Know your rights as a job candidate

Familiarize yourself with discriminatory questions that you do not have to answer, and consult an experienced employment discrimination lawyer if you have been subjected to them

May 10, 2018

Benjamin T. King,

Common job interview questions

Before talking with the hiring manager, prepare by rehearsing — either mentally or out loud — your answers to common interview questions. Even if you aren’t asked these questions directly, having your answers in mind can help you make a good impression overall and give strong responses to the questions that are asked.

Q: Can you tell me a little about yourself?
This is one of the most common interview questions. Your answer should be brief yet include enough information about your relevant skills and experience that the hiring manager understands how you could benefit the company.

Q: Why do you want to work for our company?
Your response should demonstrate that you have researched the organization prior to the interview and believe the job is a good match for your skills.

Q: What are your strengths and weaknesses?
A standard among job interview questions, the first part is fairly easy to answer. But describing your weaknesses is a different story. A sound approach is to name an actual weakness, but be sure to follow it up with steps you are taking to overcome that particular shortcoming.

Q: Where do you see yourself in five years?
With this question, prospective employers are hoping to get a sense of your drive and ambition. While avoiding sounding inflexible, demonstrate your goals for professional growth and career advancement.

Q: Do you have any questions?
Ask one or two targeted job interview questions yourself. Inquiring about the position’s growth potential or the company’s long-term objectives, for instance, demonstrates your interest in the position and may shed additional light on the intricacies of the job.

As you prepare for the interview, try to put yourself in the hiring manager’s position by giving some thought to what you would ask a candidate. This should prove useful on at least two levels: It gives you another perspective on how to answer, and it helps you see reasons why asking common job interview questions can be helpful to the people doing the hiring. The more you know about the “whys” behind the questions, the easier the “hows” will become when you’re in the position to give answers.

— Courtesy of Robert Half

Not every question is “fair game” in a job interview. Some questions that prospective employers pose to job candidates in interviews violate the law. What types of questions might you face in a job interview that could infringe on your legal rights?

An employer cannot ask you if you have children, if you are married, or if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.

A question seeking information about your children may constitute Family Responsibilities Discrimination — a type of sex discrimination prohibited by federal law. The question is prohibited because the employer may impermissibly infer from the fact that you have children that you have family responsibilities that may detract from your commitment to the workplace.

Questions on marital status are also forbidden. The New Hampshire Law Against Discrimination provides that an employer cannot refuse to hire or employ an individual because of the individual’s marital status.

Similarly, an employer cannot ask if you pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, because such questions constitute pregnancy discrimination. Employers are not entitled to decline to employ an applicant because the employee may require maternity leave or may have child care commitments in the future.

Questions about your age also cross the line. Federal law protects workers over the age of 40 from age discrimination, while state law prohibits all discrimination because of age.

People interviewing for jobs should also not have to face questions regarding their race, religion or their national origin. The employer can ask if you are a United States citizen, and can ask you if you can work in the United States, but questions regarding the countries in which you or your parents were born constitute illegal national origin discrimination.

If you believe you have been asked illegal questions in an employment interview, you should consult an experienced employment discrimination lawyer to evaluate your rights.

Benjamin King is an attorney specializing in employment law at Douglas, Leonard & Garvey, P.C. in Concord. nhlawoffice.com/