Page 39 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

THE RULES OF THE GAME

the fine points of the company’s virtual private network. Finally, be
careful to avoid trespassing on confidential information, especially if
you are currently employed by a competitor.

As long as you are at it, stay away from cage-rattling questions.
These are questions that some interviewers may throw at you, but
you cannot win points if you throw them back at the interviewer. I
provided a list of some of these shake-’em-up questions in The Man-
ager’s Book of Questions: 751 Great Questions for Hiring the Best Per-
son. In this category fall most hypothetical questions (questions that
begin with the word if ) and probing questions of all sorts. Examples
of questions that you should probably leave at home:

If you could forge an alliance with any organization in the world, which
one would it be?

What unwritten rules at work make it difficult to get things done
quickly, efficiently, or profitably?

You’re the corporate weatherperson; what’s your forecast for the orga-
nization using meteorological terms?

Don’t get me wrong. These can be great questions. And if you could
get an honest answer out of them, I might say toss one or two out
there and see what happens. But if you ask questions such as these
before you get an offer, it has the effect of raising the ante too high.
No one wants to work that hard. The interviewer will simply fold
and hope the next candidate is less challenging.

7. Avoid Questions That Are Obvious or Easy to Determine

Asking questions such as these will make you look uninformed or
lazy:

What does IBM stand for?

Who is the company’s chief executive officer?

Where is the company located?

Does the company have a day-care center?

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