The Not So Obvious Questions Asked at Interviews

Every interviewer is different and, unfortunately, there are no rules saying he or your turn to ask the questions:

1. What will my typical day be like?
   
   
2. What happened to the last person who had this job?
   
   
   
   
3. Given my attitude and qualifications, how would you estimate my chances for career advancement at your company?
   
   
4. Why did you come to work here? What keeps you here?
   
   
5. If you were I, would you start here again?
   
   
6. How would you characterize the management philosophy of your firm?
   
   
7. What characteristics do the successful employees at your company have in common?
   
   
8. What's the best (and worst) thing about working here?

He or she has to use all or any of the "basic" questions covered above. But we think the odds are against his or her avoiding all of them. Whichever of these he or she includes, be assured most interviewers do like to come up with questions that are "uniquely theirs." It may be just one or a whole series questions developed over the years that he or she feels help separate the wheat from the chaff.

You can't exactly prepare yourself for questions like, "What would you do if... (fill in the blank with some obscure occurrence)?," "What do you remember about kindergarten?," or "What's your favorite ice cream flavor?" Every interviewer we know has his or her favorites and all of these questions seem to come out of left field. Just stay relaxed, grit your teeth (quietly), and take a few seconds to frame a reasonably intelligent reply.

The Downright Illegal Questions

Some questions are more than inappropriate they are illegal. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it illegal for a company to discriminate in its hiring on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It also means that any interview questions covering these topics are strictly off limits. In addition to questions about race and color, what other types of questions can't be asked? Some might surprise you:

• Any questions about marital status, number and ages of dependents, or marriage or child bearing plans.
  
  
• Any questions about your relatives, their addresses, or their place of origin.
  
  
• Any questions about your arrest record. If security clearance is required, it can be done after hiring but before you start the job.

A Quick Quiz to Test Your Instincts

THE JOB

After reading the above paragraphs, read through the 10 questions below. Which ones do you think would be legal to ask at a job interview? Answers provided below.

1. Confidentially, what is your race?
   
   
2. What kind of work does your spouse do?
   
   
3. Are you single, married, or divorced?
   
   
4. What is your native language?
   
   
5. Who should we notify in case of an emergency?
   
   
6. What clubs, societies, or organizations do you belong to?
   
   
7. Do you plan to have a family?
   
   
8. Do you have any disability?
   
   
9. Do you have a good credit record?
   
   
10. What is your height and weight?

The answers? Not a single question out of the 10 is legal at a job interview, because all could lead to a discrimination suit Some of the questions would become legal once you were hired (obviously a company would need to know who to notify in an emergency), but none belong at an interview.

Now that you know what an interviewer can't ask you, what if he or she does? Well, don't lose your cool, and don't point out that the question may be outside the law the nonprofessional interviewer may not realize such questions are illegal, and such a response might confuse, even anger, him or her.

Instead, whenever any questions are raised that you feel are outside legal boundaries, politely state that you don't understand how the question has bearing on the job opening and ask the interviewer to clarify his or herself. If the interviewer persists, you may be forced to state that you do not feel comfortable answering questions of that nature. Bring up the legal issue as a last resort, but if things reach that stage, you probably don't want to work for that company after all.

Testing and Applications

Though not part of the selection interview itself, job applications, skill tests, and psychological testing are often part of the pre interview process. You should know something about them.

The job application is essentially a record keeping exercise simply the transfer of work experience and educational data from your resume to a printed application form. Though taking the time to recopy data may seem like a waste of time, some companies simply want the information in a particular order on a standard form. One difference: Applications often require the listing of references and salary levels achieved. Be sure to bring your list of references with you to any interview (so you can transfer the pertinent information), and don't lie about salary history; it's easily checked.

Many companies now use a variety of psychological tests as additional mechanisms to screen out undesirable candidates. Although their accuracy is subject to question, the companies that use them obviously believe they are effective at identifying applicants whose personality make ups would preclude their participating positively in a given work situation, especially those at the extreme ends of the behavior spectrum.

Their usefulness in predicting job accomplishment is considered limited. If you are normal (like the rest of us), you'll have no trouble with these tests and may even find them amusing. Just don't try to outsmart them you'll just wind up outsmarting yourself.

Stand Up and Be Counted

Your interview is over. Breathe a sigh of relief. Make your notes you'll want to keep a file on the important things covered for use in your next interview. Some people consider one out of 10 (one job offer for every 10 interviews) a good score if you're keeping score. We suggest you don't It's virtually impossible to judge how others are judging you. Just go on to the next interview. Sooner than you think, you'll be hired for the right job.