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Unlawful Questions
You
are in the middle of a job interview and you have just been asked what you feel
is an unlawful question...
What should
you do? How do you handle the situation?
There is no
clear-cut answer, but here are some helpful suggestions:
- It is important that you
remain calm and professional.
- Ask for clarification to
ensure that the question being asked is clearly an inappropriate question.
- Politely respond with,
“Is that information relevant to the qualifications needed for this job?’
or “I’m not sure I understand how this information relates to the
position”. This may cause the employer to reconsider and/or clarify the
question.
- You may also elect not
to answer the question and politely reply with, “I do not feel obligated
to answer that question” or “I believe that question relates to personal
issues and is not appropriate for a job interview”.
By law you are not required
to answer any unlawful questions. If you feel your
chances of getting the job will not be affected by answering the question, then
you may choose to answer the question. If you think the question is personal or
it may decrease your chance of getting the job, then your choice may be not to
answer it.Knowing your rights in the
interview will help you make more informed decisions, however you decide to handle
the situation.
For more information or
if you feel that you might have been discriminated against during an interview,
contact:
The Ontario Human Rights
Commission
180 Dundas St. W., 8th floor
Toronto, ON M7A 2R9
General Inquiries: 1-800-387-9080
E-mail: info@ohrc.on.ca
Website: www.ohrc.on.ca
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