Page 54 - John Kador - 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview-McGraw-Hill (2002)

QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD NEVER INITIATE

is a great attribute,” says Susan Trainer. “It means you don’t take your-
self too seriously, which is a very attractive trait.”
Other recruiters are skeptical. “I want my questions taken seriously,”
warns Bryan Debenport, corporate recruiter at Alcon Laboratories, a
3000-employee manufacturer of ophthalmic products in Fort Worth,
Texas. “Humor may be appropriate at the start and finish of interviews,
but use it sparingly.”
The goal of using humor is to bond with the interviewer, to use your
shared senses of humor as a way to underscore the prospect that you will
fit into the organization. Of course, if your perspective and that of the
hiring manager seriously differ, then your attempt at humor will only un-
derscore the disconnect.
At the same time, when people laugh, certain physiological changes take
place that make people more flexible, relaxed, and—this is what you most
want—agreeable. Humor is also synonymous with wit—and wit is born of
intelligence. No wonder recruiters look for candidates with this quality. Let
the interviewer set the tone. If the interviewer starts with a joke and seems
to be in good humor, you can try for a little self-deprecating humor.

MAKE FUN ONLY OF YOURSELF
The only thing you can make fun of is yourself. Everything else, with-
out exception, is off limits. You may think you and the recruiter share a
perspective on politics, gender relations, and certain ethnic groups.
Don’t go there. No laugh is worth insulting someone. There’s always a
risk of humor backfiring. If you think there’s the slightest chance of of-
fending someone, keep the humor to yourself.
So what kinds of self-deprecating joking can pass the humor test? Di-
alect is too risky. Leave it at home. Sarcasm may be misinterpreted.
Deep-six it. Personal anecdotes can sometimes work. But make them
personal, short, and to the point. One candidate reports that the follow-
ing line, delivered tongue in cheek with a broad smile, sometimes led
to a laugh and real feedback:

How do you like me so far?

A line like this can work, concedes Nancy Levine, VP of client serv-
ices at San Francisco–based Pacific Firm, but the risks are too high be-

29