Interview questions you want to ask, but shouldn't

Despite new recruitment technologies and fancy applicant tracking systems, sitting down face-to-face with a candidate remains one of the best and quickest ways to determine whether someone is a good fit for a job opening. As a HR professional, knowing this is your one chance to identify the next great talent for your company can make you feel under pressure.

In an attempt to make the most of the opportunity to get to know the candidate, you might want to grill them for every last bit of information. While tempting, it's important to remember that interviews are a balancing act, since the candidate is evaluating you as much as you're evaluating them.

With that in mind, there are certain questions you might want to skip, even if you're dying to know the answer. Whether you're legally allowed to ask or not, you should use some common sense and try to imagine how the candidate might feel when asked about the number of sick days they took last year.

In a post on Forbes, career expert Liz Ryan sets out ten interview questions that represent red flags for candidates. According to Ryan, they're disrespectful things to ask and "any company that lets its interviewers ask these questions is not a company that deserves your talents," she advises candidates.

We've listed a selection of Ryan's red flags below. Would you ask candidates any of the following? Let us know in the comments.

• How many unplanned absences did you take last year?
• Will you commit to staying here for two years?
• What would your last three bosses say about you?
• What's the minimum salary you would accept?
• Have you ever been fired?
• Which parts of your resume are exaggerated?
• What has been the greatest failure in your career so far?

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