Ask HN: How to deal with inappropriate interview questions?

9 pointsby kobotvor 13 Jahren4 comments

A while back I had an interview with a fairly well known startup for an internship. The interviewer asked me a few personal questions - what did my parents do, do I have any siblings, what is my relationship status, whether or not my SO would be willing to move, etc. At the time I was a little creeped out but I didn't think much of it since I ended up taking an offer somewhere else.

<p>Now it's about the time that I'm going to start looking for a full-time job and I was wondering what I should say if that situation comes up again. If I say "sorry, I don't feel comfortable answering these questions", I'm afraid they might think I'm being prudish or something. I know startups are quite casual, but are these types of questions normal?

6 comments

dnmvor 13 Jahren

"Relationship status" is flat out illegal.

The personal family stuff is just wierd.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=things+you+are+not+allowed+to+ask+...

[deleted]vor 13 Jahren

true_religionvor 13 Jahren

Technically no question is illegal during an interview. However, if you ask a question they may later use that as evidence of discrimination in the future.

[deleted]vor 13 Jahren

dandrewsvor 13 Jahren

Your interviewer just sounds inexperienced to me. I'd deflect it: "That sounds like an off-prem kinda question. Maybe one of these days we can meet for a beer after work and swap stories."

throwaway420vor 13 Jahren

It all depends on the level of inappropriateness, how it benefits you, and your personal comfort level with it. If you're applying for a super great job, it might be in your self-interest to casually accept a few probing questions like that if you think that it gives you a better opportunity to get the job.

If you're the litigious or confrontational type, you might be able to spin this type of incident into a lawsuit or threaten them in some sly way to guarantee the job. I wouldn't do it that way or recommend doing that, but that's certainly an option for aggressive personality types.