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When I'm interviewing people, I usually don't consider the questions they ask (or don't) as part of the evaluation, and if they are nervous, I tell them so.

If you evaluate their questions, then they might not ask what they actually want to know, for fear they'll be judged for it. That helps no one.




While I agree you need to be careful about mistaking someones nervousness for lack of qualification for the job, that's going to be an issue throughout the interview, not just when they ask questions, and you need to work to get them comfortable throughout.

I find the questions from the interviewee to be among the most useful part of the interview, for both sides. As an interviewer, it's great insight into the things they care about, what caught their attention during our discussion and want to dig into some more, etc.

I'd also say it's exceedingly difficult to set aside their questions, even if you truly mean that you try to. If someone asks something like "How closely are the office supplies tracked, would anyone notice if stuff went missing?" I doubt you can totally ignore that. Similarly, if someone has a mediocre interview but asks a some absolutely great questions that lead to an amazing discussion are you really going to say "well, I think they'd be a great fit, but I did say I'd not consider their questions as part of evaluation, so guess it's a No from me"?

The hardest one for me is where someone otherwise good asks something like "When can I get my first raise and how much is it?" as their first question. I mean, it's a valid question, but it's hard to ignore that it's the first question.

As an interviewee, it's a great time to figure out what you're getting into. This is a potential future co-worker you're talking to, so if they get upset that you've asked a tough question or even respond with a hint of "psh, that's a stupid question" that's a massive red flag about what taking this job would be like.




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