Illegal interview questions

[Cindy B]

In this super competitive job world, I would do anything to give me an edge over any other candidate.

I kept al personal information at bay when interviewing. I kept the engagement and wedding rings home as well as the small diamond earrings I usually wear. I only wore my one Timex watch. I put very modest pearl earrings.

No bracelets, no alterate rings on other hands.
When I worked at a federal agency, many people were asked questions about time off including maternity leave, wedding plans, etc. The reasoning they gave was this was an intensive training course and no time off was to be greated for seven months. Basically if you asked off during the 7 month time, you would be terminated.

FWIW, my most recent interview I kept the jewelry and accessories to the bare minimum, I got the job.

 

[DVCLiz]

In this super competitive job world, I would do anything to give me an edge over any other candidate.

I kept al personal information at bay when interviewing. I kept the engagement and wedding rings home as well as the small diamond earrings I usually wear. I only wore my one Timex watch. I put very modest pearl earrings.

No bracelets, no alterate rings on other hands.
When I worked at a federal agency, many people were asked questions about time off including maternity leave, wedding plans, etc. The reasoning they gave was this was an intensive training course and no time off was to be greated for seven months. Basically if you asked off during the 7 month time, you would be terminated.

FWIW, my most recent interview I kept the jewelry and accessories to the bare minimum, I got the job.

I don't know when you worked at a federal agency, but those questions are illegal. It's not a matter of "go along to get along" in a tough job market. It's AGAINST THE LAW to ask them and a prospective job applicant should not have to strip themselves of personal items in order to guard against those kinds of questions. They should not be a part of the interview process, period - and an employer who is willing to have interviewers break the law and ask them anyway should be made to be responsible when the applicant complains.

If you are hiring for a position that will not allow any time off you should state that up front but you should never be allowed to ask the particulars. I can't imagine any HR department would allow it if they knew - even in a federal agency.

 

[dehlers]

Ahhh! not good. I would be nervous to.
Do you really wanna work w/ this type of person... can you imagine how much of your business was discussed after you left? grrrr

 

[Cindy B]

I don't know when you worked at a federal agency, but those questions are illegal. It's not a matter of "go along to get along" in a tough job market. It's AGAINST THE LAW to ask them and a prospective job applicant should not have to strip themselves of personal items in order to guard against those kinds of questions. They should not be a part of the interview process, period - and an employer who is willing to have interviewers break the law and ask them anyway should be made to be responsible when the applicant complains.

If you are hiring for a position that will not allow any time off you should state that up front but you should never be allowed to ask the particulars. I can't imagine any HR department would allow it if they knew - even in a federal agency.

This was 2009. And yes, we knew it was illegal. However, this happens everywhere, legal or not.

It was a large group meeting before the actual interview, so they may be using it as a guise of saying the interview did not officially begin at that time.



After that, I began wearing only minimal jewelry and accessories for any and all intervews.

 

[tvguy]

Sounds pretty dang illegal to me - and yup - if you aren't planning to take any offered job anyay you should certainly report her to HR!

Yes illegal.

In her case there is apparently an HR department, but HR departments are going away.......I know a lot of companies find it cheaper to contract out to online HR type providers.....but I have to wonder if HR is going away because so many companies hope they can play dumb if they do something illegal, and point out they had no way of knowing it was illegal.

 

[mamacatnv]

IMO the hospital has been negligent in training their managers on proper hiring and interviewing techniques.

I am not surprised this happened, it occurs all the time. I would never ask someone those questions but I can tell you on the opposite side I have had prospective interviewing employees tell me all sorts of things that legal or not did influence our hiring decision.
IMO be very wary of the "chatty" interviews. stick to pertinent facts people.
Don't tell me how your wife just survived breast cancer and you need benefits or that you have a chronically ill child, day care issue or that you have another full time job and are looking to fill gaps or that your car was just repossessed or that your spouse left you etc. etc. etc.

Tell me what I want to hear; you are the perfect person for the job, you are the most qualified and you will be the most reliable employee on the planet.

