For those who are fortunate to have a family member own a business, the temptation to hop onboard and carry forward the tradition hangs heavy. What’s not to love about a family business? You know the boss. They know you. You’re pretty much guaranteed a job if you want one. Plus, you can take over one day if you play your cards right. However, while jumping into the family business may seem like a surefire career move, there are plenty of chances for this move to sink your job prospects and leave you stuck in place.

Perhaps the biggest drawback to getting into the family business is the weight of responsibility falling onto your shoulders. While
answering phones at your uncle’s law firm or pushing a lawnmower for your dad’s landscaping business sounds all well and good during your teenage and college years, but there’s going to come a time when these positions may not be enough.

However, expectations can often be placed on family members to step into the business and carry it forward. This can be especially hard for a child taking over for a parent or if the business is an old one handed down for generations.

Now, there is nothing wrong with taking over the family business, especially if it’s something you’ve had your eye on for some time.
Nevertheless, there is an opportunity for entrapment for those who set out to just give things a try. Once you get comfortable with a job, especially a family run business, it’s hard to break routine. Furthermore, while you’ve been comfortably holding a job when your friends have been schlepping from interview to interview, an attractive prospect during hard economic times, you haven’t
had to brush up on your job seeking skills.

The entire job seeking experience, while it can be unrewarding, grueling and tedious, is a fabulous learning experience for aspiring professionals. It teaches you how to package yourself, how to conduct interviews and how to put yourself out there and get noticed. Taking the family business route is fine and all, but you’ll likely lose out on this learning opportunity.

Ultimately, the point is to not let yourself become guilted into a job at your own professional expense. Take over the family business if you want to. Spend some time working there if you have no other prospects. However, you have bigger plans on the horizon. Don’t forget to keep your feelers out. It’s easy enough getting too comfortable at a job. It is even easier to get comfortable at a job run by your family.

Any negative experiences working for a family member? Let us know in the comment section.

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Everyone has one time or another held a crappy job. There’s no way around it and sometimes it’s hard to reconcile that summer slinging ice cream at the community swimming pool with your hopes and dreams of making it big. Nevertheless, at your crappy job, was there ever that person who seemed way too happy to be there? It was the guy who seemed like making tacos was the be all and end all of existence. And that was annoying.

Now think about it, have you carried that attitude forward still? Looking at your fellow coworkers with a glib smile and shaking your head when they seem way too happy to be at work? Could it be there’s something wrong with them? Possibly. However, the most likely answer if that you may have a skewed attitude towards work.

Let’s be honest, work does suck. Most people can’t get their dream job of being an astronaut or a bikini inspector. Therefore, most people have to settle. This can be pretty soul crushing, especially if you went to college to be an architect and you end up pushing carts down at the grocery store. Where is the effort to excel and push forward?

It may seem like why even try, why put in the effort on a job you dislike? There’s valid points in that and it makes for a great movie premise staring Ron Livingston and Jennifer Anniston. However, even if you despise your job, why not go an extra inch to get yourself noticed and possibly lifted out of oblivion.

Break it down, if most people just do the bare minimum to get by, day in and day out, what’s the harm in going above and beyond the call of duty just once to get noticed? Even if you just do a small thing each day that’s pretty pedestrian, your boss will likely notice sooner or later because he or she is used to everyone half assing it on a daily basis. You never know, great things may come of this notice. You may hate your job working in the
pits, but a nice middle management promotion with a corner office may be just the ticket out of your workplace blues.

So, are you caught in a professional rut? Hate waking up and going to work? Why not try working your way out of there instead of just getting by and trying to not lose your mind? Sound off in the comment section
about any workplace blues you might be having and what you’re doing to change up the status quo.

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Of all job questions, the one that remains most pertinent has always been, “yeah, but how much are you going to pay me?”

Salary negotiating can be as intricate as a chess match, with each party trying to gain the upper hand. There are several pitfalls that can be avoided during the litany of job questions you’re being asked.  These are the most common mistakes made when negotiating one’s salary.

