![Asking this popular job interview question is ‘a waste of time,’ says ex-Spotify HR pro](https://media.nbcdfw.com/2024/07/107382800-1709675091658-gettyimages-1488678017-dsc_5575.jpeg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=320%2C180)
When you're going in for a job interview, remember to show up on time, dress appropriately and come in with some good questions for your interviewer.
When preparing your list of what you want to ask, there are some questions you'll want to avoid. "What's the work-life balance for this role?" for example, could give the impression that you aren't engaged or committed to the role, Bert Bean, CEO of staffing firm Insight Global, previously told Make It.
Another question you might want to avoid: "What does success look like in 30, 60, 90 days?" says Dan Space, who's worked in HR at companies like Electronic Arts and Spotify. Here's why he advises against it.
It's going to get 'a very low value canned response'
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To begin with, Space says, the question is not necessarily going to give you a useful answer. "Any sort of future telling questions, I think, is going to get a very low value, canned response," he says.
The manager interviewing you could "potentially give you a picture," he says, but it's likely going to be high level and won't go into the details that could help you find that success. That's both because they don't know you or how you work and they may not be able to share competitive or proprietary data. A lot of those details simply won't come into play until you're in the role.
Trying to get at how to succeed in a general way is ultimately "just a waste of time," says Space.
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The person who asks specific questions 'stands out'
Second, that question is not going to make you stand out, Space says.
If a hiring manager has five great candidates, and four of them asked, "what does success look like in the first 30 days?" but one asked about a very specific task that helped their previous company move forward, "that person now stands out," says Space. It's the specific questions that show you have expertise in the field that will help your interviewers remember you, not the generic ones.
Not everyone agrees with Space about this question.
LinkedIn career expert Andrew McCaskill says that asking how success is measured demonstrates that you're proactive and want to excel in the role.
Still, you might be able to show that from asking other specific questions about certain systems your potential employer uses, for example, and how you've seen those work out in the past. Those will also help prove you've laid some groundwork for the role.
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