"So tell me, what interests you about this position?"

If you've ever read any of the surfeit of books available on answering interview questions (and I'm willing to bet most of you have, and recently, too), you know that many of them (the questions, not necessarily the books) are pretty stupid. I mean, in lots of cases, the interviewer knows damn well what the real answer is, without ever asking. You, the interviewee, also know damn well that you'd better not give the real answer; instead you weasel around the question with what you think the interviewer "wants" to hear, i.e., some version of what the book suggests is appropriate. Now, given that the interviewer, who has undoubtedly read some of the same books you have, knows that you know enough not to give the real answer and will spout some phony response from a book, this seems like a fairly unproductive exchange all around.

I think the question that bugs me the most is, "Why are you interested in this job?", said job being one that I am clearly over-qualified for and that pays well below my last salary (which they know from the detailed application form they make you fill out). [As an aside, why do the books all tell you never to put down your salary history, when the applications all say that if you don't complete all the requested information, they're going to file it in the circular file?]

Now c'mon, Mr./Ms. Interviewer. You can tell from my application that I've been out of work since January, and pretty likely you're aware that unemployment only lasts 26 weeks max, and that I probably am paying through the nose for COBRA health insurance (anyone my age -- which is pretty obvious when I'm sitting right there in your office -- isn't about to do without insurance if they can possibly help it). More to the point, I'd be willing to bet you also know that to draw unemployment I have to be "actively seeking" work to the tune of at least two "job contacts" per week. Just how many jobs do you think there are in Hampton Roads that I'm remotely qualified for? I'll tell you: just about enough for me to dredge up two a week that I can reasonably apply for with a straight face. In other words, I applied for your job because it was one of the two I could find that week that I could do, and I wanted (needed) to get an unemployment check for that week.

But I can't say that; instead I have to pretend I'm really just dying to put my skills to work making "valuable contributions" to your company's bottom line for 25% less than I used to make. And then you have to pretend that you believe it so we can get on with the interview and you can ask me what I think is my biggest weakness.

So tell me, what does the interviewer gain from this little game? He hasn't learned a damned thing about me he didn't already know, except that I've read the same interview books he has, which doesn't give him a clue whether I'd be a good hire or the employee from hell.