1. Talking about money too soon.

Money should not be amongst the first of any job questions you might have.  Don’t mention salary right away, even if the interviewer mentions that the job is out of your typical pay range.  If you can prove that you’re worth it, you might be able to talk them up to your pay range later.  Salaries are always negotiable, getting kicked out of an interview after only two job questions is not.  Also, if you’re interviewing with a large corporation, there is a good chance that salary negotiations will be done by another person from human resources during the official job offer anyway.  Money shouldn’t be mentioned until after at LEAST the second interview.  According to the bestselling guide, 10 Minute Guide to Job Interviews by Dana Morgan, “He who speaks first loses.” Unless one of the job questions specifies you must give your salary history in order to be considered a candidate, let them do the talking first.

2. Giving too much away.

When asking job questions the focus of your negotiations should actually be what you bring to the company, not what you need from them.  According to Morgan, “So what if you have a big mortgage, a new baby, a big car payment, and a college tuition to manage into your budget?” The employer may be sympathetic, but these expenses will not convince her to pay you a higher salary.”  Unless the interviewer’s job questions include ‘How many palimony payments do you need to make a month?’ you may want to hold back.  Again, focus on your value to the company, not how much money you need.

3. Not adhering to reality.

Of course you would like to be earning Donald Trump’s salary. Your mommy may say you’re special, but that doesn’t mean your job questions can bend reality.  Asking for a salary beyond a company’s means when asking job questions comes off as immature, especially for entry level positions.  According to the 10 Minute Guide to Job Interviews, the higher the position, the more room there is to negotiate.  “Negotiating a 10-12% increase over the salary originally offered to you is not unreasonable,” Morgan says.  It’s important to keep this in mind when asking your list of job questions.  Your best possible approach is to find out what the salary range for the position is and adjust your requests accordingly.

In today’s job market it might seem impossible ask for a higher salary when asking your job questions, but that’s not entirely true.  It comes down to three basic rules: Don’t be too quick on the draw, don’t show all of your cards, and don’t have your head in the clouds.  These simple rules can help to make you a master salary negotiator. If done right, you’ll be able to add “How much are you going to pay me?” to your litany of job questions – and you’ll get away with it too!

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Asking sneaky job interview questions can help you get ahead in a competitive field. Sneaky questions aren’t so much being dirty or underhanded, but asking a query in a certain way that provides you with information most applicants aren’t privy to. Asking one of these sneaky job interview questions is like being the James Bond or Sam Fisher of interviewing. You get in, nab the intel and get out only to return with bigger guns and gadgets. Follow along with this series of knowledge garnering job interview questions to ask the hiring manager.

1. Who would you point to as the top performer in this position? – One of the job interview questions not asked very often pertains to the status of present employees. However, asking about those who have already netted the job you may be after is a sneaky and underutilized trick. Discovering that Dick Jones is the head guy at Omni Consumer Products lets you know who to reference for this next question.

2. What traits make him or her stand out? – Once you’ve identified the company’s top performer, go after the hiring manager and find out what that individual does. Is he or she timely with their deadlines? Does he or she go above and beyond the call of duty routinely? Uncover exactly what makes this potential employee of the year so special with this pertinent query, one of several key job interview questions for an employer. Discover the traits that elevate this person above the rank and file. Take notes!

3. What specific actions or behaviors make him or her so successful? - Once you did a little digging about the most successful person in your field at your potential employer, find out why their attributes are so valued and desired. Is that no procrastination policy important because the job you’re applying to depends on tight deadlines? Does the hiring manager look kindly on those who go above and beyond the call of duty because the company is in the middle of tough times? This is perhaps one of the most important sneaky job interview questions because it lets you know what traits are in high demand at your possible future workplace.

These three sneaky job interview questions build on each other. This progression is vital to uncovering these hidden tidbits of knowledge. Take excellent notes. Utilize this information in a killer follow up letter or call to the hiring manager. Demonstrate your interest and the intelligence you gathered by marketing yourself as the second coming of the Golden Employee. Use these sneaky job interview questions to get ahead.

