Illegal Interview Questions

As the recession bites and competition for jobs is on the increase you may find yourself having to answer more probing questions from your future employer which may not always be on the right side of the law. This was the experience of one of our candidates who had recently been on interview.

During interview it is important for both employer and candidate to gain as much information as possible of either party to ensure the correct decision is made and the right candidate is hired for the job. However, during the process it is important that the correct questions take place, questions that probe applicants qualifications, education, experience, past times and availability. But, all too often in an employers attempt to get to know the applicant they begin to probe areas which are off limits!

Questions relating to family, marital status and children seem relatively harmless on the surface but are definitely a non no! And this type of questioning seems to be more pertinent to female applicants.

How do you deal with questions outside the law?

More often than not candidates are unaware of employment law and even if there were they may put themselves at risk of loosing the job they are interviewing for they are not prepared to answer the questions at hand.

An approach would be to determine if there is any bad intention on the part of the employer, if you believe there is none, and then provide a direct answer to the question at hand. However, if you believe there is bad intention then focus on the relevance of the question to the job qualifications and role on offer and look to switch attention to you qualifications, experience and your suitability for the role.

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For more information on our £500, £750 or £1250 flat fee recruitment solutions please email info@talentemporium.com for more information