Question

Exercise 5: Inappropriate Interview Questions Exercise: An interview question is not in itself illegal, but how the interviewer uses the answer can be. The goal of an interview is typically to obtain important information about the candidate while reinforcing the organization's employer brand and maintaining a positive employer image. It can be helpful to practice recognizing inappropriate interview questions and identifying ways to more appropriately get the information that you are looking for from the candidate. Working with a group of 2-3 students, read this list of interview questions and explain why each is inappropriate. Try to identify the type of information being requested that may be important for the position, and identify a way to obtain the same desired information in a more appropriate way.

Interview Question	Why Inappropriate	Information Requested and Why It Is Important	Better Question
What religion do you practice?
What clubs or social groups do you belong to ?
How many kids do you have?
Have you ever been arrested?
How old are you?
How much longer do you plan to work before retiring?

Answer 1

What religion do you practice?

The question is inappropriate because practicing a religion is a personal view of an individual and the employer has no right to enquire about the religion that the individual practice.

The information requested is religious orientation and I do not believe it is important in an organization because religion has nothing to do with the work.

The interviewer could have asked the question in a different way, "Do you think religion play a role in an individual's life?"

What clubs or social groups do you belong to ?

This is again a personal question and there is no need to ask this question in the interview as it does not possess any relationship with work.

The information required is about the preferences that the person have and how the person spends his time when he or she is free.

The question could have been "Do you think that clubs or social groups actually help us in any way? Why or why not.?"

How many kids do you have?

A personal question and has nothing do with the individual's ability to work.

The information requested about the individual's condition at home and what responsibilities that the person needs to play at home.

The question could have been "Do u believe that kid in our life have and impact on our performance at work?"

Have you ever been arrested?

This question is somewhat appropriate because an employer has right to know that the individual has any criminal records but it is better not to ask that in an interview, rather it can be analyzed during background verification.

The information required is if the employee has any criminal records or not.

The question could be "Do you think individuals who have a criminal record should be hired by organizations like us?"

How old are you?

The question is not that appropriate but asking in an interview is of no use as it will be there in the Resume of the individual.

The information requested is the age of the individual.

The question could have been "Does age play an important role for an individual in the workplace?"

How much longer do you plan to work before retiring?

The question is not that inappropriate because the future plans of the employees is aimed at.

The information expected here is the future plans of the employee.

The question could have been "What are your retirement plans?"