Inappropriate Questions During an Interview

[Bill Smity]

Recently, during an interview, the interviewer asked me two questions that I found to not only be unprofessional, but also unethical.

The interviewer asked me who I thought was going to win the Presidential election. Also, he asked me what year I graduated from college.

I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on how I should procede.

[Karen D. Swim]

Hi Bill,

It is difficult to judge this without knowing the context in which they were asked. However, I do not find either question unprofessional or unethical. The Presidential question may have just been a way to engage you in conversation or to judge how you navigate potentially volatile topics. Are you able to keep a cool head and give a neutral answer? Are you visibly uncomfortable or agitated? The graduation question seems very reasonable to ask. Lying about a college degree is one of the most common deceptions. The interviewer may have simply been verifying that information.

Finally, in my personal experience I have found that a large majority of people really do not know how to interview. I did some interview training early in my career and I was always amazed at how few companies actually taught people how to interview and uncover information. As a result you get intelligent people asking really dumb questions which do not really pinpoint if you have the knowledge, skills and abilities to get the job done.

While it's too late to go back and re-do this particular interview, for the future I would advise practicing turning tough questions around to your advantage. I noticed many great answers in the responses to this question and I would have advised the same.

Good luck in your search!

Karen D. Swim
Words For Hire