In the pressure cooker environment of an important job interview, can you spot the difference between a relevant query and an unprofessional one designed to throw you?
Job interviews are tough, there is no denying that. Particularly if you are emotionally invested and have put time and resources into your preparation. If you are organised you will likely have a list of potential questions and answers written out, as well as some background on the company, indicating your interest and suitability.
Preparation is key to a successful job interview. However, no matter how well organised you are, you can’t control what you are asked; only how you respond. So, when you are face-to-face with an interviewer, nervous, but excited, do you think you could recognise when a question is straying into ‘awkward’ territory?
You may never be asked a difficult question, most of the time it may be standard ‘tell me about yourself’ type enquiries, but, just so you have the information in your back pocket, here are some tips for recognising and manoeuvring around those awkward interview questions.
Know the warning signs
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to recognise the red flags in someone else’s story? What I mean by this is, when we are hearing someone explain a confrontation or experience they had, we are almost joining the dots of all the weird or inappropriate moments that led to the incident and it can seem odd that the storyteller themself didn’t see what was unfolding before things escalated.
But, when you are stuck in a moment in time, for example in a job interview, everything else seems mildly distorted. It isn’t as simple as you would think to recognise the warning signs that something isn’t quite right. Retrospection does that for you.
For that reason, it is important that before you step into an interview, that you already have a list, either in your head or written down, of the topics that require sensitivity or are downright inappropriate.
A great example of this would be around the topic of gender and families. Women tend to be disproportionately questioned about their marital status as well as whether or not they have or plan to have children.
Not only is a person’s familial status irrelevant, but it is inappropriate for an interviewer to push for details pertaining to someone’s private life. This also applies to matters around race, medical status and sexual orientation.
It is worth remembering that it may not be as blatant as ‘Are you married?’ Interviewers might try to sneak it into a seemingly innocuous conversation by adding ‘For our records is that your maiden name?’ So don’t get too comfortable when you think you are just talking.
If you are questioned about a topic that is discriminatory, it can often be best to decline to answer, with a phrase along the lines of ‘I appreciate your interest, however, I prefer to keep my personal and professional lives separate’.
If the interviewer continues to pressure you for an answer you can always put it back on them by saying, ‘That is an interesting question, but for clarity, how does this pertain to the advertised position?’ This should hopefully make the interviewer realise that the question has nothing to do with the job specifications.
Many countries have anti-discrimination policies written into law to prevent intrusive questions and job refusal based on bigotry, so make sure you know your rights and don’t be afraid to stand your ground when you know someone has crossed a line.
Leave the past where it is
Interviewers may want to speak with you about your previous employer and co-workers. It helps them to ascertain if you are able to build and maintain professional relationships and allows them to catch an early red flag if you are overly negative.
Questions such as ‘Describe how you handle workplace conflict’ are not confrontational as they are broad, impersonal and allow the interviewee the opportunity to show their professionalism.
But, you might find that your potential new employer is egging you on to essentially criticise your previous employer or co-workers, with personalised questions along the lines of ‘What was wrong with how management operated?’ or ‘What was wrong that compelled you to leave?’
You are under no obligation to tell a potential employer that your previous role was all sunshine, puppies and rainbows, but it will benefit you if the information you share is fair and relevant.
By being overly critical of previous employers, even if you were directly asked, it gives the interviewer the motivation and the power to disregard your application. Not to mention, in most industries you never really know who is connected and how information might get back to people.
Don’t under negotiate yourself
Some prospective employers may expect you to be forthcoming about how much money you were earning prior to applying to their company. It might initially sound like this is pertinent to a new role, but before you make up your mind, ask yourself why you need to share this information. There are a number of reasons why this would benefit an employer, but not necessarily you.
The first is that if an employer discovers that they are offering more than you previously earned they might feel as though they are now in a stronger negotiating position than you are and can effectively low-ball you.
Secondly, if they are offering you less than you previously earned, then they might view this as a risk factor and an indicator that you might move on quickly to a better paid position, should they hire you.
Lastly, a lower salary might unconsciously put it into the mind of a potential employer that you are less skilled and you could find yourself being undervalued, right from the get-go.
The best way to avoid sharing your previous salary is to be honest and state that you understand that this is a commonly asked question, but to preserve the fairness aspect of the interview and protect any potential negotiations down the line, you would prefer not to discuss previous compensation.
Alternatively, you can push the company to reveal the salary range, so you don’t accidentally under negotiate yourself and you make it clever that you expect a certain level of financial transparency prior to any potential job offers.
Ultimately, the best advice when asked an awkward question in an interview is to think about why you are being asked this particular question, in this particular way. What is the real agenda?
You can’t prepare for every potential interview question, but you can arm yourself with a couple of strong, interchangeable responses for questions that both you and the interviewer know have crossed a line, without sacrificing your integrity.
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