Some awkward interview questions interviewers should not ask but do!

There are a few awkward interview questions that interviewers, generally the untrained ones, ask but shouldn't really do so. Here's a few that you might have to contend with.

1. What's your biggest weakness?
Now why would they ask this question? Do they want to rule you out for some reason? Why would anyone admit to having weaknesses? As you can tell, I'm not a big fan of this one. My stock answer is 'golf and chocolate'. My golf is poor and I love chocolate! This tends to put the onus back on the interviewer and ruins their concentration. If you want to be truthful, check out the Internet job sites, where you'll probably be able to find tips on turning a perceived weakness into a positive.

2. Tell me all about yourself
The laziest question of all. How long is a piece of string? Probably best to ask which aspect of your life is most important to the interviewer and concentrate on that.

3. Do you have good analytical (for instance) skills?
Particular skills should really be addressed either through a behavioural question, asking you to quote an example, or better still through skills or psychometric tests.

In conclusion, some interviewers can be lazy and haven't prepared properly. Whilst questions such as these should not be asked, don't fall into the same trap of lack of preparation.

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