Never Ask This Question In A Job Interview

It’s asinine, so please think of something better.

There are some questions I expect to be asked on any job interview, so always am prepared to answer them.

One is “Why do you want this job?” Another is “Why should I hire you?”

Since I work in public affairs, I also come to interviews prepared to talk about my impressions of the prospective employer’s social media presence.

One question I never come prepared to answer is “If you are offered this position, do you see any reason why you would not take it?”

This is, hands-down, the worst question to ask a candidate during a job interview. There are several reasons not to ask this question of an applicant, but the best reason to leave it out is that most people won’t be honest if they have reservations about taking a job, if offered.

Even worse, the response to this question likely won’t provider the interviewer any information about their qualifications for the job they are interviewing for.

Asking this question of an interviewee also strikes me as asinine. Decisions on whether or not to accept a job are often multifaceted. They often consider the needs of family members.

Yet, this interview question presumes that the person interviewing the job has no other life considerations.

Why I was asked this question, said “No,” and left it at that, but wondered what my interviewer was thinking when he asked me this question.