Much more frequent than the Illegal question is the Hidden Illegal Job Interview Question. Savvy interviewers and recruiters already know not to ask questions about:
- Race
- Nationality or national origin
- Marital Status
- Plans to have children
- Disabilities
- Age
- Birthplace
- Ancestry
- Religion
- Citizenship
- Arrests
- Political affiliation
- Health conditions or diseases
- Naturalization of your parents, spouse, or children
- Clubs
- Spouses’ occupation
… unless any of the above are directly related to your performance of the job. If it’s an important part of your job function, you can be asked. Most questions surrounding these areas realistically have no bearing on a job so proof of their necessity would be tough to come by.
Many times employers will legally ask, “Are there any factors that could interfere with your ability to perform the duties of this position?” Your response can sometimes make you or break you. It is AMAZING what job candidates will reveal of their own accord … many things they really shouldn’t.
But what is a Hidden Illegal Job Interview Question ?
And why is it called the Hidden Illegal Job Interview Question? Because it isn’t asked verbally, it’s asked only in the interviewer’s or recruiter’s mind.
These are the questions that are most damaging and since you don’t have the opportunity to address them, you may never get the opportunity to address them. If you can’t insure that the hidden illegal question is answered properly in your interviewers mind you’ll rarely ever have the chance to prove your worth.
You may be over 50, or a single mother returning to your professional career, or physically challenged, or a member of a minority, or maybe born in another country, or maybe you don’t perfectly fit into the definition of “normal” for this company. Your interviewer may wonder, “Is this person really able to handle the job?”…”Is he or she a ‘good fit’ at a place like ours?”…”Will the chemistry ever be right with someone like THIS?”
But the interviewer never raises such questions because they’re illegal. Instead you’ll be told things like:
- “Your credentials are outstanding but we just felt you were a bit overqualified.”
- “Your accomplishments are excellent but we decided to go in a different direction.”
- “Your resume was impressive but we filled the position internally.
- “Your interview was very good but we are moving forward with other candidates.”
So what can you do?
Remember that just because the interviewer or recruiter doesn’t ask an illegal question doesn’t mean he or she isn’t wondering about it. More than likely, s/he is going to come up with an answer — and it may not be the answer you hope. So you might as well help put the concern to rest.
How? Obviously can’t respond to an illegal question if it hasn’t even been asked. This may well offend your interviewer and we certainly don’t want to do that. There’s always the chance the interviewer wasn’t even concerned about the issue until you brought it up, and only then begins to wonder about it.
So you can’t address those “hidden” illegal questions head-on. But what you can do is make sure there’s enough counterbalancing information to more than reassure anyone that there’s no problem in the area they may be doubtful about.
For example, let’s say you had an accident as a young child and today you need a cane to walk. You know your condition has never caused a performance issue, but your interviewer may secretly be wondering about your stamina or ability to travel. Make sure to emphasize these abilities several times, leaving no doubt about your capacity to handle them well. Be generous with your use of examples where stamina could have been an issue but you overcame it.
When I worked as a rep at XYZ Supply Company, I had to visit multiple construction job sites each day to help site superintendents insure our products were being installed properly. I had to wear a tool belt and I had to know how to use all the tools in it, too. That was a fun part of working there.
You may be descended from a different country and find that everyone in this company is rather homogeneous. That would signal your need to emphasize your ability to work well with people who are different than yourself. Use examples of times you worked with people who thought differently than you but taught you something.
Just one of the things I learned from Everyone’s The Same, Inc. was that people all have different points of view. Each challenge is like a diamond; depending on the angle you view it from, you’ll see different things, different colors, different parts of the spectrum. Each facet is part of the diamond yet each reflects the same light in a different way.
It also works in REVERSE. If you’re in what’s considered a “majority” group and the company you’re interviewing is very diverse, you’ll also need to emphasize your excitement to work with and learn from and contribute to a company with a diverse workforce.
Be very careful how you choose your words. “How” you say it and the words you choose can either elevate your standing on the interview ladder or take you down a few rungs (if not knock you off altogether).
It’s a shame that we still have these biases, so if you’re in any way different from what passes as “normal” at the company, make certain, without seeming defensive, that you mention your strengths, accomplishments, preferences and any affiliations that strongly counterbalance any unspoken concern your interviewer may have.