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Certain questions are illegal for interviewers to ask. How old are you? Are you married? Are you pregnant? Height? Weight? Do you have any disabilities? Which church do you belong to?
And then there are those questions that catch you off guard. You're not quite sure whether they are illegal, strange or just plain out there.
During one of my most recent interviews, I encountered a few ambiguous comments/questions. "Why haven't you found a job yet?" A few minutes after we started the interview, the employer said that I was well-spoken and that I had great experience, so, why hadn't I found a job yet? I asked for clarification in order to give myself a few seconds to wonder where this question was coming from. I said that the job market is pretty tight right now and there are fewer jobs than there are people looking for jobs. Competition is stiff. After thinking about it for a second, I started to take it personally. "What's wrong with me that I haven't found a job yet?"
We chatted a bit more, then came the shocker, "How are you surviving?" That was very strange. I've been unemployed for 5 months, so sure, one can wonder how we've survived this long on my husband's salary and my unemployment, but to actually be asked that question was very awkward. I asked for clarification again and he said, "How are you eating? How are you paying your mortgage?" Dumbstruck and in awe, I answered that we're very frugal. How would you answer a question like that?
The kicker was when they told me that I was over-qualified. I kind of knew that going into the interview, but I'm not one to turn down an interview. I challenged this statement with the fact that there are a lot of skills that are transferable between industries and job functions, blah, blah, blah...but to actually hear, "You're over-qualified." That just isn't nice.
You've probably guessed by now that I'm sharing this because I did NOT get the job. And I'm okay with that. What are some of the off-the-wall questions you've been asked and how have you answered (or not answered) them?
"Do you eat kimchee? We don't want people here who smell like kimchee."
"How fluent are you in English?"
"Is there any way you can be taller? We like our people to be taller than average."
"You don't look American enough. Do you have a green card?"
@JRandom - taller? seriously? wow....
@Suzanne - Those would catch anyone off guard. appears that you handled them wedd, despite the fact that you're "overqualified" so to speak! ack. Goodluck with the job search.
Mehnaz,
Yes, taller. They would have liked me to be at least 6' 1", and lifts in the shoes wouldn't count. I asked if using the rack would be covered under their healthcare plan.
I once got told that I appeared very senior level by me resume and email correspondence but that I sounded more junior level on the phone. Sigh. I was particularly nervous for that interview, though, so that's most likely why. Ended up getting the job but it definitely deflated my ego a bit. Appropriately, I think.
At what point do we stop answering these questions and start hanging the rich and re-distributing their money evenly amongst real human beings?
I was asked that would i leave the company if i get a better offer from other company in future. I was shocked and then I said what would you do ? and guess what I did not get selected . Why they ask such questions Obviously I would leave them for high paying job
T.W.,
What do you mean "we", Comrade? :)
I didn't think asking age, height or weight was illegal. Though, if they ASK your age and you're over 40, and they know that, you might have a stronger leg to stand on in pursuing age discrimination if it turns out they don't hire you. However, for us youngins I'm not sure it's illegal (wouldn't they ask on the employment application most times?).
That being said, I can see where they are coming from. In this economy especially, they have the ability to be picky. So they do want to ask how you are getting by. If you are being supported by a husband and maybe don't NEED to work, that's not as appealing to them. If you've got 3 weeks left of unemployment, I think they can sympathize with that. There's also this unspoken idea in today's economy (still) that being unemployed somehow means you are damaged goods. That you somehow did something to deserve your status. Even if the interviewer doesn't think this consciously, you can bet it's affecting his attitude. The job market is bad now, but in my opinion it's been shakey since around 2000 or 2001. We won't see real fairness in interview questions again until (if) employment actually recovers with the economy this time, it didn't during the last recession.
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