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Trying to creatively and intelligently answer job questions for interviews is tough enough as it is.  If you add into the mix that some of the people or job questions being used in the interview process may be out to purposely sabotage you, interviewing can be a really frightening process.

Of course, job questions for interviews and the interview process itself isn’t out to kill you or destroy your confidence and self esteem, but sometimes employers will use tactics or job questions that are meant to keep you on your toes and even conspire to make you screw up.  This isn’t because they’re soulless lunatics, but rather because they want to know that you have what it takes to stand up against any odds and work your ass off.

So don’t let the following 5 job questions conspiracy theories prevent you from seeing through the bullshit and showing off what an awesome fit you are for the job.

1. Watch out for those job questions for interviews that start off with “Tell me About Yourself…”

It’s funny that so many of us still find ourselves baffled by this question.

Usually when job questions like these are thrown at you are all of those sordid secrets and details of your life that you’d rather they didn’t    find out about come to mind.  You know, like your huge porn collection or the fact that you have a thing for guys with tattoos or girls in S&M  gear.

This is one of the most popular job questions asked by potential employers so don’t go in blindly.  Practice what you’ll say, and leave those   personal details out of it and just sell yourself and your amazing personality and job related skills.

2. Be prepared for the “weakness” job questions! It’s pretty much a given that you’re going to be asked the most popular job question in history at some point in your interview.  Don’t let the “tell me what your greatest weakness is” job questions throw you for a loop.

You’re not an idiot (or are you?- if you don’t prepare for this question then you might as well be!) so you should figure out what you’re going to say before you’re even asked these job questions.  And make sure you answer wisely.  If you talk about how your weakness is staying organized, but then don’t mention that you have significantly improved upon that, you’re just telling the interviewer why not to hire you.

3. Look out for the job questions that have no right answers! We’ve all been there.  You’re asked those job questions in an interview that make you say “huh?” that seem to have absolutely nothing to do with the job.  A lot of these job questions are designed to figure out how quickly you think on your feet and some are even designed to test your character and values.

Don’t get daunted, that’s what they’re trying to do!  Just answer the question the best you can….  And be as honest as possible without saying anything bad about yourself.

If the interviewer throws you off by asking what your favorite position is, don’t tell them it’s reverse cowgirl.  That’s not what they’re talking about.  It’s related to the job, silly!

4. Beware of the salary job questions… You think we’d all know by now that this question, while useful and necessary is just a tactic to eliminate anyone that is asking for too much.  And if you ask for too little, you’re at risk of looking kind of lame too.

Make sure you’re prepared for these interview questions well in advance.  You should research how much someone in a similar position with similar background and experience makes, and ask for something in that range.  It’s actually best to aim a little higher than you expect.  For example, if you’ve done your research and know you’re worth $35k with your background and experience, ask for $36-37k but make sure you mention that you’re willing to be flexible so you don’t let the salary job questions make or break your entire interview.

5. Above all, remember that the person interviewing you may not have the last word. You’re so focused on job questions, sometimes you don’t really pay attention to who the heck the person asking them is.  Maybe they’re supposed to be your new boss if you get the job, maybe they’re a Human Resources or hiring manager or even just a recruiter.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell because I’m sure you’ve been on several interviews where the job questions are unorganized, unstructured and the interviewer doesn’t really seem to have a whole lot of experience interviewing people.  This could mean that they’re inexperienced, unorganized… or just that they’re not very friendly or don’t really care.  You do have to impress anyone that’s interviewing you with your answers to job questions, of course, but make sure that no matter what kind of vibe or impression you’re getting from your interviewer (whether they’re a cocky asshole or a clueless idiot or not!) you need to stand out enough in their minds for them to tell whoever is in charge that you’re worth another look… and another interview!

With all of these things working against you, it’s hard to believe that you can ever get through sticky job questions at all.

But it’s not impossible as long as you watch out for these common job questions and sabotages.

Are there any conspiracy theories employed by interviewers that I forgot to mention here?  Please feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you think or share your job questions conspiracy theories!

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