Unacceptable jobinterview questions

I’ve recently started doing interviews and in quite a few instances I have been

asked personal questions such as my religion and marital status, to name a few. This

line of questioning is very alarming to me, and I feel uncomfortable when asked such

personal questions. What does my marital status or religion have to do with the job? It

felt as if my privacy was invaded. Are such questions normal?

~ Concerned Job Interviewee

DEAR CONCERNED JOB INTERVIEWEE,

You are absolutely right to be alarmed by those inappropriate interview questions. On behalf of all competent and progressive HR practitioners, I empathize with you. It is definitely important for individuals to understand the employment process in order to protect their rights in such situations:

Unacceptable Job Interview Questions

The interview is a crucial component of traditional selection techniques. It is a proven method to evaluate candidate suitability, but if used incorrectly, it can lead to speculative biases and poor selection. Taboo interview questions involve anything where the structure, format and context are illegal or at the very least, prohibited.

While many persons ascribe such offensive questioning to inexperience, ignorance or inadequate training, it remains critical for employers to avoid these practices as they flagrantly violate the labour laws of Trinidad and Tobago, and can land a company in ‘hot water’ with the Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC).

“Nothing surprises me, I work in HR!” – a long-time personal mantra of mine. Yet, there are times when an interviewer’s action reminds me of the importance of remaining vigilant in my HR service. I once had the unfortunate experience of witnessing a company official enquire about a female interviewee’s availability, whilst insinuating that “that time of the month” should not adversely affect her productivity. Imagine my shock and horror! I addressed the matter immediately after the candidate left the interview, emphasizing to the interviewing panel that it was mandatory that all candidates are equally assessed and that the evaluation of candidates must adhere to job requirements ONLY. If it “ent” job-related, don’t ask the question.

What to do when asked forbidden questions?

Being asked such intrusive and highly personal questions within a professional setting can offend sensibilities and create a feeling of intense discomfort. Yet still, try to maintain your poise and professionalism. Oftentimes, interviewers do not intend to be malicious, but are instead ill-equipped or are operating on embedded biases. For example, some people assume that individuals with children are responsible and mature, and those without children are irresponsible and their life is ‘a party.’ Of course, this is not true, but such biases are often brought into the interview by inexperienced interviewers. Instead of asking candidates to give specific work-related examples of times when they executed their work responsibilities under pressure, they opt to ask candidates if they have children and then use the answer to make assumptions about how responsible the person would be, or how much time-off they may take.

If you find yourself in the midst of an off-limit interview question, take a deep breath, and politely advise of your challenge with the current line of questioning. Some suggested approaches include:

• Seek to understand. Ask the interviewer for clarification, on the off-chance that you may have misinterpreted the question.

• Politely ask the interviewer to explain the relevance of the question to the job. Usually this approach causes the interviewer to recognize his/her misstep and rephrase the question.

• Answer in brief and move on to a new topic

• Avoid answering and attempt to engage the interviewer in an alternative job-related area

Sometimes an interviewer may make a clumsy attempt at unsettling you with strange questions. For example, “if you were an animal, fruit, or piece of furniture, what would you be and why?” In such instances, try to decipher what professional attribute the question is attempting to unearth, and then politely speak about the attribute without directly answering the question. This way, you maintain control of the interview and are able to answer the question without getting too personal. Effectively structure your answers using the STAR model:

• Briefly describe the Situation or background to your example

• Explain the Task or activity

• Outline the Action you took

• Summarize the Result

Examples of

prohibited questions:

Subject: Sex, Sexual Preference

Unacceptable Question: Any questions on this subject is strictly prohibited

Legitimate Questions: None! Do not ask or answer these questions

Subject: Organizations

Unacceptable Question: Are you a member of a club, society and/or organization?

Legitimate Questions: Are you a member of any professional organization that is relevant to the position for which you are applying?

Subject: Disability

Unacceptable Question: Do you have a disability? Have you ever been treated for the following diseases?

Legitimate Questions: Let’s review the job requirements for this role. Do you know of any reason why you cannot perform all the essential functions of the job with/without reasonable accommodation?

Subject: Marital Status | Availability

Unacceptable Question: Are you married? Do you have children?

Legitimate Questions: This job involves heavy overseas travel. Would you be able to travel frequently/work overtime?

Discriminatory Employment practices:

Questions based on stereotypes or assumptions about the abilities, traits, sex, age, religion, ethnicity, gender, genetic information, marital status, medical history or geographical origin is unlawful and prohibited, as per the Equal Opportunity Act, 2000 - Part III Discrimination in Employment. Such unlawful practices can be reported to the EOC at 672 0928.

Perspective for Employers, HR Practitioners and other Stakeholders

Competency-based or situational interviews use questions aim to understand how candidates have previously used specific skills to approach various tasks and challenges. A skilled interviewer will align questions and scoring mechanisms with the STAR approach to accurately document how candidates added value in their previous jobs. Adhering to such consistency in selection processes ensures compliance with all procedures and policies and also creates an equitable and non-discriminatory process. This enhances transparency and leads to a robust HR system that can withstand any scrutiny. HR business partners must keep abreast of employment laws, conduct internal training and ensure all personnel follow these laws, so that potential discrimination claims are avoided, along with costly litigation and liability.

AFETT is a not-for-profit organization formed in 2002 with the goal of bringing together professional women and engaging in networking opportunities, professional training and business ideas. ASK AFETT is a column meant to address issues and concerns of professionals seeking advice to assist in progressing in their careers. Today’s response was written by AFETT member, Caron Greaves, AFETT’s Managing Director of Choice HR Limited, AFETT’s Corporate Secretary, HRM educator and Philanthropist. Learn more about AFETT at www.afett.com or by contacting the Secretariat at admin.afett@gmail.com or 354- 7130. Search for AFETT Events on Facebook and follow @AFETTEXECS on Twitter.