Recently I was reading about bait and switch during preliminary interviews. I then recalled the worst interview torture that I was ever subjected to. It was a few years back and I had applied for a nurse educator position in a 74 bed hospital. I was greeted by 2-3 interviewers and we were located in a small conference room. There were probably 8 total chairs in there. During the interview a couple more people came in, then in a few minutes a few more came in, till at one point people were standing. At that time someone mentioned that we would be moving to a larger room.
I was escorted to a very large class room, more like an auditorium really. I sat and waited in front of the class at a small table and chair. As I waited more and more and more people came in, department heads, assistants of department heads, managers, secretarial staff, nurse residents, trainees, every single member of the HR department. Finally the crowd was all settled in and introductions began. Each person introduced themselves and what their position was. No way was I going to remember who all these people were. I'd say there were about 40-50 people there. I mean really? So they start hammering me with questions. Why do you think you should get this job? What makes you qualified? Talk about mob mentality. I felt like I was on the witness stand being drilled by a team of lawyers. There were a couple of mean ones in there too, staring at me as if I were a creepy little bug that they wanted to squash. The one I remember most was the nurse manager of the OR who would roll her eyes. Now, I wish I would have gotten up and walked out leaving them there scratching their heads.
At one point, I quipped, " wow, it looks like everyone is here, Who is running the hospital?" I got several laughs about it. The HR folks told me that they invited everyone who wanted to come (it was an open type of torture for anybody to join in on I guess). Yes, and this was the first interview. I decided I would never work at that hospital. They didn't call me back anyway but I don't think it would have mattered. I was ready to tell them that their practices were unwarranted and unfair and like the Spanish Inquisition. If they treated potential employees that way I couldn't imagine how they treated actual employees.
So... Tell me about your nightmare interview experience.
Any questions pertaining to a candidates non-marital, or otherwise marital status is strictly illegal period.
They certainly can ask what you do for fun, what are your hobbies, etc. There are tricks that can be used to illicit information without specifically asking the question.
Have you ever heard of anyone making a complaint because they were asked about their marital status? Just wondering because I never heard of anyone being compensated for being asked that question. Does it happen?
I think they hold the power in deciding whether to move forward in the process. And they know it. Am I mistaken?
They have some power, but not absolute power. Sometimes, they are forced to hire people they don't want to hire ... and sometimes they are not allowed to hire people they would like to hire. It is not 100% their call. They have a voice, but it is not the only voice that counts.
I once had an panel interview for teaching that was 7 minutes long. 12 people rapid firing questions about my experience. The woman after my interview had been in the job as a sub. She was late because she was teaching classes all day and thought that my interview would take longer than 7 minutes. They did end up offering me the job and I should never have taken it. I ended up leaving teaching because this district was so mismanaged and a host of other issues.
Looking back, I should have seen the red flag that if that was how they treated someone already in the job that they knew, how much did they really know about me in 7 minutes? She had been subbing for 2 years at that point, because the district finally decided to make the job a full time permanent position and before that it had not been. Ah well, heard that the woman who had been subbing for the job ended up in a much healthier environment while I took on a grenade for 3 years. However, that district did teach me a lot about what I will and will not accept in my professional life, so I guess some good came out of it. So glad I left for nursing!
They certainly can ask what you do for fun, what are your hobbies, etc. There are tricks that can be used to illicit information without specifically asking the question.
Have you ever heard of anyone making a complaint because they were asked about their marital status? Just wondering because I never heard of anyone being compensated for being asked that question. Does it happen?
I was a hiring manager and received a lot of HR training in this area. The problem is these kind of inquiries sets up the employer for a lawsuit if a rejected employee can somehow prove your company is not in legal compliance and violated EEOC requirements during the interview process.
Have I heard of any such lawsuits occurring against employers? Absolutely, and it's a big problem to the tune of millions and millions of dollars annually.
If you have a lot of time on your hands, you can review the huge boatload of recent cases, violations, lawsuits and complaints at this link:
Interviews with multiple people is often a joke. Truly. I understand that multiple people may often be involved as far as needing to know something of the interview or just adding something to the interview and interviewee, but I just feel more often than not, an organization needs to handle business and find the best fit for the team with just a handful.
I interviewed for (and got the job - I needed it!) a clinical position years ago. After the initial interview with managers, I was asked to come back later that day to meet some of the clinical staff “to get a better idea of things and have any questions better answered.” The clinical staff was a handful of girls that wanted nothing more than to know if I was married, had kids or lived close because “hours can get long and we just want you to know what it’s like.” After telling them those were inappropriate and actually illegal questions, they kind of scoffed and showed that’s all they wanted from me. Those few also turned out to be the ones that gossip, stayed at the job on the clock just to gossip and gawk at the schedules for the next day and wanted to know everyone’s personal details via managers. One girl thought she was being kind letting me know later down the road that “I didn’t think I’d like you since you were so sassy in your interview, but I do!”
