Handling Inappropriate Questions

Questions regarding your marital status, age, race, religion, children, and sexual orientation can be illegal. Handling these questions can pose a personal dilemma as you decide how to respond.

If you feel uncomfortable about a question, ask yourself the following:

• Does it seem the interviewer realizes that this question is inappropriate?
• Do I really want to work for an organization that asks inappropriate questions?
• How badly do I want this job?
• What do they really want to know? (It could be about your availability, commitment, or ability to be consistent.)

Based on your assessment of the intentions of the interviewer, you may wish to:

• Ask politely what relevance the question has to the position. 
• Answer the question with or without regret. (It is not illegal for you to answer an illegal question.)
• Answer what you think is the intent of the question. For example:
  • Do you plan to have kids in the future?
  • My priority right now is finding a job that is a good fit where I can grow professionally.
• Refuse to answer the question.
• End the interview.

Keep in mind, the way you handle this situation says a lot about your professionalism and maturity. Avoid being rude and argumentative while remaining positive, polite, and assertive.