Illegal questions are not the only ones you should steer clear of during an interview. You should also avoid asking those all-too-popular, yet impractical questions that will result in overly-rehearsed, fake responses from the applicant. Make sure you choose the best person for the job by avoiding these 5 terrible interview questions:

1. Tell me about yourself. The problem with this widely used question is that there’s no telling what type of response you’ll get or if it will even provide you with useful information. So instead, just be direct and ask the specific things that you want/need to know about the candidate in order to make a hiring decision.

2. What is your greatest weakness? This cliché question rarely elicits useful information. The fact is, if you’re asking the right questions, the candidate’s weaknesses are going to be revealed during your conversation. Plus, you’ll avoid having to listen to those cringe-worthy, canned responses like, “I just work too hard.”

3. Where do you see yourself in five years? Let’s be honest, it’s likely that even YOU don’t know where you’ll be in five years. If you’re trying to get a better look into a person’s career goals, it’s better to ask a question like, “what kind of job would make you want to jump out of bed in the morning?” or “what does your ideal position look like?” Or better yet, ask the candidate where they see your company in 5 years and find out how much they know about your business.

4. Do you think you can handle this workload? Hypothetical questions aren’t likely to provide you with useful information…especially since every smart candidate is going to answer this question with a “yes.” To learn more about how well someone will navigate the responsibilities of a position, ask questions like, “tell me about a time when you had a heavy workload and how you managed.”

5. What would your past managers say about you? This question opens the candidate up to sit and talk about how awesome they are – which won’t be the information you need to make a smart hiring decision. If you’re curious about a candidate’s work ethic, ask for references and contact them directly.

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