Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

How to reply to illegal interview questions

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handcuffs2924859323_33eb45e640Yesterday’s post described Natalie’s tale – every job seeker’s nightmare illegal interview. She chose to simply respond to the questions. What other options do you have?

JobWeb has some great information about how to handle illegal interview questions. They point out that you have a few options if faced with a question you think is inappropriate. (Hat tip to Karen Burns at Working Girl for the link!)

  • You are free to answer the question. However, keep in mind that if you provide this information, you may jeopardize your chances of getting hired, in the event you provide the “wrong” answer. There may be a legal recourse available to you, but this is not the preferred outcome for most job applicants.
  • You can refuse to answer the question. Unfortunately, depending on how the refusal is phrased, you run the risk of appearing uncooperative or confrontational, and losing the job. Again, there may be legal recourse, but this is hardly an ideal situation.
  • You can examine the question for its intent and respond with an answer as it might apply to the job. For example, if the interviewer asks, “Are you a U.S. citizen?” or “What country are you from?,” you have been asked an improper question. You could respond, however, with “I am authorized to work in the United States.” Similarly, if the interviewer asks, “Who is going to take care of your children when you have to travel for the job?” your answer could be, “I can meet the travel and work schedule that this job requires.”

Follow this link for more information to help teach you to identify questions no one should ask you!

Don’t forget, in general, it’s a good idea to view the interview as YOUR opportunity to evaluate the employer. Watch for warning signs during your interview!

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I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

photo by endless studio

Horror job search stories and illegal interview questions, Part III

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jackolanterns2947784390_241ca96f64_mIn honor of Halloween week, I thought it would be fun to commiserate and share some job search horror stories! The goal is to share tales from job seekers (so you know you’re not alone) AND from hiring managers, so job seekers can learn what things might NOT work and how to manage when things are going down the tubes!

Natalie shared this story, also detailed on her blog:

After waiting for awhile in a brightly orange-painted room, the interviewer calls my name and sits me down at a desk.

Normal thus far until he comments on my choice of wardrobe – a green dress. Literally he said “Natalie in the green dress in the orange room!” Then he looks at my resume – “So you’re from Utah, isn’t that where all of those Mormons live? Are you Mormon?”

I answer in the affirmative, and a little bell starts ringing – isn’t he not supposed to ask that? He starts asking me the interview questions and randomly pauses to ask me why I switched from crossing my legs to crossing my ankles and asked (maybe leered) – are you comfortable here with me? Got a little nervous that I may have gotten myself into a bad situation at that point.

I got the question that every interviewer has asked…”What brought you to San Diego?”

“My husband and I just moved here.”
Then he starts asking – “Oh you’re married, how long have you been married?”
After my reply of one month, he literally said, “Well you’re Mormon – you’re going to have children soon.”
Now – I know that’s not right – for an interviewer to ask an interviewee about children and upcoming life events that would affect employment. But we keep going.

I have to admit it was a little weird when he asked me if my husband had more than one wife…I tried to politely educate him – but seriously – no SERIOUSLY?! The interview was awkward and concluded. He then walked me outside, saying he wanted to see what car I drove. Okaaaayy…then he asked what was on my ipod.

Maybe he didn’t like that I said Fergie mixed with country because he called a few hours later to say I didn’t get the job. Needless to say, despite wanting income, I didn’t want to work with him anyway.

Ah…the true horror story, complete with the illegal and generally inappropriate/irrelevant interview questions. Clearly, the main (and key) outcome here is that Natalie would not have wanted to work for this person, regardless. That is important. It’s key for job seekers to maintain control of their own destinies by refusing to work where they know they are likely to experience inappropriate behavior. Don’t ignore interview warning signs.
So, how could Natalie have managed these questions? Did she have to answer? Follow this link for information about how to handle illegal interview questions.
Have you ever been confronted with an illegal or inappropriate interview question? Share your experiences in the comments!
Don’t miss Part I and Part II of this “Horror Story” series!

I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.
photo by trommettier

Follow up that keeps you top-of-mind

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I’ve been thinking a lot about how job seekers can stand out in a crowd. I wrote about it last week and suggested that it is not as difficult as you might think. Today, I’m adding a new feature to my blog and trying video blogging for the first time. Bear with me on the lighting issues! Hopefully, the tips will make up for my lack of a camera operator and high-tech studio!


