What not to say at a job interview? These questions are a trap. You’ll ruin your chances

Steve Kaufer, co-founder of Tripadvisor and former CEO, revealed why recruiters sometimes ask unusual questions. It turns out that the answers to them indicate what kind of person the candidate is. What is better to avoid?

What are the questions in a job interview? This question comes up very often

Asking about the most difficult project an applicant has worked on is one of the most common. It’s tricky because the answer indicates whether the candidate is a team player or self-centered.

What to ask at a job interview? What to ask at a job interview?, istock/@Drazen Zigic

The question is designed to check whether the candidate takes responsibility for their own actions. If they blame employees or talk about their successes, it may indicate that they are not confident or ready to make sacrifices. “This often reveals whether the candidate is a team player and whether they take responsibility when things get tough,” the expert explained. It is best to answer this type of question in a way that would suggest that we are able to cooperate with others, but at the same time we are able to handle a task on our own.

How to prepare for a job interview? Work out the answers to these questions. There’s a good chance they’ll come up

There may also be a question about working weekends. If the candidate flatly refuses, it is a sign to the recruiter that they are not ready to make sacrifices, and this may ruin their chances of getting the job. Steve Kaufer often asked candidates about mistakes they had made while implementing projects. The answers are often a big problem for candidates. Boasting about successes is not a good way, because it means that we approach the matter uncritically and have no desire to develop and look for new solutions. It is worth emphasizing the work done, but mentioning that the project could be improved. If you’d like, please vote in our poll below.