What NOT To Ask Or Say In A Job Interview

Job search ethics and protocols are important. The more you know about them, the more prepared are you in handling a job interview. A big part of them has to do with what NOT to ask or say in an interview.

Below are the top 10 common gaffes made and they do not resonate well with the interviewers.

1. What kind of business does your company is involved in?

By asking this question, you are telling the interviewer how unprepared and how uninterested you are in the job. No excuse for not knowing when you can easily google any information now.

2. How much can you pay me?

A valid question and at some point of time, this subject need to be settled. However, it is a mistake if you chose to ask this question right at the beginning of an interview. Some even asked before the interviewer has a chance to pose his/her first question – “Before we begin, how much can you pay for this job? Honestly, I don’t wish to waste anyone’s time if you can’t offer what I’m expecting.”

3. What kind of benefits does the company provides?

Again, it’s a question that you have every right to know the answer but it should not be raised right at the beginning of the interview. Keep the question until the end of the interview or if there is more than one interview, it should be raised only at the second interview or until the interviewer make the first move in discussing the subject.

4. I really needed a job now. Please hire me. I can do anything.

You may be desperate but there is no need to beg. Stay professional by putting your best self forward. Remember employers do not hire out of sympathy.

5. Is this a stressful job?

Why are you asking this question? Is it because your intention of getting another job is to get into a comfortable 9-5 job with no overtime? Even if that is your purpose of changing jobs, you can bet no employer may be that keen to hire someone that put in the time and take the paycheck at the end of the month without much contribution. "Good candidates" are those that enjoy challenges, excited about growth, take on extra responsibilities and willing to walk the extra mile.

6. Avoid slangs and Manglish [For Malaysians]

Slangs usually used by graduates that had just returned from their overseas study. Perhaps with the intention of making an impression, you try to please the interviewer with your American or Australian slang. Do not do that because slangs denote disrespect to your listeners that are trying to figure out what you are saying. And avoid Manglish that ends with lah, nah or mixed with other local dialects. Remember you are not having a conversation with friends and do not think by being casual in your language, you are projecting yourself as friendly. Speak proper English with the right use of grammar.

7. Avoid debate on sensitive issues related to politics and religion

Be clear of your objective. This is a job interview and not a platform to influence and convert the interviewer to your views and beliefs, even when the interviewer get distracted and started the subject first. Stay focused.

8. Do not bad-mouth your previous employer

Criticizing your ex-employers in any way let the interviewers realize you may do the same to them should you be hired and left the company one day. Whatever fall out you may have in the past with your ex-bosses is best left in the past. Make your statements short and try to stay as objective as possible. Do not let bitterness get the better of you.

9. Stay away from sharing personal stuff

One of the common questions asked by interviewer is, “Tell me about yourself”. Don’t tell your life story. Stick to your professional self as much as possible although you can touch a bit on your school life or outside interest but they should be kept at a minimum unless the interviewer probe further. Any other personal issue related to your recent divorce or in-laws should not be brought up at all.

10. One or two word answer

There will be times whereby one word answer is the only way of answering but if throughout the whole interview process, the replies from you are either one word or short answers, you are in trouble. You have just succeeded in getting into the nerves of interviewer and managed to convey one clear message – lack of interest.

Jokes In The Office?

Some people believe joking at the work place is no good. The office is a working place, not a playground. But Chris Robert, the Assistant Professor of Management at the University of Missouri-Columbia’s Robert J. Trulaske Sr. College of Business whose findings have been published as a chapter in an edition of the journal in Personnel and Human Resources Management, disagreed. He said joking around on the job can actually have a positive effect on productivity and employee retention.

Personally, I don’t enjoy working with people that wear a serious face. When you try to make a small joke, they simply do not get amused. Rather, you may get that look that makes you guilty of what you had just said. If you have a superior like that in a work place, I bet you do not enjoy spending time more than it should be. However, if a work place consists of managers that encourage light humor and fun poking of one another, the whole atmosphere can change dramatically. And I bet people do not mind hanging around in the office a while longer.

Does humor has an impact on the work productivity?

Chris Robert has this to say,

Humor isn’t incompatible with goals of the workplace. It’s not incompatible with the organization’s desire to be competitive. In fact, we argue that humor is pretty important. It’s not just clowning around and having fun; it has meaningful impact on cohesiveness in the workplace and communication quality among workers. The ability to appreciate humor, the ability to laugh and make other people laugh actually has physiological effects on the body that cause people to become more bonded.”

I have to agree on what he said. From experience, we connect better with people that do not take themselves too seriously and that usually has a positive effect on the emotions that result in improved performance. 

However, not all humor is good. Anything that is sexist, racist, ageist and crude are not only unsuitable in a work place environment, it may lead to sexual harassment charges, lawsuits or termination. So, joke all you can but watch your boundaries.

Sometimes the best humor is not on poking fun of your peers but you can lighten up the whole place by sharing a funny story, picture or a saying that you heard or seen.

So since a few LOL moments will do us some good, please feel free to share your one-liner/jokes with us. :) Thank you :)

Job Hunting Techniques That Destroy Hiring Chances

It’s no fun to be out of job or unemployed. I don’t claim I know better but looking at some of the job hunting techniques used by some job seekers, I realize desperation can sometimes drive people to do things that harm their career or hiring opportunity instead of helping them.


The following are some of the glaring ones that I observe recently.

Send out resume to employers/head hunters in one email

Some job seekers resort to sending out masses of unsolicited resumes. They thought by sending as many resumes to as many people as possible, the chances of getting an interview will increase. It’s not totally fruitless if some planning is in place. However, what is a BIG No-No is sending a cover letter with resume to potential employers and head hunters in one email, with the recipients of the email display for all to see. Yes, what I meant was they don’t even bother to use the bcc. This is disastrous.

