It amazes me that potential employers still ask the forbidden questions. We all know that any questions about age, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation are all out of bounds.
But that doesn't stop them from asking. Maybe employers think that the candidates are lucky to be seated in their offices in this dog-eat-dog job market. Or, perhaps they think that candidates won't catch on when they ask:
* What year were you employed at Company X?
* How long have you lived in State X?
* What year did you leave Company X?
* What year did you graduate college?
These are all sly ways of figuring out your age. All of these questions have been asked of me not just once, but at least 3 times by potential employers. I thought about it, and if I blew the whistle on any of them- or just one of them- I might not have to work the rest of my life.
Okay, they know they're not supposed to ask, But they can't resist asking. No matter what anybody tells you about age -or other forms of discrimination- being taboo questions in a job interview, I have found that some employers still ignore the law and keep asking the questions.
Thing is, do any of these employers look at quality of applicants? As in, what can this candidate do for my bottom-line? I would like to be evaluated for my unique skills and capabilities, not how many times I've been around the block.
After looking over this article, 9 Common Interview Questions that are Actually Illegal, the suggestion is made to smile and decline to answer a loaded question. Part of me feels that if I did that, I would be buying into the suggestion that being over 50 in the job market is an automatic eliminator. It might be factual, but I don't feel buying into the question by refusing to answer is appropriate. Neither is responding with "why do you want to know?" no matter how much I want to ask.
I am curious about how many job seekers have been asked an inappropriate question. I would welcome your stories and will happily share them in my blog.
But that doesn't stop them from asking. Maybe employers think that the candidates are lucky to be seated in their offices in this dog-eat-dog job market. Or, perhaps they think that candidates won't catch on when they ask:
* What year were you employed at Company X?
* How long have you lived in State X?
* What year did you leave Company X?
* What year did you graduate college?
These are all sly ways of figuring out your age. All of these questions have been asked of me not just once, but at least 3 times by potential employers. I thought about it, and if I blew the whistle on any of them- or just one of them- I might not have to work the rest of my life.
Okay, they know they're not supposed to ask, But they can't resist asking. No matter what anybody tells you about age -or other forms of discrimination- being taboo questions in a job interview, I have found that some employers still ignore the law and keep asking the questions.
Thing is, do any of these employers look at quality of applicants? As in, what can this candidate do for my bottom-line? I would like to be evaluated for my unique skills and capabilities, not how many times I've been around the block.
After looking over this article, 9 Common Interview Questions that are Actually Illegal, the suggestion is made to smile and decline to answer a loaded question. Part of me feels that if I did that, I would be buying into the suggestion that being over 50 in the job market is an automatic eliminator. It might be factual, but I don't feel buying into the question by refusing to answer is appropriate. Neither is responding with "why do you want to know?" no matter how much I want to ask.
I am curious about how many job seekers have been asked an inappropriate question. I would welcome your stories and will happily share them in my blog.
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