How to handle forbidden questions in a job interview

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Identifying them and turning them to your advantage

In this article, I’ll show you how to handle forbidden questions in job interviews.

Knowing these questions and understanding how to handle it effectively is essential to successful job interviews.

Before I get to the tips, I’d like to remind you that you can take advantage of our resume writing and career transition coaching services to move forward more quickly in your career.

Check out my tips now.

How do I know if a question is prohibited?

The questions asked of a candidate:

  • must allow for an assessment of the candidate’s ability to hold the proposed job or his professional skills
  • must have a direct and necessary link with the job offered or with the evaluation of professional skills

In summary, the recruiter should not ask you questions that do not have the goal of checking your ability to perform the job for which you are applying.

Now, I suggest you discover the main questions that are forbidden in a recruitment interview and how to answer them.

What are the forbidden questions in a job interview?

Here is a list of prohibited questions frequently asked by some recruiters.

1 – Do you have children?

6 – What political party do you belong to?

2 – What is your spouse’s job?

3 – Do you have any health problems?

4 – What is your religion?

5 – Are you a union member?

7 – Do you have a criminal record?

8 – What is your country of origin?

9 – How old are you?

10 – What type of housing do you live in?

11 – What is your family situation?

12 – Do you plan to have children soon?

Now, I suggest that you see how to answer these prohibited questions.

How to answer the forbidden questions in a job interview?

You have several options for answering these questions.

You can politely tell your interviewer that he or she has just asked you a forbidden question, you can observe his or her reaction and improvise according to the situation.

Another alternative is to say that it is a personal question that you do not wish to answer. In this case, it is likely that the person you are talking to will use different strategies to try to get an answer.

A third alternative is to answer the question with another question.

For example, the recruiter asks you what your spouse does for a living, and you answer why are you asking me this question?

In this way, you regain control of the communication by inviting him to give you an answer.

Your interlocutor must justify his request and not being prepared to answer your question, he may decide to move on to another question.

If you are not satisfied with their answer, you can ask them how their question relates to the position.

The recruiter will most likely remain unanswered and move on to another question.

If he continues to give you an answer that does not justify a link with the job you are applying for and if he tries to get an answer at all costs, remind him that he is not allowed to ask this kind of question.

This third alternative is the most effective because it allows you to:

  • verify the recruiter’s benevolence, lack of experience or malice
  • not to reduce your chances of getting the job if you come across a benevolent or inexperienced recruiter
  • communicate with the recruiter as an equal
  • effectively manage the excesses of some unscrupulous recruiters

Conclusion on how to handle prohibited questions in a job interview

In this article:

  • I explained to you how to recognize prohibited questions in a recruitment interview
  • I have suggested the most common prohibited questions
  • I have provided you with effective strategies to manage forbidden questions effectively

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Read this article in other languages

Français : Comment gérer les questions interdites en entretien d’embauche
Italiano: Come gestire le domande vietate in un colloquio di lavoro

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