What you need to know about what they can ask
Job interviewers are not allowed to ask certain questions. But what do you say if they do?
from the July 23, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 4
Other subjects can be less clear-cut. "You can ask about job-related associations, such as, 'Are you a member of the American Bar?' " Petrella explains. "But social ones that might identify a religion or a political party, those things are off."
Several years ago, a large public relations agency invited Jeannette Boccini, a New York publicist, for an interview. Later she met with the president, a major figure in the profession.
"We were having a lovely chat when he asked me, 'So, do you support yourself?' " she says. "I was stunned. Did he think he could pay me less if I had a spouse at home who was also bringing in money? After a moment of silence, I said I didn't really think his question was relevant to the job, and redirected the conversation so I could highlight my talents."
Soon after that, she received a job offer from another company. "I had already made up my mind that I didn't want to work at that company. I took great pleasure in calling to say that I was going elsewhere."
Some questions, if not illegal, are definitely inappropriate. When Rick Gibbs moved to New York seven years ago, he was interviewed by two people at an advertising agency. The man identified with him as a fellow Midwesterner. The woman, a New Yorker, told him, "Ohio is nothing like New York. You'll never make it here."
Both acted improperly, Mr. Gibbs says, calling it "a vivid example of bias in both directions." He is now a senior human relations specialist at a personnel management firm.
When out-of-bounds questions occur, applicants must decide how to react. "If you put up a stink, you're definitely not going to get the job," Dans says.
Russell, a legal publicist in Del Mar, Calif., likes to deflect inappropriate questions with gentle humor. "I laugh, they laugh back, and we move on. You just try to turn it into a plus."
Mr. Harrison offers another approach. "Maybe it's a great company," he says. "Instead of just saying, 'Game's over, you just asked an illegal question,' one way of dealing with it is to ask another question: 'Just what motivates you to ask that question? Is this an occupational requirement? What does this have to do with the job I'm interviewing for?' "
He finds that challenges sometimes arise during the third interview. "It's time for an informal lunch. The guard is down on both sides a bit."
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