Interview Questions That Need To Go Away

Ok everyone, grab your breakfast/lunch/dinner and let’s dive into silly interview questions that need to be retired (dodo’d?) and what they should be replaced by.??

Seriously though, food is part of self-care and self-care is vital!?If you haven’t eaten today, then go get a snack.?Like an apple or a cheeseburger or maybe a breakfast burrito.?

• Stop - Why do you want to work here?

To me this screams narcissism.?Why do I want to work here??Mortgage and rent can’t be paid with hugs and high fives.?Money is a completely legit reason to want to work for a company.?You really think all the people at Netflix and work there because they are super passionate about seeing great shows cancelled after 1 season to make room for the next Desperate Housewives of Who Cares??No, it’s because Netflix pays an absurd amount of money.

• Start - What interest you in this role?

You should always have some reason for wanting a specific role and that's the important bit. Does it give you exposure to a tech or tool you haven't had before? Is it a stepping stone on your career path to another role? Is this an industry you specifically want to get into?

• Stop - What are your biggest strengths?

Asking about strengths basically an exercise in how to effectively waste time.?It’s not specific to anything, isn’t really asking anything useful, and is essentially a filler question that exists simply because people started asking it decades ago and never stopped.

• Start - Tell me about a recent big win/brag you had at work

Now having someone tell you about a win they had at work shows you what they think is important, what a win looks like to them, and it gives the candidate a chance to tell you a story about how they accomplished something important.

• Stop - What are your biggest weaknesses?

This is easily one of the most useless questions.?You’re basically asking to be lied to.?We all know the “right” answers to this and they are so rarely true.?Just once I want someone to say “My biggest weakness??If another person asks me sign a birthday card for someone I’ve never met I might just rip my hair out and beat them with my shoes.”??

• Start - Tell me about a time you messed up so bad you thought you were going to be fired, what happened and what did you learn from it?

I love, love, LOVE asking people about a time they messed up and were worried about getting fired.?You learn a lot from it like if they’ve ever actually tried any big swings at work or if they don’t handle struggle/failure well.?People who’ve never failed at work either weren’t trying, weren’t being challenged, or didn’t care enough to notice.?Tell me about your fails and I’ll tell you some of mine.

• Stop - Where do you see yourself in X years?

So the average stay within tech is like 3 years, most people aren’t even at a company for 5 years before moving on.?Why would you, as the company, care about their 5 or 10 year plan??Makes no sense.

• Start - What’s the growth path you’d like to see in your career?

Asking what their career path is gives you an improved chance of retention because you know before day 1 what they are looking for out of the next few years.?Knowing what someone wants out of their growth trajectory far more useful.

• Stop - How do we stack up against the other interviews you have going?

How do you compare??None of your business.?Are you going to tell me honestly how I compare to the other candidates you’re interviewing? Of course not because that's not how this game is played.

• Start - Is there something about this role/team that is of particular interest?

Now if you ask what they specifically like then in a way you find out how you compare.?If they talk about liking the scope/impact of the team you can surmise other roles may not offer as much.?Their answer to this will tell you what you need to highlight for them in your close.???

• Stop - Tell me about yourself

Look, I’m glad you want to be friends and that’s great.?This isn’t a friendship interview; this is a job interview.?We can grab a happy hour after I join and you can tell me all about how passionate you are about knitting using llama wool and how the scarves you make are the cat’s meow at Christmas parties.?It'll be great.????

• Start - Tell me how your background could help you succeed in this role

This gives the candidate a chance to bring up things you might have missed in the interview and this is the opening they've been waiting for. It also gives you feedback on if you've explained the role well enough in relation to their skills.