I'd let it go, you can't prove a thing and chances are HR is aware of their loose cannon already. It's really hard to prove hiring discrimination and I would bet the HR dept. is banking on just that so saying something to them would not be in your long term best interest.
You never know when you might interview with them again. HR people don't want tattle tales or whistle blowers, perhaps its not "right" but in my experience that is the way the corporate world generally works.

 

[undertheradar]

Are you all kidding?? These questions are completely ILLEGAL to ask.
So she should just take off her ring and hope the department head doesn't talk to anyone else in hiring in the area? That's really a better solution than going above this woman's head and getting her fired - which she certainly should be - for her complete unprofessional and illegal interview questions?

Wow, maybe you think she should just find a male department head and sleep with him to get the job - that's the same kind of thinking as far as I'm concerned.

I do believe that she is looking for work in our current economy. I would look past it and move on, if she wants or plans to work in her field within reasonable boundaries. Or do you believe that HR depts don't communicate with each other?

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I don't believe there is anything illegal about asking questions like this. However, it opens the company up to charges of discrimination, which is why most companies don't allow their managers to question along these lines.

I wouldn't leave a ring at home. While it might have worked against you at this interview, the next one might prefer to hire an almost-married woman to a single one.

 

[DizBelle]

DH works for a reputable HR services company and he says "highly illegal!"

You have grounds for a lawsuit.

 

[DeluxePrincess]

I was in a similar situation when I interviewed for my 1st teaching job at a private school. I was a newlywed. The interviewing team of about 5 people needed to know if I was planning on children. I just answered "someday". They looked at each other. I then asked if that was a problem. They explained how this position required a lot of after school professional development and several people in the position had childcare issues and maternity leave can be problematic. I was taken aback and it probably showed in my face. I didn't get that job, which was probably a blessing.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

I had an interview a few months ago that sent up a few red flags. The HR person - he was fine, but the department head, who would have been my supervisor, he was the one...

First, he sat there examining my resume, and said, "Okay, you graduated from college in 1997, so you're...um...about 35-ish, right?" In my mind, I was , but out loud I tried to laugh it off and say, "Yeah, I look younger than I am." He said, "No, I'm trying to decide if I think you'll have a problem taking direction from someone younger than you."

Then he told me that he needed someone who would be there and not call in sick often, finishing with, "You don't have any health issues, do you?" Um, none of your business...

I never heard from them again, even though the interview otherwise went well.

I, too, have considered lately that maybe I should leave my engagement ring at home when I interview. I can't bring myself to do it, though...it's a part of me. And come to think of it, I had another interview a few weeks ago in which the owner told me that they had a function in October that was one of their busiest of the year. He (and his daughter, the company VP) looked at my ring and asked when I was getting married. I told them October 15. They looked at each other and said, "No." I ended up being offered the job and I didn't take it (for numerous reasons, but that was one of them).

 

[jodifla]

Yesterday I had a job interview at a major hospital. The interviewer commented on my engagment ring, asked when the wedding was and how much time I would need off for it. This seemed reasonable. She then asked how soon I planned to get pregnant and how many small children I currently had. I responded that there were no current plans for a wedding and that I have no children and no plans to have any at the moment. She then went on a tirade about how childcare issues are always causing her a hassle in her department, and how 2 new hires had gone out on maternity leave right after starting and how she thought that was an unproffesional thing to do. I was sort of horrified by this woman. She is the department head, not HR.

These questions are illegal am I right? Is there somewhere I should report this? BTW I have no intention of accepting any position working for this dreadful woman.

These questions are illegal.... and she should sure know better.

From her point of view however, these hires put her and her whole department in a bad spot. She hired these women, trained them, then they left the department understaffed when they went out on leave so quickly.

What is legal is to describe the demands of the job....late nights, early mornings, uneven hours.....all of which mean that the job isn't very parent friendly.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I don't think the economy is any reason to tolerate illegal behavior.

There are legal ways to make sure that the employee intends to be dedicated to the demands of the workplace.

(ETA: Announced that the unemployment rate is in the 9% range--so things are improving.)