Questions you shouldn't ask an IT employee

I’m often asked with a set of questions listed below which I find inconvenient to answer. I’m sure almost everyone in IT industry would be facing such questions. Not that those who ask these questions have some bad intentions, just that we can not give authoritative answer to such questions.

Here are a few of them:

1. I’m a final year student of ABC College, recently your company selected me in campus recruitment and I have not received offer letter yet. When will I get it?

2. I have two offer letters, one from your company and other from company next street… Is your company good enough or should I join the other one?

3. When are you going abroad? It seems that a person one year junior to you already went to so and so country... You’re not going?

4. What time do you go to office and what time do you return home?

5. It seems your company fired lots of people recently…what did they do? You’re still there? (Hidden meaning: “How come they have not fired you yet!!!”?)

6. You’re looking for a change? You’re not asking for transfer to this place? That company gives hike every 3 month it seems, why is that this company doesn’t?

7. How come you're in office? (asked during late night or during weekends)

Now in brief let me state why I do not prefer to answer these questions:

Some are extremely strategic business decisions and developments about which no one prefers to say anything in advance.

For some I just do not have the necessary information or authority to speak

Few developments are so uncertain and volatile that it’s better not to make any comments

For some questions there’s no proper answer. It either has lot of dependencies or needs independent discretion.

So, to the extent possible avoid embarrassing people in IT industry with above questions. Anything that can be made public will be made public in due course of time.

Note: No offense is meant and this post is for informative purpose only

Related post: The compulsions of IT People