Job Interviews For Dummies®, 4th Edition

Chapter 24

Ten Tricky Questions to Watch Out For

In This Chapter

Recognizing questions with hidden dangers

Managing the question within a question

Surviving when you don’t know what to say

Tricky questions look like one thing and turn out to be something very different.

A tricky question can cause you to admit something the interviewer believes to be true but isn’t. As a single example, the interviewer may use the verbal construction of a “loaded question,” such as the classic “Do you still beat your wife?” In this illustration, the questioner assumes that you have beaten your wife in the past.

However phrased, a tricky question may seem like slam-dunk material, but in reality, it’s a double-faced probe that presents great risk to your chances of being hired. Think before talking. Be sure you know what’s really being asked.

Spot Purpose Behind Each Question

What’s the best job interview response to all questions? It’s the one that adds up to “Hire me!”

As Sherlock Holmes would say, “Elementary, Dr. Watson.” But recruiters report that high numbers of job seekers blab negative information ...