After working there a while, I always volunteered to do interviews so I could bring a legitimate approach for the poor interviewee. All I should be there for is to answer any job related questions better and give insight. Never judge.
I even ended up telling the manager later that the interview with staff was a joke and made me think they should take another approach. After helping with interviews myself and seeing that she really took stock of what we thought, knowing how other people can be, made me think of the candidates who would never have a chance and actually being amazing.
Not that I was amazing, but I’m there to clock in and clock out -and do a great job as a nurse in between. Somehow I slipped through and got the job and I’m thankful, but in no way do I want to align with a few of the team thinking I’d be a good fit for their clique or group texts. That’s how I’ve found MOST interviews with more than who puts the stamp on my hiring to be.
I was a hiring manager and received a lot of HR training in this area. The problem is these kind of inquiries sets up the employer for a lawsuit if a rejected employee can somehow prove your company is not in legal compliance and violated EEOC requirements during the interview process.
Have I heard of any such lawsuits occurring against employers? Absolutely, and it's a big problem to the tune of millions and millions of dollars annually.
If you have a lot of time on your hands, you can review the huge boatload of recent cases, violations, lawsuits and complaints at this link:
I spent about an hour reviewing these and couldn't find one that involved asking about marital status during an interview like I was inquiring about. I had never heard of a lawsuit about that particular situation, other situations , yes, but not about a specific marital status question. Maybe there has been a case involving that at some point. I just don't have the time or inclination to go through hundreds of cases in order to find one. It's not that important to me, I was just wondering about it. Thanks.
Recently I was reading about bait and switch during preliminary interviews. I then recalled the worst interview torture that I was ever subjected to. It was a few years back and I had applied for a nurse educator position in a 74 bed hospital. I was greeted by 2-3 interviewers and we were located in a small conference room. There were probably 8 total chairs in there. During the interview a couple more people came in, then in a few minutes a few more came in, till at one point people were standing. At that time someone mentioned that we would be moving to a larger room.
I was escorted to a very large class room, more like an auditorium really. I sat and waited in front of the class at a small table and chair. As I waited more and more and more people came in, department heads, assistants of department heads, managers, secretarial staff, nurse residents, trainees, every single member of the HR department. Finally the crowd was all settled in and introductions began. Each person introduced themselves and what their position was. No way was I going to remember who all these people were. I'd say there were about 40-50 people there. I mean really? So they start hammering me with questions. Why do you think you should get this job? What makes you qualified? Talk about mob mentality. I felt like I was on the witness stand being drilled by a team of lawyers. There were a couple of mean ones in there too, staring at me as if I were a creepy little bug that they wanted to squash. The one I remember most was the nurse manager of the OR who would roll her eyes. Now, I wish I would have gotten up and walked out leaving them there scratching their heads.
At one point, I quipped, " wow, it looks like everyone is here, Who is running the hospital?" I got several laughs about it. The HR folks told me that they invited everyone who wanted to come (it was an open type of torture for anybody to join in on I guess). Yes, and this was the first interview. I decided I would never work at that hospital. They didn't call me back anyway but I don't think it would have mattered. I was ready to tell them that their practices were unwarranted and unfair and like the Spanish Inquisition. If they treated potential employees that way I couldn't imagine how they treated actual employees.
So... Tell me about your nightmare interview experience.
I spent about an hour reviewing these and couldn't find one that involved asking about marital status during an interview like I was inquiring about.
It's not directly noted in that manner because lawsuits filed involving questions about a person's marital status are typically filed as discrimination based on an individual's sexual orientation status.
It's quite clear any questions about marital status during any pre-employment interview are prohibited as the EEOC link below demonstrates.
It's not directly noted in that manner because lawsuits filed involving questions about a person's marital status are typically filed as discrimination based on an individual's sexual orientation status.
It's quite clear any questions about marital status during any pre-employment interview are prohibited as the EEOC link below demonstrates.
Yes, I know it is prohibited and have always known that it was. No question there. I was just wondering if anyone had heard of someone being compensated for being asked if they were married or not during an interview. Just wondering that's all. Did not know that discrimination based on an individuals sexual orientation status was how these things were filed. Not arguing, not debating. I read some of the cases and I couldn't find one, not that I spent a large amount of time on it, I didn't. OK, I'm done now. Thanks.?
Specializes in Psych/Mental Health, Detox/MAT, AL/LTC.
That organization/hospital sounds like an awful place to work if that’s their approach to interviewing a prospective employee. That approach tells you all you need to know about that work environment/culture and management. Be thankful they didn’t call you back - you dodged a bullet!
Forest2
625 Posts
They certainly can ask what you do for fun, what are your hobbies, etc. There are tricks that can be used to illicit information without specifically asking the question.
Have you ever heard of anyone making a complaint because they were asked about their marital status? Just wondering because I never heard of anyone being compensated for being asked that question. Does it happen?