Much more
frequent than the Illegal question is the secret illegal question. It’s secret because it’s asked only in the
interviewer’s mind. Since it’s not even
expressed to you, you have no way to respond to it, and it can there be most
damaging.
Example: You’re physically challenged, or a single
mother returning to your professional career, or over 50, or a member of an
ethnic minority, or fit any of a dozen other categories that do not strictly
conform to the majority in a given company.
Your interviewer
wonders, “Is this person really able to handle the job?”…”Is he or she a ‘good
fit’ at a place like ours?”…”Will the chemistry ever be right with someone like
this?” But the interviewer never raises
such questions because they’re illegal.
So what can you do?
ANSWER: Remember that just because the interviewer
doesn’t ask an illegal question doesn’t mean he doesn’t have it. More than likely, he is going to come up with
his own answer. So you might as well help him out.
How? Well,
you obviously can’t respond to an illegal question if he hasn’t even
asked. This may well offend him. And
there’s always the chance he wasn’t even concerned about the issue until you
brought it up, and only then begins to wonder.
So you can’t
address “secret” illegal questions head-on. But what you can do is make sure
there’s enough counterbalancing information to more than reassure him that
there’s no problem in the area he may be doubtful about.
For example,
let’s say you’re a sales rep who had polio as a child and you need a cane to
walk. You know your condition has never impeded your performance, yet you’re
concerned that your interviewer may secretly be wondering about your stamina or
ability to travel. Well, make sure that you hit these abilities very hard,
leaving no doubt about your capacity to handle them well.
So, too, if
you’re in any different from what passes for “normal”. Make sure, without in any way seeming
defensive about yourself that you mention strengths, accomplishments,
preferences and affiliations that strongly counterbalance any unspoken concern
your interviewer may have.
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