There are right and wrong questions to ask when applying for a job. The right ones show how ready people are to tackle a job head-on. The wrong ones put them out of an interview so fast their heads spin.

Most potential hires spend so much time preparing and honing their answers for any question you might ask them that they don’t put any thought into what they’d like to ask your company.

According to Yahoo! HotJobs, a lack of preparedness for that part of the interview usually leads to someone asking one of these unsuitable interview questions:

1. “Are you going to perform a background check?” — Whether an applicant has credit issues or is worried about how solid their previous job references are, asking this question on a first interview usually makes it look like they have something to hide.
2. “How soon can I move to another position?” — Almost all employers want to keep new hires in their position for at least a year before moving them around, so a bait-and-switch isn’t likely to pan out anytime soon.
3. “Is [my medical condition] covered by your insurance plan?” — This one’s doubly wrong. Not only is it sharing private medical information with a complete stranger, but not all interviewers — especially if they’re not exclusively HR — will know what’s covered under the company’s health plan on a condition-by-condition basis.
4. “Can you tell me about the public transportation around the office?” — If you’ve got access to the Internet or a telephone, you can figure out the bus route to the office.
5. “When will I be eligible for a raise?” — Now more than ever, salary’s a difficult topic to handle. A better idea is to wait until the second interview and ask if a company holds one-year performance and salary reviews.
6. “Can I wait for [three or more] weeks before I start?” — Most employers expect a person to give two weeks’ notice. When an applicant asks for extra time off without a good reason, it begs the question: “How serious is the candidate about working here?”
7. “Do you have smoking breaks?” — If needing to run out and smoke impedes on your ability to work — or at least get through an interview — it’s time to drop the habit.

Are there any questions you absolutely want a Finance applicant to ask? Share your experiences in the comments section below.

With the sheer number of applicants sending out their info, it’s never been harder to get noticed. Here are the five worst ways potential hires fail to separate themselves from the crowd.

Every Finance applicant coming through your door might stretch their experience or beef up their former job responsibilities, but with the number of people in the unemployment line, even those embellishments aren’t enough.

Because a flood of applicants is sure to greet any open positions, Finance pros have less time than ever to size up candidates when looking at resumes. According to job search and career advice site JobBound, there are five common mistakes that are sure to land an applicant’s info in the “do not hire” pile:

1. College accomplishments are front and center — Young job seekers might not have much knowledge of the working world, but that doesn’t mean GPA and positions as sports team captains are the last resource. Professional experience — internships, summer jobs, etc. — should be highlighted above all else.
2. Full sentences — Even if a hiring manager has more than a few seconds to scan a resume, it still needs to spell out the info as quickly as possible. Effective resumes explain candidates’ info quickly and clearly.
3. Sounds like a parroted version of the position opening — Finance and HR pros might be good at writing concise job descriptions, but echoing that back isn’t what they’re looking for. Applicants should avoid “broad strokes,” and write about what they did in previous positions, not what any person in the same position did.
4. There’s an objective statement — Targeted statements like these are usually only needed if an applicant is sending a resume in cold, not when an open position has been posted.
5. No numbers — Especially when applying for financial positions, accomplishments should be measurable. Resumes that focus on scope (how many reports handled, how often) and results (how much time/money saved) are sure to garner a closer look.

What does your department look for in new hires? Are there any resume red flags that automatically take applicants out of the hiring process? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

But that’s no reason to write off a potential hire. Below are our favorite resume one-liners, and why we might give the applicants a second chance:

1. “Married, eight children. Prefer frequent travel.” — Sounds like he’d have T&E reimbursement down to the letter.
2. “I am a rabid typist.” — We can’t wait for her to sink her teeth into that stack of invoices.
3. “Objectives: 10-year goal: Complete and total obliteration of sales and federal income taxes and tax laws.” — He’s either really into SSTP or an anarchist. Either way, month-end just got smoother.
4. “I am the king of accounts payable reconciliation.” — After a few months, he’ll wish he was the jester.
5. “Reason for leaving last job: Pushed aside so the vice president’s girlfriend could steal my job.” — If nothing else, she’s honest.
6. “I eat computers for lunch.” — Just keep him away from the invoice scanning system, and he’ll do fine.
7. “Previous experience: Self-employed — a fiasco.” — Sounds like a team-player if there ever was one.
8. “Excellent memory; strong math aptitude; excellent memory; effective management skills; and very good at math.” — Good thing she’s accustomed to repetition — there’s a lot of it coming her way.