The best time to ask about perks and benefits when interviewing is...

Never! I kid. But for the sake of argument, let's say you're applying for a job at a company which you know offers free in-office lunches or for those working remotely they offer a monthly food delivery stipend. Sweet deal! You desperately want to know if it's true and you're itching to ask the recruiter or hiring manager about perks and benefits that might be on offer.

Don't do it. Chillllll. Find your inner Zen Shang-Chi and resist the urge to ask about the potentially nice - but frivolous - perks when you're interviewing for a job, especially early on.

Common sense right? You might think so, but it's actually pretty easy to slip up when you're interviewing while there's a million things running through your head.

Forbes Careers Coach Chuen Chuen Yeo says, "If this question (perks) is popped too early, you cut your chances. Imagine going on a first or second date and asking someone to marry you."

Alright, so don't ask about frivolous perks , but what about the actual benefits?

Here's where things get a little more flexible. According to the results of a poll I posted, most voters said that asking about perks and benefits early on in the interview process can hurt your chances...but! There's definitely some wiggle room when it comes to the benefits.

? The argument for asking early

Singapore-based Diversity and Inclusion Manager Angel Kilian says questions about benefits are actually vital questions candidates should be asking. She comments, "To some WFH, transportation or childcare benefits might be more important than other benefits and finding that out earlier saves time for both candidates and organizations. However, with everything, tact and how we ask is vital."

Kilian states that since the job market is so candidate-driven right now, organizations are aware that they need to also "sell" their opportunity during interviews to attract potential candidates to be part of their workforce. And of course, part of this includes perks and benefits too.?

India-based Brand Strategist Shweta Sathyajith says such an employer's "selling" of an opportunity starts even before the interview and that the perks and benefits should be clearly stated in the actual job description as, "This gives an employee a chance to make a choice to sit for the interview." She believes letting the candidate feely ask about benefits in the early rounds should be normalized as it can save time, effort and energy for both parties.

? Ask about benefits, but leave the perks out of it

Singapore-based Director, Senior Managing Editor (APAC) at LinkedIn Nicolette Logue, otherwise known as My Boss, believes there's a distinction between benefits and culture (parental leave, health insurance) and perks (free lunch, gym, coffee machine). Logue suggests, "...you'd want to demonstrate really clearly what value you could bring to the company before asking what the company could do for you... if I was asked about free lunch in the first interview, it would make me wonder about the candidate's priorities."

Good thing I didn't ask about the free coffee perks at LinkedIn when I was interviewing.

I'm certainly enjoying it now though. Sweet, sweet LinkedIn coffee, how I missed thee.

? How you ask and who you're asking matters

Director of Recruiting at Portland-based accounting firm Perkins & Co. Areena Raj McLaughlin thinks it's more about how someone asks, and to whom they direct the question. She comments she'll have an initial call with all candidates and will tell them that all questions are fair game.

McLaughlin says she'll promise to give honest answers to the best of her ability, she'll initiate the salary expectations discussion so the candidate doesn't have to, and let them know she's happy to talk about benefits.

That said, McLaughlin doesn't believe bringing up compensation and benefits in interviews with hiring managers is advisable as it distracts from the process, but this will vary per company culture and process.

Brussels-based Career Coach and Advisor Sonal Bahl also thinks the culture the candidate and company comes from plays a large part in how appropriate it is to ask up front. Bahl comments, "The objective in the early stages is to check if there is a good overall fit and should we have more interviews. And if yes, the recruiter tends to ‘sell’ the company brand with perks and benefits anyway."

? The takeaway for interviewees

Read the *full* job description and do your research: Makes a whole lot of sense to really read the full JD before early interviews. Do research on the company beforehand as well to see if your questions can be answered that way. Though if you're doing neither of these already then you're probably having a hard time finding a job...

Know the situation: Read the room! If you have a burning question about benefits and the recruiter / interviewer has just breezed through without asking if you have questions or offering the info, don't push it. Let it be for the moment. Zen!

Maybe leave the perks out of it: Yeah, every sign points to asking about the freebies and such early on being a bad idea. Let those be what they are, perks, aka things that are a bonus to the job you want not the reason why you're applying in the first place.

You don't want to come across like this would be you on the first day:

At least wait until day 5.

? The takeaway for hiring managers / companies

Include the benefits and perks in the JD: Get them in there. If you're not limited to space, stack those in there at the end. It is more common for companies to state retirement plans, vacation time and the like, but what about those little perks like lunches, stipends and such? Jobseekers want to know, might as well lay it all out there.

Have a little patience with interviewees: When they're asking about bennies at the start, keep in mind that in the world we live in right now priorities have seriously shifted and candidates might be just as eager to work for your company in a role equally because of the hybrid, WFH or work life balance you offer as they might have because of brand or experience.

?? What advice would you give to interviewing jobseekers on when the right time to ask about perks and benefits is?

?? Next week in Careers Unlocked

Got a good one! LinkedIn News Asia will be launching our Top Startups 2021 for Singapore and Indonesia here very soon and I've asked CEOs and founders from top startups on these lists what are some of the qualities and most important skills they look for in candidates. I'll be sharing these in next week's edition, so check back in.