Learn more about how I can help you get your search going in the right direction! CLICK HERE for more information!

Humanize your pitch – use your ears!

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bigears85771531_44de825632_mThe current issue of Entrepreneur Magazine (September 2009, page 30) makes a great point about “pitching.” The piece, by Michael Port reminds us to “focus less on making your pitch and more on listening to what your customers need.” While this article is geared toward sales people and entrepreneurs, I think this message is equally important for job seekers!

Port points to Daniel Goleman’s work that indicates “your ability to sell depends, in large part, on your self-awareness and social savvy.” So, too, with job seekers. Even a degree from a prestigious university won’t matter if you don’t make a point to connect with your target audience (in this case, potential employers) on an emotional/social level.

Port’s advice? Throw out the “pitch” and focus on being a good listener. He suggests, “…study your self-presentation so you can foster credibility, trust and customer confidence.” Translate “customer confidence” to “hiring manager confidence,” and this advice is timely and crucial for job seekers.

Yes – it is a competitive market. Yesterday, I wrote about how to stand out in a sea of sameness. Today’s tip offers yet another way to stand out. Instead of focusing on YOU – what you want, what you offer – start listening. Ask questions. Be the candidate who connects on an emotional level with your audience. There’s nothing that people like better than someone who seems interested in THEM – it’s human nature. Be the one who listens first and answers based on what you learn. You may be surprised by how well this technique works!

Learn how I can help you propel your search forward.

photo by cindy47452

How long should your answer to an interview question last?

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dracula.1897732142_1079d06cf9_mThis week, a mock interview client  – let’s call her Meg – reminded me of an important lesson in interview-ology that I thought I’d share. Meg was the first mock interview-ee I’ve ever had who was extremely concerned about the length of her responses! Usually, I have to explain the fact that employers (everyone, really) have very short attention spans and are not likely to continue to focus if the response drags on and on.

Meg had the opposite problem. Her replies were very short. Unfortunately, at the risk of leaving OUT key information that would help convince the interviewer to hire her.

Interviewing Meg, someone so focused on “how long she should talk” highlighted the fact that encouraging clients to keep answers short is just part of the story, and one that can be taken too literally, at the expense of a high-quality interview!

(Indulge me here a minute…)

Have you ever listened to a professional storyteller? (If not, you’re missing out, but I digress…) Usually, the story itself will be longer than the typical “listening span” we naturally have. However, the forward motion of the story, the storyteller’s investment in the tale and the intriguing details all combine to propel listeners forward. They stay with the story for a pretty simple reason – they want to KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!

Need help telling YOUR career story?
Check out my new book: 100 Conversations for Career Success

So, when you respond to interview questions, there is no need to time your answer with a stopwatch or worry how many seconds you have to reply as long as you are telling a compelling story that ANSWERS THE QUESTION. Think about it – if a child asks you to relay the Dracula story and you start out discussing Snow White – you’re going to have mutiny on your hands! Similarly, focusing on actually addressing the question at hand is the most important factor in an interview.

Your interviewer is listening for the answer to the question. If you make it clear that you are addressing the question from the get-go, you have a much better chance of maintaining his or her attention level and interest.

While I am not advocating for 20-minute, fully fleshed out tales a la a professional storyteller in the interview (lest hiring managers and recruiters try to pelt my website with tomatoes!), I do want to answer the question, “How long should your answer to an interview question be?” this way:

DO keep your answers relatively succinct. If you want to know how long it takes to answer a question, time yourself…You can probably get a lot of words into just 30 or 45 seconds. BUT – remember that it is even more important to actually answer the question with details that will support your ability to DO THE JOB! Don’t start with a lot of excessive background information that does not seem to relate to the question itself.

Get to the point – include details that will hook the reader, and be sure to actually answer the question. In the long run, as long as you don’t go on and on, the length matters less than the content.

For more on interviewing:

How to tell a STAR story.

Tips to turn your interviewer into a fan

The most important interview questions

My mock interview clients improve their interviewing skills exponentially! Could you use a job search jump start? Not sure you can put all of the great tools at your disposal to good use? Need a great resume? Learn how I can help you propel your job hunt forward.

photo by HCM Hitchhiker