Inappropriate, Strange and Occasionally Illegal Interview Questions and Comments
“The job you’re applying for will probably be offshored next year. Still interested?”
True to my word, I am not making this up. This comment was made by the director of the department—the third and last person I met with sequentially at this 3 ½ hour marathon interview session at one of the Big Four accounting firms. Truth be told, it was a role for which I was highly qualified but not particularly eager to get and that lack of enthusiasm no doubt came through in my demeanor. Nonetheless, it was a job, with decent pay and benefits and after being unemployed as long as I have, I was by that time no longer as discriminating in my choices as I was in the early months of being out of work. Although I certainly appreciated the director’s candor, the comment took me by surprise. I replied simply, “Yes.” Two weeks later I received the standard rejection letter.
“Are you really prepared to take on a job of this intensity at this stage in your career?”
Translation: You are old.
“How long do you plan on working before retiring?”
Translation: You are really old.
“These [work samples] are useless and meaningless. Every law firm does these.”
Translation: You are really old but highly qualified and a bit threatening. I am young and hip and pregnant and despite the fact that I do not have one-tenth the knowledge and experience you have, I will belittle and insult your accomplishments, just in case you’re thinking about going after my job. See also What an Interview Is Not – Open Letter to a Hiring Manager.
Definitely looking forward to your next post.
Good Afternoon
Thanks for writing this blog, loved reading it
Here’s a question I got in a job interview. See if you can top this. It was quite a few years ago, my children were young and are grown now. I went to an interview to sell furniture in a local furniture retailer or be his office assistant or what ever. In the middle of the interview he got up walked over to me and asked me ” would you give me a backrub?”. I was taken back , because up until then we were talking about the job. What a jerk. I didn’t even answer the question. Then he went right back to the interview.
And here’s the kicker, he called me the next day and offered me the job.
Guess what ? I turned it down.