Apply every job advertised by the company

To increase their odds, they apply for every single job advertised by the same company. With online job portals, it’s just a matter of clicks. But by doing so, they only managed to achieve one thing: annoy the Hiring Manager. In other words, even if they do fit into one of the positions, they might be overlooked because of this silly act. Job seekers need to be focused; be targeted. The right approach is to pick the job that fits their skills and experience.

Use Only One Resume and Cover Letter

There were so many occasions when I read a cover letter that was attention to another employer and when confronted, they did not even react with shock as though this is a common anomaly. Job search should be a serious business. If no attention is paid to such details, how do you expect employers to trust them for the jobs that need even greater attention and precision? Sure, with emails and online job portals, job hunting has never been more convenient, yet if no deep thinking or deliberation is dedicated to carve a proper and targeted letter, this exercise is futile to say the least.

Job seekers need to plan ahead and use job search techniques well.

If you are unemployed, avoid the above. Do not let desperation takes over and destroy your chances of being short listed as a potential candidate.

When Is It The Time To Move On?

A group in Linkedin by the name of Connect: Professional Women’s Network,Powered by Citi recently has a discussion on the subject above and managed to garner a number of great responses. 

I think it’s a valid question because we do ask ourselves sometimes. Probably the fact you are reading this, this question is at the top of your mind now. I think it’s great to know the signs or indicators because moving on is a huge decision when the answer might just be a short vacation.

So, what's the best gauge? 

Perhaps the following responses might give us some clues:-

• In general- a good indicator is- "Am I getting energy from this job or losing it?"
• When you are bored more often than not....when you are not using the creativity of which you are capable....when you can afford it. It's always good to blend practical decision making with job satisfaction percentage.
• Prior to setting up my own business, for me it was when I no longer felt challenged in what I was doing and found that I was getting bored and restless.
• Realizing I am losing more than I am getting from work. This happens over a course of years. When I feel like work is draining me in a negative way, it's time to assess the situation.
• When you show up for work, and have no more ideas for the company or the office itself. If everything has truly dried up, and you risk becoming a robot at work, time to move on.
• I believe when you feel you can no longer do what you do best the majority of the time and you don't feel as though you are learning and growing in that role, or in that organization, it may be time to move on. Also pay attention to your internal clues will tell you. If you feel drained and the thought of going to work really weighs on you, it may be time.
• I always encourage people to look for signs that they are valued more outside their company than inside. When your company takes your skills or contributions for granted or doesn't seem to value what you bring to the table as much as people you collaborate with externally, it may be time to start conversations with those who value you more.
• The proportion of time spent using strengths is a good indicator of whether or not one is personally fulfilled in work. When the majority of the time--not just a day or week, but the overall pattern of work hours--is spent on areas other than strengths, it's time to find a different role, different company or different career. There needs to be an alignment of head, heart and gut for a position to work well. If one is out of line, it's time to make a change.
• I have 2 triggers both learned over a long life of mostly great jobs.
  1. When it is clear that your skills aren't appreciated at the level you need personally.
  2. When your skills and compensation level don't match. The appreciation sometimes has more value than the money. Maybe the best indicator is when all you get from an annual review is another job title. If you are getting more responsibility and no compensation then something is wrong.
• When you realize your values and those of your employer have diverged so wildly, there is no possible way to continue on the same path. When you are getting the accolades, but not the promotion. When you are offered no opportunity to grow into the role you know you can excel at, because your supervisor won't recognize your potential in anything but the niche you've already been assigned in his/her mind.
• When the job is no longer fun. When getting up and going into work gets harder and less enjoyable and becomes more like a task and just walking through the door makes you unhappy, then it is time for a change.
• You move on when you get up in the morning and think Oh S---! I have to do this again!
• Satisfaction comes in many forms. I realize that financial security is not my big motivator, and perhaps that is because I've not had the experience of living on the edge financially. I am very conscious of the limitations of time, and I consider the use of my time as an important measure. If this is my last day, how do I want to live it?
• I like the "Grow and Go" technique. Whenever I feel that I have gained sufficient knowledge to do all that my position requires and it no longer presents a challenge to me, then it's time to move on to the next level. If that's not possible where I am, then it means looking outside of the firm. I don't think a person should stay in a position until they are bored, depleted, or doing just enough to get by.
• For me, it starts with prayer and the direction God is taking me. If I'm working for someone else it's when I know that I've given everything I have into it and am still hitting a wall. I've honored my leaders... I've given the best of myself into a role and in the job... I've done all I know to do to stand strong. I haven't quit or given up just because it was hard. I went beyond my emotions and kept trying to "make it work". --Years ago someone told me if you don't have peace don't "do this or that". In a "role" or "job" when I no longer have peace that I'm in the right place for my life, and I can sincerely say I've given it everything, it's time to go. All of that is wrapped up in what God is speaking to me at the time.
• Life is not about being stagnant, we have so much to live for and strive for and all we have to do is keep trying new things, venture out, find your spot in the glory of the sun as it shines on your lovely being!

From the comments above, there seems to be a consensus on the point when you feel bored, undervalued and not challenged, then it’s time to pack your bag and go.

Don't underestimate ourselves - we can out-grow our jobs!

But that’s the “push’ factors, those that affect your current position. On the other hand, we can have “pull” factors, say in the form of an amazing opportunity that is too good to be missed out. That is definitely a sign we should deeply consider.