While achieving a healthy work-life balance continues to be a top priority for jobseekers, broaching this topic during an interview could tank your chances of getting hired.
There is one question, in particular, you should “never” ask an employer, says Bert Bean, CEO of the staffing firm Insight Global: “What’s the work-life balance for this role?”
Bean has interviewed hundreds of job candidates throughout his career as a recruiter-turned-CEO. With this question, he explains, “You risk sending the wrong message about your career aspirations to a future employer.”
Asking hiring managers about the company’s work-life balance can create an impression that you aren’t engaged, reliable or committed to the role.
“Finding the right work-life balance is vitally important, but it’s a deeply personal issue, and something that should be owned by the employee, not the employer,” says Bean. “Your future employer shouldn’t dictate to you what your boundaries should be.”
There are other ways to determine a company’s approach to work-life balance outside of the interview. Bean recommends reading employee reviews on sites like Glassdoor and Indeed, or if you know someone at the company, ask them how they would describe the organization’s culture.
There are certain questions you can ask during an interview to better understand the level of work expected in the job, Barry Drexler, an expert interview coach who has interviewed and hired over 10,000 candidates, told CNBC Make It in 2018.
For example, you can ask: “Will I need to be reached in off hours? If so, how often?”
Another question that can help you get a sense of expectations, according to therapist Mary Gleason, is: “What’s the company policy on taking a sick day or vacation?”
As you progress through the hiring process, Drexler added, the employer will likely provide additional details on what, exactly, the job entails, which should give you a clear picture of how the team views work-life balance.
Or, as Drexler explained: “You can get a sense for whether you’ll be killing yourself.”
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