Discriminatory Job Interview Questions
Without the interviewers’ awareness, they might be asking discriminatory questions during an job interview session. Their intention is to find out more about the candidates, however, the following sound discriminatory questions should be avoided:
- What is your religion?
This question is usually asked when the potential candidates are required to work shift / 24 hours on call. The interviewer intends to find out whether the candidates are required to do prayer or willing to sacrifice their prayer time if they are called back to work.
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What is your marital status / Do you have any children?
This question is usually asked to find out how much time could a candidate dedicate to his job / how is the social relationship of a candidate. However, these have nothing to do with the marital status at all. A married candidate doesn’t mean not able to commit to his job, vice versa, as well as a single candidate not necessarily do not know how to socialise.
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How old are you?
This question is usually asked to find out whether the candidate is "mature". However, age and whether being mature is not really co-related. The candidate shall be tested via non-discriminatory scenario-based questions.
It is alright to have the above questions on the job application form, as they are basic personal information of the candidate. However, it shouldn’t be explore further, or if has to, it should be done in a more careful and professional way.
