I received the following questions from a visitor to my website recently:
"How should I respond to inappropriate questions such as 'Do you have a stable home life?' or 'Tell me about your personal situation.' Are these inappropriate questions? It has been so long since I interviewed for a job, your suggestions about the most helpful responses would be appreciated!"
Those are, indeed, inappropriate questions that should NOT be asked at an interview.
Various federal, state, and local laws regulate the questions a prospective employer can ask you. An employer's questions ?on the job application, in the interview, or during the testing process ?must be related to the job for which you are applying.
That does not mean, however, that you will never be asked inappropriate questions. Some companies have poor HR support, some interviewers are untrained and unaware of inappropriate or illegal questions, and some even ask them knowing they should not.
You won't have much chance of getting the job if you respond to such questions by saying, "Hey, that's an inappropriate question. You can't ask me that!"
So you have a few options. First, you can answer the question. Even if it's inappropriate to ask, there's nothing that says you can't answer it. If you choose to do so, realize that you are giving information that is not job-related. You could harm your chances by giving the "wrong" answer.
