The 5 Worst Interview Questions You Need to Stop Asking

If you’re interviewing prospective employees for your place of work, coming up with valuable questions can be a challenge. And you may not realize that some of your questions are discriminatory, or even illegal.

How can you avoid asking these offensive or crazy interview questions? Keep reading!

We’re about to discuss the five worst interview questions that are all too common and how to evade these queries altogether. Let’s get started.

1. When Did You Graduate from College?

Although this may sound like a harmless question, it could get you into hot water. Ageism is a form of discrimination and any question that may give away a prospective employee’s date of birth should be avoided at all costs.

Much like racism or sexism, ageism is an unfair and discriminatory attitude toward persons of a certain age. After all, people are living longer these days, and each person is capable of knowing when they are no longer able to contribute value to a workplace.

2. Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?

When it comes to silly interview questions, this one takes the cake. While most people have a basic plan for their life, no one really knows where they’ll be in five years. This question is useless and will only stress out your interviewees.

3. Do You Have Children or Are You Planning to Have Them?

Whether or not an employee has children is simply not relevant. While the scheduling aspects of childcare may get in the way of someone’s ability to commit to a position, find another way to make your point.

Ask, “Do you think you’ll have any problem fulfilling the hours required for this position?” This should clue you into their schedule and if they need flexibility which you can’t provide. If you’re trying to reduce bias in your hiring process, steering clear of bad interview questions like this is a great start.

4. Why Should We Choose You for This Position?

Ah, an old classic when it comes to horrible brainteaser interview questions. This pushy, aggressive tone is unnecessary and uncomfortable.

While there is certainly no need to baby your interviewees, being overly brash will get you nowhere. Instead of putting them on the spot in this way, ask questions which allow them to highlight their best qualities and qualifications for the position.

5. What’s Your Current Salary?

In many states, this question is now prohibited. And, again, it’s none of your business!

Instead of asking about their current salary, ask about their payday goals. Knowing how much they expect to be paid is much more useful anyway.

Get Creative to Avoid These Five Worst Interview Questions

So, how can you ensure you don’t ask boring, prejudiced, or just plain bad interview questions? Get creative!

Put yourself in their chair. What would you want a prospective employer to ask you? Think outside the box and you’ll be on your way!

Wrapping Up

As you can see, these are the five worst interview questions for a reason. They are useless and can be discriminatory as well.

Either find another angle to get the information you want, or come up with some more creative, stimulating queries. Have fun with it!

Have any questions or comments? Feel free to contact us.