Page 51 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

THE RULES OF THE GAME

I won’t have to work for someone with less education than I have,
will I?
You clearly have a chip on your shoulder. Why should we take a
chance that you don’t have other interpersonal issues?

The job description mentions weekend work. Are you serious?
We’re serious about the job description. We’re suddenly less serious
about you.

You get the picture. Don’t raise red flags. Once the interviewer has
decided that you are the right person for the job, you will find the
employer to be much more accommodating about issues like these.
Wait until after you have the offer in hand before you raise these
questions.

WHAT ABOUT HUMOR?

Charles Handler, the head of Rocket-hire.com, recounts this object
lesson. Interviewing for a recruiting job with the company’s CEO,
Handler was trying to make a point about the most reliable meth-
ods of selecting employees. In an attempt to be lighthearted, Han-
dler said that he supported every way of selecting employees except
graphology. Graphology is the study of handwriting as a means of
analyzing character.

You can guess what happened next. The CEO looked up with a
tight smile and slowly informed Handler that graphology was his
hobby and that he thought the practice had substantial merit.

The good news is at the end of the day, the wisecrack didn’t hurt
Handler. He still received a job offer. But it did teach him a lesson.
“Think twice about making a joke or a wisecrack,” he says. “Any
subject you choose, no matter how seemingly innocuous, has the
potential for alienating the interviewer.”

On the other hand, humor elegantly framed and sharply focused
can be effective and advantageous. But it must come naturally to
you. Nothing is as risky as forced humor. Amateurs shouldn’t try
this at the office. A half-baked attempt at humor can seriously back-

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