With graduation season in full bloom, new grads are sailing the job-interviewing seas, but some are drowning right out of the gate. Others will confront nightmarish–and sometimes illegal–job interview questions. One candidate at Tavalon Tea, a premium tea company based in New York, started bashing Tavalon, apparently too hungover to remember where he was interviewing. Another Tavalon interviewee brought his mom. And a candidate at Collins Wealth Management, a financial planning practice in Parsippany, N.J., answered her cell phone in the middle of an interview–to chat about a TV show and weekend plans. [ABCNews.com]
These scenarios, while inane, remind us how difficult interviewing can be–even for those of us who wouldn’t show up in flip-flops or with a pet poodle. What if you plain forget the interviewer’s name? All isn’t lost–you can make amends. [ABCNews.com] But what happens when the shoe is on the other foot, and the employer poses improper job interview questions? Subjects such as marital status, plans for having children, age and religious affiliation are among job interview questions to avoid. [USATODAY]
When Bizarre Job Interview Questions Arise, You Have Options
Because the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has guidelines about these topics, it means people have broached them, and will continue doing so, intentionally or not.
If you face an illegal or inappropriate question, you have some options. You can answer, refuse to answer, or answer the “intent behind the question.”
Have you encountered inappropriate or illegal job interview questions, and if so, how did you address them?
- Bringing Mom and Other Interview Flubs (ABC News)
- Make-or-Break Interview Mistakes (BusinessWeek)
- Avoid asking inappropriate interview questions (USATODAY)
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