ASK HR: Is it right for interviewers to pry for personal details?

How do I respond to future interviewers who seem to cross boundaries? PHOTO| FILE PHOTO |

What you need to know:

  • Next time someone crosses the line and asks where you live you could say you live just a few minutes from the city and counter the question by asking if this relates to company transport or other work requirements.
  • By shifting the conversation back to them, you will get to know why the information is required and decide how much personal details you would be comfortable to reveal.

Q . At an interview, I was asked about the part of the city I live and while at face value there is nothing wrong with this question, it had no relevance to the interview and I feel that it was a weird question. How do I respond to future interviewers who seem to cross boundaries?

There are appropriate personal questions to ask during an interview but sometimes HR people cross the line as they scrutinise candidates. Questions that relate to your suitability for the role such as ‘tell us about yourself’ or ‘what motivates you’ are personal but appropriate.

They are also open ended and you can choose your responses which should relate to the job. ‘Tell us about yourself’ is not time to talk about personal stuff like whether you are married, have children, your religion or age but is an opportunity to summarise your career achievements, experience, skills and demonstrate your suitability for the role.

Personal questions ranging from where you live, where your spouse works, age of your children, to why you are not wearing a wedding band have no relevance to the role and are inappropriate.

Next time someone crosses the line and asks where you live you could say you live just a few minutes from the city and counter the question by asking if this relates to company transport or other work requirements. By shifting the conversation back to them, you will get to know why the information is required and decide how much personal details you would be comfortable to reveal.

If the information is indeed being asked in good faith, like for company transport, you could ask for a list of pick-up points and choose the one that suits you.

It is important for recruiters to remember that as much as they hold the power to decide who to hire, they should treat all candidates with dignity and respect.

Employer brand and reputation is always at risk every time they cross the line by asking irrelevant questions.

Whether we have a law that protects personal data during interviews or not, best practice dictates due courtesy and respect to personal space.

As the professional body of HR practitioners work tirelessly to ensure those who hold HR offices have the right training and accreditation, we are likely to see less of this level of unprofessionalism.