Maybe you have already gone through five interviews this week and are already dreading the sixth. It's normal to feel that way especially when you've figured out there are interview questions that stump you. Everyone at some point has interview questions they hate. According to Liz Ryan, the CEO and founder of Human Workplace, interview questions are necessary for employers to figure out if you're right for the job.
So why are these employers singing the same job interview questions that appears to serve no purpose? Liz Ryan tells Forbes that there are five questions that should have no place in a 21st Century job interview.
1. Why Should we hire you?
Maybe you've heard it several times - in the first five minutes. Ryan says it's a flawed question. It's a place where the applicant is forced to sell themselves and it's often brainless. Brainless because it's not the applicant's responsibility to say why they should be hired.
2. What's your greatest weakness?
This question is a double-edged sword. It forces applicants to say something negative that will turn out to be a positive. But this is an impossible question to answer depending on the job. Liz Ryan says, "The only reason Americans are so obsessed with weaknesses is that our Puritan forebears put the idea of weaknesses and general imperfection in our minds. Some people would call their viewpoint an aberration or a sickness - not a worldview to incorporate in your hiring decisions!" Rather, applicants should be asked what their experiences are.
3. What would your last manager say about you?
This is a toughie. What if your manager was the reason why you left? This question stems from fear.
4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
You probably already have laid out a general five-year plan. However, the world changes too fast for everyone to cope. This question focuses on your pathing with the company if you do get hired. Ryan explains that this is "...another arch and impolite interview question that serves no purpose and should be dropped.
5. What do you bring to our team?
This is the interviewer saying that you should prove yourself to be the best person. It forces applicants to beg for the job.
Instead of asking these decade old questions, Ryan suggests to focus on a much more human conversation between job-seekers and recruiters.
