Some interviewers are idiots. For example, I once got asked… "who do you like best, your mum or your dad? " Irrelevant, odd and actually a bit offensive, before I'd even left the room, I knew I didn't want to work for this chump. Now, you'll have heard the stories about bamboozling brainteasers and weird left-field questions, which to a certain extent, have an end goal (to test critical thinking and performance under pressure). But the wildly inappropriate interview questions in this week's blog don't. How the heck would you answer? Inappropriately Random Unique and unpredictable interview questions can be used to assess how well an interviewee copes under pressure. But they should at least have some sort of relevance… Question 1: "Have you ever seen a ghost? " Question 2: "Who's your favourite Disney Princess? " Question 3: "How do you like your eggs in the morning? " Question 4: "What's the best cure for a hangover? " Question 5: "How do you feel about garden gnomes? " Question 6: "If a penguin walked through the door right now wearing a sombrero.
Question 30: "Who do you like best, your mum or your dad? " What on earth were they all thinking? If you want to ask real, inoffensive personal interview questions, this is how to do it. Inappropriately Bigoted It's always inappropriate to stereotype others, but (like we said) some interviewers really are just idiots. These questions may offend you. (They certainly offended me). Question 31: "Do you get PMS? " Question 32: "Are you really that devoted to your religion? " Question 33: "So, when are you thinking of having children? " Question 34: "What kind of birth control do you use? " Question 35: "Do you think you could work for a female boss? " Question 36: "How do you feel about wearing a fancy dress costume in the office? " Question 37: "If you don't mind me asking… what happened to your legs? " (I know, WHAT?! ) Question 38: "Would you just mind giving us a twirl? " Question 39: "Would you be willing to wear more make-up to work? " Question 40: "Don't you think you're just a little bit too old to be doing this? "
Question 18: "Do you think I'm ugly? " Question 19: "What do wood and alcohol have in common? " Question 20: "Can I meet your parents? " *Shudder* – what are they getting themselves into? I'm sure some of these have perfectly good explanations but out of context, they just sound a bit worrying. You can read more horror stories here. Inappropriately Personal It's usually a good thing to make an emotional connection with your interviewer… But there is a line – and these lot most certainly crossed it! Question 21: "What dress size are you? " Question 22: "You're single, are you lonely? " Question 23: "What's your type? " Question 24: "What do you think about when you're alone in bed? " Question 25: "How was your childhood? " Question 26: "If you had locked-in syndrome, what would you do? " Question 27: "My wife and I are thinking of going on holiday, where would you recommend? Question 28: "My boss is a dick and I hate my job… shall I leave? " Question 29: "How do you think I did? (as an interviewer). "
#3: "When did you graduate from college? " Why It Is Inappropriate: This one is a roundabout way that some interviewers try to hone in on a candidate's age. Don't fall for it. How to Handle: "If you're asked interview questions about when you graduated or your age, you have a few options for responding. You could answer the question, even though it shouldn't be asked, if you think that your response won't hinder your chances of getting a job offer, " advised Doyle. "Another tactic is to deflect the question and say that when you graduated won't impact your ability to perform on the job. A third option is to mention you'd be glad to answer, but you're not sure why the interviewer needs to know. That could get you out of giving a direct response. At the least, you'll discover why you were asked and can opt to respond – or not. " #4: "How can my company be better at recruiting people of colour? " Why It Is Inappropriate: While it may be sincere, this question is inappropriate because of the timing.
I had a video interview yesterday and I have a feeling that the following three questions may have been inappropriate to ask. Since this has been mind-boggling, I'm asking for the thoughts of experts here. During the interview, I was asked about my salary expectation. So I mentioned that I was already aware of the salary range since they published it in the job posting on Indeed. Then I asked the following two questions. Is there overtime pay? They said there isn't. How many hours would I be working per week actually. They said I should expect at least two hours of overtime per day; so more than ten hours of overtime per week. However, they mentioned that I may work from home in the evening and night. Given that I'm unemployed now, I didn't want to shoot a high number. The range itself isn't high; I see that the upper end is just about the average nationwide entry-level salary of my profession on Glassdoor although the average nationwide entry-level salary of my profession on Indeed is just about at the range's midpoint.
Remember, if long hours aren't what you're looking for you don't have to take the job if you get an offer. " #2: "Congratulations on returning to the workforce. Given your family, do you need a flexible schedule? Are you planning to have more children? " Why It Is Inappropriate: A question about family should be a no-no but, alas, a naive interviewer, or worse, one that does not value women in the workplace may still ask them. How to Handle: "A polite way to respond to questions about children is to answer that you'll be able to perform all the duties of the position, " said Doyle. "It's answering with a non-answer, but this can be more diplomatic than refusing to answer. The interviewer may not be aware that they shouldn't ask, and it's best to keep the conversation positive and focused on your qualifications and skills. " While many parents may be tempted to discuss flexible work schedules in an initial round of interviews, Doyle cautioned against jumping the gun. "It's better to stay that you're available to work the normal schedule for the job than it is to ask for flexibility this early in the hiring process. "