if employers cant ask about children during an interview

[smartnurse1982]

why do they still do it? whan they say"tell me a little about yourself" i usually tell them about the school, my experience, etc but i never mention anything about my family at all. what shall i say if they ask me about family?

i konw legally they cant but lately because of the economy i see a lot of employers skimming the rules to their advantage.

[Otessa, BSN, RN]

I have answered by-"I have family in the area and that is one of the reasons I chose to stay/come here"

not sure if this was correct in answering this but it gave them thoughts about my longevity and commitment to staying at their healthcare organization.

They didn't know if it was my immediate family or extended family since I never went any further with my explanation.

otessa

[smartnurse1982]

but what if they ask how many children do u have? how do u go around answering that?

[Otessa, BSN, RN]

but what if they ask how many children do u have? how do u go around answering that?

Never talk about children. I state I have family in the area, end of discussion. If they had asked that question I would have paused and said nothing, smile in silence. If they are smart, they know it is illegal to ask and will move on.

If they would not move on I would say "I have heard some great things about your organization (would have researched what those are..), can I ask you some questions(should always come with questions for them anyway)? Most employers LOVE talking up the great points about their organization.:)

otessa

[smartnurse1982]

thanks for the info. one woman who was from germany did ask me and i said 3 because i figured she might not have known that since she's been over here for 5 years. next time that happens im going to say i have none.

[Otessa, BSN, RN]

thanks for the info. one woman who was from germany did ask me and i said 3 because i figured she might not have known that since she's been over here for 5 years. next time that happens im going to say i have none.

I wouldn't lie-just plain don't answer the question. If you get hired and all of a sudden you have 3 children, they may not appreciate the convenient lie, although they shouldn't have asked.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Hmmm - never had anyone ask me....

[mamamerlee, LPN]

When someone, ANYONE, asks you a question that you don't want to answer, simply say "Why do you ask?" with a puzzled expression on your face! (Courtesy of Judith Martin, Miss Manners)

[PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN]

Be straightforward.

Remember you are probably on probation for 90 days.

They can still fire you for whatever reason they can make up.

Don't play games, be truthful.

[llg, PhD, RN]

First of all, you have to realize that if you do anything to irritate the interviewer, you won't get the job. So ... if you have nothing to hide, it's probably not worth making a big deal about it. Simply answer briefly and change the topic. The fact that one person you meet in the hiring process might not realize that is not an appropriate question is no reason to "throw away" a possibly great job by making a big deal about it.

You should be able to tell whether the question is an innoncent mistake or whether it is a sign that the employer abuses its employees and doesn't hire people with children. In the vast majority of cases, it's just an innocent mistake -- and your best bet is to be gracious about it -- the same way you want them to be gracious about your little slip-ups.

[JenniferSews]

I had this happen a few weeks ago and asked here. Someone suggested simply saying "yes, but it will not interfere with my ability to work." They went so far as to ask who would watch my children when I get called in. Needless to say I didn't get the job.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

I would not tell them. The only reason to ask is to see if you will be having reason to call off. If you say you have kids, unless they are all grown and out of the house you've just gave them a something to compare you with someone who doesn't have kids. Sorry, but people in charge of hiring know what should be asked and what shouldn't be asked. So, if they do ask it's because they plan to judge.