Job Interview Questions You Should NOT Answer (Or Ask)

Bernard Marr
Best-Selling Author, Keynote Speaker and Consultant in Strategy, Performance Management, Analytics, KPIs and Big Data

There are a number of questions that are clearly off-limits in a job interview. It always astonishes me when I learn that people have been asked inappropriate or even illegal questions and I thought it might be useful to re-iterate some of the questions you shouldn’t answer in your job interview.

The purpose of the job interview is to establish whether you are right for the job and company, and whether the company is right for you. Any questions you might get shouldn’t go beyond the professional assessment of your skills, enthusiasm and fit.

However, it can be very easy for interviewers to cross the line and ask questions that are inappropriate, and in many cases even illegal. I believe that asking those questions is in most cases not done on purpose, but because of a lack of training and awareness, or even to break the ice and create a more friendly atmosphere.

Here are some commonly asked interview questions that are inappropriate and in fact illegal in many parts of the world:
•Have you got children?
•What is your age?
•What is your citizen status?
•What is your weight?
•What is your financial status or credit rating?
•Have you got any debts?
•What is your family status?
•Do you believe in God?
•Where do you go to church?
•Do you drink alcohol?
•What do you do at the weekends?
•What religious holidays do you observe?
•What is your race?
•Have you ever been arrested?

The tricky thing is how to handle these questions. Always remember that you don’t have to answer any questions in a job interview that are not related to your job and you don’t have to answer question about race, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, family status, type of military discharge or your financial position. You can even terminate the interview and leave.

However, refusing to answer questions can create a very awkward atmosphere and often jeopardize any chance of securing the job. If you are happy to reveal the answers, you can simply answer the questions, but remember, it is your right not to. I actually prefer a more personal interview that breaks the ice.

Sometimes, when you feel the interviewer is starting to overstep the mark, you might want to answer with with a caveat like:

Yes, I have three children. But I make sure personal circumstances don’t impact my ability to perform this job …

This usually does the trick and will hopefully stop any further questions of that kind. The interviewer should get that you are feeling uncomfortable.

If the questions continue and make you really uncomfortable and you prefer not to answer them, then you might just say (and live with the consequences):

I don’t believe the question is relevant to assess my suitability for this job. Also, I trust this type of question is actually illegal to ask in job interviews and you might want to consider withdrawing it so that the interview stays on track…

It is always wise to remember that in most circumstances there is no sinister reason behind those questions and the interviewer just wants to innocently assess whether you are right for the job. Therefore, the overall best way to deal with inappropriate or illegal interview questions is to look beyond the question and ask yourself: what is the motive for asking the question?

This often allows you to provide an answer that will satisfy the interviewer but avoid the details you might not want to share. For example, if your interviewer asks whether you are a U.S. citizen, you can simply answer: If you are asking whether I am legally allowed to work in this country, then the answer is yes.

Always remember that if an interviewer makes you really uncomfortable and asked inappropriate questions then this might be a strong hint that this is not a company you want to work for. The interview is as much for you to figure out whether the company is right for as as it is the other way around.

Good luck with any interviews in the future! You might also be interested in my other recent posts on the topic:

If You Don’t Design Your Career, Someone Else Will

December 06, 2012 | By: Greg McKeown |

A client once responded to one of my questions by saying, “Oh Greg, I am too busy living to think about life!” His off-the-cuff comment named a trap all of us fall into sometimes. In just one example, it is easy to become so consumed in our careers we fail to really think about our careers.

To avoid this trap, I suggest carving out a couple of hours over the holiday break to follow these simple steps for reflecting on your career.

Step 1: Review the last 12 months. Review the year, month by month. Make a list of where you spent your time: include your major projects, responsibilities and accomplishments. No need to overcomplicate this.

Step 2: Ask, “What is the news?” Look over your list and reflect on what is really going on. Think like a journalist and ask yourself: Why does this matter? What are the trends here? What happens if these trends continue?

Step 3: Ask “What would I do in my career if I could do anything?” Just brainstorm with no voice of criticism to hold you back. Just write out all the ideas that come to mind.

Step 4: Go back and spend a bit more time on Step 3. Too often we begin our career planning with our second best option in mind. We have a sense of what we would most love to do but we immediately push it aside. Why? Typically because “it is not realistic” which is code for, “I can’t make money doing this.” In this economy—in any economy—I understand why making money is critical. However, sometimes we pass by legitimate career paths because we set them aside too quickly.

Step 5: Write down six objectives for the next 12 months. Make a list of the top six items you would like to accomplish in your career this year and place them in priority order.

Step 6: Cross off the bottom five. Once you’re back to the whirlwind of work you’ll benefit from having a single “true north” career objective for the year.

Step 7: Make an action plan for this month. Make a list of some quick wins you’d like to have in place over the next 3-4 weeks.

Step 8: Decide what you will say no to. Make a list of the “good” things that will keep you from achieving your one “great” career objective. Think about how to delete, defer or delegate these other tasks. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The crime which bankrupts men and nations is that of turning aside from one’s main purpose to serve a job here and there.”

Many years ago I followed this process and, without exaggeration, it changed the course of my life. The insight I gained led me to quit law school, leave England and move to America and start down the path as a teacher and author. You’re reading this because of that choice. It remains the single most important career decision of my life.

