What Happened During The Interview?
I have had a lot of strange interviews, to say the least. And I have not been working for too long, as I am a recent college grad. Anyway, here's a compilation of weird interview questions and responses that I have actually been asked (no joke). I hope you all seeking a job will get a laugh out of these. Hopefully you haven't been asked these.
Interviewer: What is your favorite singer? They say this answer shows a lot about a person.
Me: Lady Gaga
Interviewer: She's for the gays.
(Totally insinuating and illegal response)
Interviewer: What is your SAT score?
Me: Um, I don't remember.
How Did the Interview Turn Out?
(Keep in mind, being asked for your SAT score is really stupid because I'm not in high school anymore. It's been so long that my SAT score isn't even measured in the same numbers as present day! 1600 was the highest for my day. Red flag that the interviewer is calculating you as a score, a number.
Interviewer: You will have to do stuff we don't have time for or want to do.
(There's always a kinder way to put this, and it doesn't make the opportunity look attractive, so never did follow up, but I did send a thank you note. Was not interested in this company at all after the interview). And he rambled on about himself and his education for about 10-15 minutes.
One of my offer letters when I first graduated was an email that stated they had a microwave and fridge. This is supposed to be a benefit?! But anyway, the salary was too low and there were too many "ifs".
How old are you?
ILLEGAL. But, this is how I deal with illegal questions. If you feel comfortable, answer it. If not, point out and say this is an illegal question. But keep in mind, you will not get the job if you point this out.
Are you Christian? (My background was working for religious based research) Still ILLEGAL. You can't ask this.
Advice
- Most people do not know how to interview-- they are not HR usually and let stuff slip
- An ethical company will train their interviewers how to be within the law and ethical
- If you get an illegal interview question, it's probably a sign not to work for the company even if you get the job
- If something doesn't feel right, it's not right for you, don't be desperate, you'll be miserable
- It is unlawful for employers to ask: your age, sexual orientation, marital status, medical history (unless it's for the government or something else)
