{"id":7493,"date":"2017-04-03T06:25:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-03T06:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monsterindia.com\/career-advice\/4-things-you-dont-have-to-answer-at-an-interview-7493\/"},"modified":"2021-12-31T08:45:43","modified_gmt":"2021-12-31T08:45:43","slug":"4-things-you-dont-have-to-answer-at-an-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.foundit.sg\/career-advice\/4-things-you-dont-have-to-answer-at-an-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"4 things you don’t have to answer at an interview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve spent days preparing for an interview, going through the tough questions and even calling in reinforcements to conduct a mock interview. Basically, you\u2019re ready for anything.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then on the day of the interview, just as you think you\u2019ve aced it \u2013 the hiring manager innocently asks you something discriminatory and potentially illegal, throwing you off completely.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While laws regarding interview questions<\/a> vary by country, some questions are universally a no-go. It\u2019s important to know when the interviewer is crossing the line and how you\u2019d respond in such a situation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you married\/planning to have children?\u201d
<\/span><\/strong>Unless you volunteer this information to arrange for flexi-time conditions, there is no need to answer questions related to your relationship status and plans for a baby. Naturally, this means that questions related to sexual preference are also off the table.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although a reaction is perfectly justified, it\u2019s important to stay poised and offer a diplomatic response. Saying, \u201cI prefer not to answer this question,\u201d is a good way to handle the curve ball.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are your ethnic\/religious beliefs?\u201d<\/strong>
<\/span>Interview or not, it\u2019s never a good idea to ask someone about their religious beliefs. It is unlawful to deny someone a job based on their religious beliefs and practices.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your religious inclinations impact your office hours, you can volunteer to offer the information \u2013 but otherwise just let your interviewer know that you are able to work when they require you to.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow old are you?\u201d<\/strong>
<\/span>Candidates usually put down their date of birth on their resume, but it\u2019s not essential information unless it has to do with applying for a job visa or ensuring that a candidate is the minimum age required for the role.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re interviewer continues to fish, politely ask how it\u2019s relevant to the role. \u201cHelp me understand why this matters,\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m over 18,\u201d are good ways to navigate this tricky one.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you drink or smoke?\u201d<\/strong>
<\/span>While an employer can determine professional conduct and disallow consumption of alcohol at the workplace, you cannot be asked about your lifestyle choices in an interview. What you do on your own time is no one else\u2019s business and you can let your employer know that by saying, \u201cIt\u2019s not something I do at the workplace\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click here for more interview tips<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve spent days preparing for an interview, going through the tough questions and even calling in reinforcements to conduct a mock interview. Basically, you\u2019re ready for anything. Then on the day of the interview, just as you think you\u2019ve aced it \u2013 the hiring manager innocently asks you something discriminatory and potentially illegal, throwing you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7493","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-interview-tips"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.sg\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.sg\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.sg\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.sg\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.sg\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7493"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.sg\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7493\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11634,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.sg\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7493\/revisions\/11634"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.sg\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.sg\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.sg\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.sg\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}