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Six questions to use and lose for your next job interview

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Interviews should be a conversation, not a Q&A session writes columnist Liz Ryan for Forbes.com. In fact, she says you can find out way more about a candidate by getting them to ask their questions first rather than drilling them with tired and cliché interview questions.

In today's war for the best talent, Ryan explains that questions like "why do you want to work here," will only make you lose the very best candidates who are just as picky about potential employers as what you are about them. Below find her list of questions to ditch and which ones to replace them with to get the best out of an interview.

ALSO READ: 10 interview questions to help dig deeper into a candidate’s personality

Questions to lose

  • Why do you want to work here?
  • What's your greatest weakness?
  • Where do you see yourself in five years?
  • What would your last manager say about you?
  • What are three words you would use to describe yourself?
  • If you were a can of soup, what kind of soup would you be?
ALSO READ: Wall Street’s toughest interview questions

Questions to use

  • What have you learned about our company so far?
  • Here's a quick description of the role. How do you think this job will be similar to other jobs you've held?
  • Here's what we're dealing with in the department. (Explain.) What are your thoughts about our 2018 challenges and opportunities?
  • What can I tell you about the role, the team, the company or the industry that will help you understand what the job is all about?
  • Here's a typical day on the job. (Explain.) What parts of the position sound like they'd be most challenging? How would you overcome those challenges?
  • Here's the biggest project you'd take on in this role in the first few months. (Explain.) How would you approach that project?
ALSO READ: Interview questions to find the perfect candidate

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