5 Questions You Should Never Ask in a Job Interview

Hiring managers and HR pros will often close out a job interview by asking an applicant if he or she has any questions themselves. This is a great opportunity to find out more about the job and the company's expectations, but you can't forget that the interviewer hasn't stopped judging YOU. Here are 5 questions that can make a bad impression on your interviewer, scuttling your chances for getting the job.

1. "When will I be promoted?:
   This is one of the most common questions that applicants come up with, and it should be avoided. "It's inappropriate because it puts the cart before the horse." Instead of asking when the promotion will occur, better approach is to ask what you would need to do to get a promotion.




2. "What's the salary for this position?"
   Asking about salary and benefits in the first interview "always turns me off,” I’m always disappointed when they ask this, especially in the first interview. First interview is more about selling yourself to the interviewer, and that questions about salary and benefits should really wait until a later interview.




3. "When can I expect a raise?"
   Talking about compensation can be difficult, but asking about raises is not the way to go about it. So many companies have frozen salaries and raises that it makes more sense to ask about the process to follow or what can be done to work up to higher compensation level. Talking about "expecting" a raise, "shows a person is out of touch with reality."




4. "What sort of flextime options do you have?"
   This kind of question can make it sound like you're interested in getting out of the office as much as possible. "When I hear this question, I'm wondering, are you interested in the job?" Many companies have many options for scheduling, but asking about it in the first interview is "not appropriate."




5. Any question that shows you haven't been listening.
   Interviewed an applicant for a position that was 60 miles from the person's home. Told the applicant that the company was flexible about many things, but it did not offer telecommuting. "At the end of the interview, applicant asked if she would be able to work from home," Was she even listening? So some 'bad questions' can be more situational to the interview itself."

With the economy the way it is, employers are much more choosy and picky. Knowing the questions to avoid in an interview can help you stand out -- in a good way.

Good Luck!