ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2008 > May > 12
Monday, May 12, 2008
Handling inappropriate interview questions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Anyone who’s ever been on a job interview can attest to the fact that these meetings can be stressful. Certainly some of us get more worked up about interviews than others, but most people don’t actually enjoy them, even in the best of circumstances.
For the unlucky job seekers out there who have found themselves faced with an inexperienced interviewer, the stress and frustration is compounded. Unfortunately, this happens more often than one might think.
A wise job seeker doesn’t assume that every hiring manager has been through proper HR training or that the interviewer has a full understanding of employment laws. Remember, too, that just because a question sounds inappropriate, doesn’t mean it’s illegal.
So, if you find yourself in a situation where you’re being asked some inappropriate questions during an interview, arm yourself with a few go-to responses that will help you breeze through a sticky situation.
Let’s say an interviewer asks about your religion. Legally, a potential employer can not ask what religion you practice, if any. Chances are that’s really not what they want to know anyway. Usually, the information they’re trying to uncover with this type of question is your availability to work on certain days that may be restricted by some religions.
The question could also have to do with age, gender, physical ability, marital status, nationality, etc. If it doesn’t quite feel right to you and you have concerns that the interviewer could be crossing the line, there are ways to handle the question gracefully and without confrontation.
In these situations, a great response is, “Why do you ask?” Delivered with a warm smile, such a response is both simple and fair and it tosses the conversation back to the interviewer. He or she then has a chance to explain why they’ve asked, or to rephrase the question more appropriately.
At this point, you can address the question that they’re really asking, which relates to your availability to work. In most cases, this will move the conversation on to the next interview question.
However, if the hiring manager continues to force the issue, it would be perfectly appropriate to say: “I’m really interested in learning more about this position, so your question intrigues me. I think I might be able to answer you more effectively, if you could tell me how this relates to the job duties I would be performing, or to my qualifications for the position?
This will help you to discover whether or not the interview question has validity, or if the interviewer is trying to bully you into answering an inappropriate, and perhaps illegal interview question.
Have you been in a situation where an interviewer has asked you an inappropriate question? How did you handle it?
