Did you know asking your age in an interview is an illegal question?
Did you know that your marital status is off-limits in an interview?
Mindi Wells spoke at Ohio State’s PRSSA member meeting on Oct. 10 on the topic of illegal interview questions. Her “I Can’t Believe You Asked Me That!” presentation highlighted situations where an interviewer asks illegal questions and how to respond. As the speech progressed, a Twitter chat was blowing up #OSUPR. Many members participated in our first Ohio State PRSSA Twitter chat.
Some questions asked during the chat allowed me to share my thoughts and opinions on the topic of interviews. I don’t recall being asked an illegal question during any of my previous interviews, but I will now pay closer attention to the questions asked. When I am in an interview I am thinking about impressing the company and not focusing on illegal questions. If I were to be put into an uncomfortable situation, Mindi gave us great insight on responding to those illegal questions. Many participants gave their view on this type of situation. It is helpful as I near graduation. I will be on many interviews, and I need to make sure I am not degraded, discriminated against or judged on my race or gender. Other topics discussed in the Twitter chat were:
- Different types of illegal questions
- Conversations on statements made by Mindi
- How to present yourself during interviews
The biggest concept I took away from this Twitter chat is protecting myself from illegal questions and focusing the interview on my talents and experiences, rather than the idea of age, marital status or gender.
For more information on illegal questions, check out this informative website: http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewsnetworking/a/illegalinterv.htm
Paige's Perspective 