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Pop Culture

Woman shares 5 questions to ask potential employers and people are taking notes

"Being in both senior leadership and directly involved in candidate recruitment, these questions are fire. 10/10 recommend."

TikTok creator gives people 5 questions to ask potential employers.

You know the end of the interview where they ask, "Do you have any questions for us?" It's a dreaded question for a lot of people. Even though you know it's coming, the question still catches you off guard and you wind up asking something possibly irrelevant or nothing at all. Then the whole ride home, approximately fifteen questions pop into your head.

But don't you fret, because TikTok creator Kyyah Abdul has a list of five questions to keep tucked in your brain's pocket to close out an interview. And folks in the comments are applauding the creator's ability to figure out if the company is a fit for you and clarify any concerns the interviewer may have. Her advice was so genius that even a person who is involved in candidate recruitment chimed in saying, "Being in both senior leadership and directly involved in candidate recruitment, these questions are fire. 10/10 recommend."


The video has well over 800,000 views on TikTok and nearly 200,000 likes. In the nearly 3-minute video, Abdul is sitting in her car and explains how one of her questions always trips up interviewers, but says, "It would give me the opportunity to address any concerns they had as a result of my interview."

One of the first questions on her list is, "How do you and senior leadership respond to errors made in the workplace?"

Most people who have held more than one job have experienced being in an environment where minor mistakes were ridiculed or caused you to be micromanaged. So asking this sort of question in the interview seems like it would give you a better understanding of that company's work environment.

Some commenters have tried her methods and others are eager to continue to soak up her knowledge.

"I always incorporate your questions and am told that this was the best interview they ever had," one commenter wrote.

"This is the first interview question video I've seen NOT from a recruiter or manager. And it was actually really helpful. Thank you so much," someone else wrote.

"I used these questions during my last interview and they thought I was brilliant," another person said.

Clearly viewers think Abdul's interview hacks are invaluable. Watch the video below to hear the rest of the questions:

@kyyahabdul

A lot of people have asked me about interview questions so I am reposting my most viral interview video #interview #interviewtips #interviewquestions #interviewtipsandtrick #interviewprep

This article originally appeared on 5.26.23

If just hearing the words job and interview together sends chills down your spine, you're not alone.

A whopping 92% of Americans report feeling fearful over the job interview process. And with good reason! What's more torturous than sitting in a room being judged on everything — from your voice and your shoes to each syllable that escapes your mouth — with your potential income and livelihood on the line?

Job interviews are tough. But they can be a whole lot tougher if you have autism.


A gripping new PSA by the U.K.'s National Autistic Society takes you into the mind of someone who has autism to better understand what a job interview might feel like for someone in their shoes:

"Employers don't see my abilities," the video description reads. "They see my autism. They see a problem."

The unemployment rate among people with autism is massive — and not at all reflective of the skills and qualities they offer employers.

As the National Autistic Society points out, just 16% of adults with autism in the U.K. are employed full time, and you'll find similarly alarming figures in the U.S., too.

While finding a job might not be the right fit for some people with autism, the vast majority are able and want to work; they just face many more roadblocks in getting an opportunity to do so.

"Autistic people can have strengths which may be beneficial to employers, such as tenacity and the ability to see things in a different light," said Mark Lever, chief executive of the National Autistic Society. "But they frequently tell us they experience too much information when applying for jobs and at work — for instance, being bombarded by questions [during a job interview], by noisy open plan offices, or with anxieties over following unwritten social rules."

GIF via National Autistic Society.

There are simple ways to make workplaces more welcoming for folks with autism, though.

If you're an employer, subtle changes in your application process and the work environment can make a huge difference.

For instance, many hiring managers default to listing qualities like "has good communication skills" or "is a team player" on applications for roles that don't, in fact, require it. This may dissuade someone with autism from applying even if they have the talents and skill set for the role. You may miss out on landing the perfect candidate.

Inclusive hiring policies aren't just the right thing to do, they're good for business.

Image via iStock.

Most of us aren't employers, though, and there are ways for us to make a difference, too.

First of all, understanding why your colleague with autism might interact differently or do things around the office in their own way is crucial. This isn't because they're rude or inept. They just work and socialize differently than you do.

Being able to listen patiently is a big one. When they go over all the stats from last night's game, hear them out (you might learn something interesting). Don't take it personally if they don't seem interested in your weekend plans — many people who have autism have trouble understanding all the nuances to our unwritten rules around social etiquette. And if they don't make eye contact with you, that's OK, too; it's not because they're impolite. Doing so can be stressful for some people with autism. If they're hesitant to look directly at you, follow their lead and back away from the typical in-your-face way we tend to communicate in the workplace.

Really, it doesn't take all that much to make our world way more accommodating to people with autism. We just have to make the effort.