Page 41 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

THE RULES OF THE GAME

10. Avoid Leading or Loaded Questions

Leading questions signal the interviewer that you are looking for a
specific answer. They also signal that you are, at best, an awkward
communicator and, at worst, manipulative. In any case, skewing
questions is not in your interest. Be on guard that your questions are
phrased to be impartial. For example, this is a leading question:

Isn’t it true that your company is regarded as paying slightly better
than average?

This attempt to box in the interviewer is so transparent it will back-
fire. Keep the question straight:

How do your company’s compensation schedules compare with the
industry average?

The wording of this next question is arrogant and makes you look
foolish.

I’m sure you agree with the policy that the customer is always right.
How are employees rewarded for going out of their way to put the cus-
tomer first?

What gives you the right to assume what the interviewer agrees with?
Ask it straight. There’s no harm in alluding to a company’s positive
reputation, if it’s true.

The company has a reputation for excellent customer service. How do
you motivate and empower employees to make exceptional customer
service a priority?

Loaded questions also make you look bad. Loaded questions
reveal your prejudices and biases. Besides being out of place in a
job interview, such questions convey a sense of arrogance or even
contempt. They make you look like a bully. They always backfire
on you, no matter how much you think your interviewer shares your
biases. Typical loaded questions might be:

How can the company justify locating manufacturing plants in the
People’s Republic of China with its miserable record of human rights
violations?

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