I recently graduated college so I have started interviewing for jobs and I can not believe what is happening during the couple of interviews I have been on. One interview the guy asked me if I was married, how long I had been married, and where I met my husband. Now what does that have to do with the job?? Ok another interview I went on the guy told me everything went great and he would schedule me to start coming in for training then that night I get an email saying they are not interested. I was very confused did he lie to me because he did not have the guts to just tell me he was not interested. I have no problem with him not giving me the job but he could at least just be honest about it or if he did change his mind the the two hours since I last talked to him then call me do send me a generic attachment rejection letter. So my question is with especially the first situation and maybe even the second is there anything I should do about this like report it or something?
2007-07-26 03:14:43 · 9 answers · asked by Carrie Y 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
If you are interviewing with large companies, you have to realize three things: One, you are not the only person your interviewer is talking to. Two, the interviewer you are talking to is not the only one interviewing people. Three, given points One and Two, the front line interviewers do not make the hiring decisions; they may not even be the ones that write the questions, or judge the answers - In other words, you are essentially leaving a message on an answering machine.
Given that, it's no wonder that so many interviews SEEM to go well and end on a positive note, and later turn out to be illusions. Also, the generic letters are because the people that have to send them often have no idea why the person is turned down.
You just have to keep at it. You should never leave an interview, no matter how positive, thinking about how it went or imagining your desk at the job they're going to give you. At most, you write a quick "Thank You" note to the interviewer and drop it in the mail, but you leave an interview checking your calendar to see when your NEXT interview is. You do NOT stop scheduling interviews until after you start the new job and decide you'll keep it. I can assure you the employer never stops interviewing people, even after you've been hired.
It doesn't MATTER why they didn't hire you. There is no limit to the number of companies you can interview with, and you only need one. Every time you finish an interview, you need to walk out the door and say "NEXT!"
2007-07-26 03:35:15 · answer #1 · answered by open4one 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In answer to the first instance. Yes, it was inapproriate. The question you need to ask yourself is this; "How much information was I freely giving the interviewer which allowed them to go to that personal area of my life"?
In the second instance, the interviewer was more than likely overruled by someone higher up after hiring you. Remember, most states are "At Will" when it comes to employment. I've seen this happen before. Yes, he should have personally called you but took the easy way out. If that is the case "Here's your sign" so to speak. Would you really want to work for that company?
Having been on the interviewing end of the table I completely stuck to the rule of law and ethical conduct when interviewing. Understandably nerves run high during an interview when you are in the "hot seat" and we all may tend to give more information than we need to, especially early in the interview.
It will go a long way to send a letter to both companies thanking them for the opportunity to interview with them. Try not to choke on the words as you write it, lol.
2007-07-26 10:45:40 · answer #2 · answered by Cleo 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For the first situation:
You can't do anything about it. Was it inappropriate? Yes. Was it unethical? Debatable. As an employer they want to know what your lifestyle is like to determine how good of an employee you are. For example, if you have seven kids they will know you can't show up at the office 24/7. So if you've been married for eight years, chances are you have a child. As for the "where did you meet" question, he was probably trying to determine what type of person you are. If you said "Strip club" they probably wouldn't want to hire you. :)
You can't prove why you didn't get the job. Maybe your answers was the real reason, but it's impossible to prove which means you can't prove if it was a violation.
The second situation:
Don't take it personally. They might have really liked you but then someone internally requested the job. Companies will always hire people within the same company. He could have lied to you, but if he did, you can't do anything about it.
For the other responders:
It's not illegal to ask questions based on your race, age, status, etc. If it illegal to discriminate based on those answers.
2007-07-26 10:26:49 · answer #3 · answered by uwparker81 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The first one, in particular, was inappropriate. The second one is iffy. If you are unhappy with the way you were treated, I recommend sending a letter to the company and report what happened. You can call and find out who to send the letter to, and to make sure you don't send it to the guy who did it. Anything else would likely involve you calling an attorney. Is it worth that much to you?
2007-07-26 10:19:36 · answer #4 · answered by Mr. Taco 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Move on, and keep trying, reporting will just black ball you in your quest for a new job! Know that interviewers are human, make mistakes, and some do not have 100% power to hire or fire! Maybe something came up in your references, or past history that excluded you for this job. Yes, it would be nice to let everyone know why they were not hired, but really when we interview, we have MANY responses, and it is just too time consuming to give each person a detailed report as to why we did not select them!
2007-07-26 10:27:43 · answer #5 · answered by kat k 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The first situation was not only unethical it was illegal. Contact the Labor Dept. office in your area to find out how to file a complaint. The second was rude and poor practice but not uncommon. He may have been overruled by a supervisor and is embarrassed. Chalk it up to one of life's experience and move on. Good luck with the job hunt.
2007-07-26 10:25:00 · answer #6 · answered by EC Expert 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Report first to EEOC! Marital status is not an appropriate question.
Report 2nd to president of the company.
2007-07-26 10:24:47 · answer #7 · answered by rjrmpk 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i dont think there is really anything you can do since you dont have proof or anything but yea it is illegal to ask questions like that, about your age, race, personal life.
2007-07-26 10:20:15 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
who are you going to report it to?
2007-07-26 10:21:10 · answer #9 · answered by John 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