Had to share this one…Reddit asked their readers for some great questions that applicants asked when the interviewer said “Do you have any questions?” Some of them are classics. In my career, I’ve interviewed thousands of people but I still remember the best question I ever got.
The applicant was a young girl who had most recently worked for Smart And Final as a cashier. She was doing great and I was going to hire her but then I asked “What was your favorite part of your last job?” Usually they answer that they liked working with people, or maybe a specific task such as building displays. This girl answered “When I was able to take my 10-minute break, since it was hard to text while I was at the register.” But if that wasn’t bad enough (that already had disqualified her in my mind) when I asked “Do you have any questions for me?”, she thought for a second and then came out with…
“How many times can you be late before you get written up?”
I’m guessing she’s still looking for a job, and this was 15 years ago.
On Friday, Reddit user @AeonArcore asked, “Employers of Reddit, what’s the most memorable ‘Do you have any questions’ question you’ve received in an interview?'”
1. When the applicant wants immediate feedback:
“The first question he was asked was, ‘How was my interview?’ Openly asking for feedback to improve sent a good message.” — AeonArcore
2. Even if it’s bad:
“[They asked], ‘Do you have any hesitation in hiring me today?'” — wickedc0ntender
3. When they don’t read the job description:
“I was interviewing a young woman for an engineering position. She said she had an engineering degree, had recently graduated, and had no experience. I would have hired her, until she asked, ‘Is there any math involved? I’m not very good in math.'” — BPP1943
4. At all:
“We were interviewing candidates for a software developer job. One of the applicants asked how much computer use was involved.” — Outrageous_Disk
5. When they already ask about leaving early:
“[They asked], ‘How often would I be able to leave early?'” — PhydeauxFido
6. When the applicant is low-key a badass:
“Most memorable would be when the person I was interviewing asked me, ‘If another company offered you the same salary for the same job to quit and come work for them, would you take it and why/why not?'” — PhydeauxFido
7. When they don’t know what “entry-level” means:
“A fresh-out-of school kid with no experience interviewed at a high-tech company and asked ‘How many people will I be managing?’ Not sure what he thought ‘entry-level position’ meant.” — Finnerite
8. When they want a trial:
“[They asked], ‘Is it possible to try the job for two weeks — to see if I like it?’ That one kinda baffled me. She didn’t want to take another job and quit early because it would look bad on her resume.” — shadyotter
9. When they’re probably not ready for a job:
“[They asked], ‘Do you regularly drug test?'” — PhydeauxFido
10. When their question is out of nowhere:
“[An applicant] asked and said, ‘At what point do we protest vaccinations?’ I looked at my superior who was stunned. They were not hired.” — my-own-grandfather
11. When they wanna make sure the pay is good:
“I was interviewing a young engineer for an engineering position. He said he had an engineering degree and several engineering jobs in two years. He asked me, ‘How much will you pay me? My other bosses never paid me what I’m worth.'” — BPP1943
12. As well as the vacation time:
“Had someone ask how soon he could take paid leave after being hired. I hadn’t even really finished the interview or gone over the benefits package yet. Plus, this is not what you want to hear as you are hiring for the busiest time of year.” — aisored224
13. When they want a decision ASAP:
They asked, “‘When can I expect your answer?'” and got the job.