survey by TorontoJobs.ca, 35% of employers do the majority of their hiring in the fall months.

With the economy in a growth stage, many employers have lifted their “hiring freeze” and are looking to source “the perfect candidate” and the interview process is the “make or break” stage of their hiring procedure. The interview is the deciding factor of whether or not a candidate demonstrates key communication skills and shows the employer how well this potential hire will fit into the company culture.

TorontoJobs.ca has conducted 1000’s of interviews over the years and has repeatedly seen the same mistakes being made during the interview process that have caused the candidate to be eliminated from being hired. From these interviews, we have created the top five questions you should never ask your interviewer…

The Top Five Include:

1. Don’t start the interview with the question “What is the Salary of the Position.”. Ask questions about the company and the position requirements before you start into questions about how YOU will benefit. Companies are looking to hire candidates that express an interest in the organization and want to be team players rather than candidates that are concerned with “What’s in it for me?”

2. “Can I work from home 2-3 days a week to save daycare costs?” The initial posting would have stated if this was a flexible or work from home position. Starting the position and gaining some credibility within the workplace would be a good idea before asking for additional perks.

3. “How long are your Lunch Breaks?” This question screams that you are more concerned about taking breaks and having free time as opposed to working. There are Employment Standards that companies MUST follow in terms of breaks throughout the work day. If you aren’t sure about the procedures check http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/ rather than asking your potential employer.

4. Will I be Required to Work Overtime? Rather than directly asking the interviewer about the overtime policy, it might be a good idea to ask more probing questions to get an idea of what the workload for the position will be. “What are the day-to-day expectations?” is a much better way to get an idea whether overtime will be required.

5. “What are your interoffice dating policies?” Going to an interview should be for the sole purpose of finding a job, not finding a date. If a love interest should develop once you are working within the organization that would be the ideal time to review the company’s policies on interoffice dating.


The Top 5 “Must-Ask” Questions:

- What are the short and long term goals of the company and how does this role fit into these?
- What are the three main qualities you are looking for in a candidate for this position?
- What is a typical day like for someone in this role?
- Where do you see the company in the next 5-10 years?
- What are the next steps in the interview process?