"Now, Do You Have Any Questions for us?"

There are good questions and bad questions and, worst of all, no questions at all.

The interviewer's last question is frequently the most important one. That's when the interviewer smiles and says: "Now, do you have any questions for us?" Your response at this point often determines if you continue as a job seeker or transform into a job getter.

By asking thoughtful and insightful interview questions, this distinguishes you from other job candidates, but as important as it is to ask good questions, avoiding bad questions is even more important. You can completely unravel the positive impression you have made during your job interview by asking inappropriate and ill-informed questions. Below are a few examples of the type of interview questions you should avoid asking in your interview.

Questions about company benefits can give the impression that a candidate is more interested in what the company can provide rather than the job and should be avoided.

Interviewers seek candidates whose viewpoint focuses on what the successful candidate can contribute to the organisation.

Avoid the following type of interview questions around company benefits:

"How many days holiday do I get?"

"How long is the lunch break?"

"What type of health insurance does the company offer?"

Company benefits are important, but during your job interview is not the time to focus on them.

Pay is another difficult issue. Interview questions about what you will earn are usually included in the list of interview questions not to ask!

Some employers expect candidates to bring it up but others regard it inappropriate at this point in the interview process. The general rule is that it is best to wait until you are further along in the job offer process before you bring up the subject of pay.

Avoid asking job interview questions which might raise a red flag, for example:

"How much overtime would I have to work?"

"Would I really have to work weekends?"

These questions imply that you are reluctant to put in the extra hours or are unavailable for certain job requirements.

It is advisable to prepare approximately three questions to ask in the job interview in advance. Some of your potential questions may be answered during the course of the interview, and others may become irrelevant once you gain more information. Discard these questions or you will give the impression that you have not been listening or have not understood what has been discussed during the interview.

The right list of interview questions will help you get the information you need to make the best job choice and is sure to impress the interviewer!