Re: Inappropriate interview question?
It might be illigal ... but then maybe not ... I don't know. I am a nurse, not a labor attorney and I am not qualified to give legal advice.
However, I can see why an employer would want to know that information and would want to discuss the applicant's feelings about sexual assault. Some employers might have a bias and believe that people who have been victims themselves would make better counselors. Other employers might have the opposite bias and be concerned that someone who had a history of sexual victimization might have trouble being objective and totally professional in their judgments when faced with a case that triggers their personal memories. The bias could go either way.
My personal experience with NICU parent support groups is that past experience with having a baby in the NICU can be either an asset or a handicap for a NICU nurses and for parent-to-parent support groups. It depends on the individual person and the individual circumstances. Sometimes, caregivers or support personnel transfer their own personal feelings and responses onto the current patient and that hurts their ability to help the patient. Other people can better separate their own personal stories from that of the current patient and can sometimes use their past experiences to help them in their profession/support role.
So ... I can understand why an employer would want to know about that ... but I don't know if it is legal or not.
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