Two hours spent wisely over the next couple of weeks could easily improve the quality of your life over the 8760 hours of the next year–and perhaps far beyond. After all, if we don’t design our careers, someone else will.

http://gregmckeown.com/blog/if-you-dont-design-your-career-someone-else-will

“And there is no trade or employment but the young man following it may become a hero” – Walt Whitman

Writing The Perfect Cover Letter To Land That Dream Job

James Caan

It goes without saying that the job market has become an incredibly competitive and noisy place. In fact it has become harder than ever before to get your voice heard above the rest of the crowd.

In the current market, most recruiters will expect to get hundreds of applications for any post and it stands to reason that the better the role the higher the amount of interest there will be.

Nobody is going to walk into a dream job without putting in hard work. Preparation, application and determination are three of the most important factors.

Trying to get your cover letter noticed can be tough but I would generally recommend steering clear of flashy gimmicks or stunts, especially if it isn’t appropriate to the type of business you are applying for.

The starting point to any cover letter always has to be the job advert itself and even more importantly the job description. Any good advert will give clues as to what it is the recruiter is looking for in candidates. Try to read between the lines of the job description as there can sometimes be useful pointers as to what they are looking for.

Always tailor your letter to the company and advert. As a recruiter one of the biggest turn-offs is getting an obviously generic application letter with just a few variables changed. This will simply make you look like somebody not prepared to put in the effort. Think about it in the grand scheme of things – tailoring a cover letter may mean an extra 30-40 minutes of your time. If you weigh that up against the possibility of landing your dream job, it’s not a huge price to pay.

Research the company – what are their values? Have they been in the news or won any awards recently? Putting this into your letter shows you have done your homework and are keen to work at the company – not just keen to have a job.

When it comes to writing style I would always try and make the letter reflect your personality but never forget the aim is to sell yourself as an individual. Keep the language as professional as possible – paying careful attention to spelling and grammar – but don’t go over the top with jargon. Also make sure you are concise; people don’t want to read pages and pages.

Of course you need to get over some key messages about yourself in terms of experience, background and qualifications but there are other equally important points you have to make. What all prospective employers want to see is initiative, ambition, creativity and enthusiasm. This is what you need to convey.

When you are talking about a specific strength of yours, explain exactly why that would benefit them. This is important because simply saying what you’re good at isn’t enough. They want to know how this will add value to what they do.

Give specific examples of key achievements in your career. If you are at the start of your career and therefore lacking in experience, it’s perfectly okay to talk about key achievements outside of work. Once again, make sure you relate this to the job; what skills did these require and how will this help you in the job?

Finally, be assertive at the end of the letter. Rather than ‘I hope to hear from you soon’, consider something along the lines of ‘I believe I can be a valuable addition to your company, I look forward to hearing from you.’

For more tips and advice to boost your career, check out my book Get The Job You Really Want

10 Overused Phrases & Keywords to Avoid Putting On Your Resume

By Mona Abdel-Halim

Chances are pretty good that if you’ve ever looked for a job, you’ve used a go-to phrase like “team player” or “detail oriented” to describe yourself on your resume or in an interview.

From college days, we’re taught from a boilerplate resume template full of those buzzwords…and we get comfortable with them.

If it’s not broken, why fix it, right? Wrong! Especially in today’s ever competitive job market, using non-descript or boring words in your resume sends the wrong message to your potential employer. In fact, they could even ruin your chance at an interview. It’s more important than ever to break out of the box and show your individuality and creativity with a new selection of words that paint a clear picture of the real you.

So what are the buzzwords that you should avoid to make sure you get noticed? According to LinkedIn, here are the top 10 overused words by professionals in 2011.

1. Creative
2. Organizational
3. Effective
4. Extensive experience
5. Track record
6. Motivated
7. Innovative
8. Problem solving
9. Communication skills
10. Dynamic

What do all these words have in common? They don’t say anything specific. A resume should give details on what you’ve accomplished and what you will bring to a new position.

Let’s take the phrase, “Excellent communication skills,” for example. You’ve seen it, and you’ve used it, but what does it say? Nothing! What do you communicate? Include details and examples that pertain the job you did and what you accomplished.

Here’s a rephrase of that dreaded jargon if you were referring to written communication, “Drafted website copy that improved SEO and increased traffic by 50 percent.” What a difference a few details make!

An article on Forbes summed it up well: “Human resource departments have to sift through hundreds, if not thousands, of resumes in a year. The vast majority will use some or all of the (above) catchphrases. Recruiters are accustomed to skipping over such words to hunt for the nuggets of what the applicant has accomplished in prior jobs. Focus your resume on what you have done, not how you have done it. Give relevant examples of past projects or tasks that highlight skills the new job will require. Align your resume wording to that of the job description to show that you understand what is required and that you have the experience necessary to excel. The easier you make it for a recruiter to hire you, the more likely you will be hired.”

A good friend of mine just recently got approval to fill a marketing position that was eliminated a few years ago due to the economy. The first day the job was posted on their company website, they received 26 resumes. Combing through those initial applicants, many were eliminated for lack of qualifications or grammatical errors. They narrowed it down to three candidates to phone screen, but one stood out more than the other two, and they decided to bring her right in for an in-person interview.

What was the difference? She avoided the common buzzwords and standard resume template. The format highlighted her experience and she used detailed examples and statistics to illustrate her accomplishments. This candidate had a “wow factor” from the start and, in the end, she got the job.

What resume buzzwords have you used or seen? What suggestions do you have for rephrasing them?

Mona Abdel-Halim is the co-founder of Resunate.com, the world’s only resume builder to score and tailor your resume for every job. You can find Mona and Resunate on Facebook and Twitter.

Read more: http://comerecommended.com/publish2/10-overused-phrases-keywords-to-avoid-putting-on-your-resume/#ixzz2xfzVRX00