Equal Opportunity legislation has been around in Australia, for a couple of decades now, but a surprising number of job applicants, are still asked illegal questions at interview.

An illegal question at interview, are questions in relation to race, disabilities, sex, marital status, parental status, or religious or political beliefs.  People conducting interviews should only ask questions that are relevant to the skills, abilities, experience and knowledge required to undertake a position.

Examples of illegal types of questions might include asking your age, marital status, your maiden name, whether you speak English at home, what religion you practice, whether you intend to start a family and whether you took sick days off to care for your children.

After being indirectly propositioned at interview many years ago and then being asked how I used my girly looks to manipulate a work situation, I decided to take a quick random survey of my friends to see if they had also been asked an illegal question at work.  I was shocked to discover that at some stage, most of them had been asked an illegal or inappropriate question during interview.  So in this article, I outline some of the approaches you might take, if asked an illegal question at interview.

Just answer the question

If the question is relatively innocent, or your response will actually enhance your application (e.g. you are asked about your religion, for a position at a religious organisation) then just answer it.  Just remember however, that personal information, which is irrelevant to the job, could be detrimental to your application as it can open the door to prejudices and provide another reason not to employ you.

Tactfully side step the question or address their concerns

If you think the question was not malicious, or intentional (remember, most employers are not expert at interviews and might not even realise that they have asked an illegal question), then you might be able to side step the issue, by gently reminding them that the question is not relevant to the position and making sure you don’t get defensive.  Another tactic is to simply address the question head on, by providing a response that will alleviate any concerns they might have.  For example, if the question relates to disability, reassure them of your capacity to undertake the responsibilities of the position, by providing them with examples of working effectively in a similar work environment.

Refuse to answer

If you really want the job, this is probably not the best tactic, but if you decide this is not the type of organisation you want to work for, then you really have nothing to lose, by simply telling them that the question is irrelevant and you won’t be answering the question.

Many interview questions are designed to eliminate candidates from the process, in particular if competition is tough.

Below are a list of interview questions designed to knock you out of contention and the best approach you can take to these tough interview questions, so at the very least you get short-listed for the job.

Why did you leave your last job?

This question is asked by recruiters and employers in order to eliminate job seekers who have something to hide about their last job.

Don’t tell them you were fired, got bored with the last job, and were not being paid enough, or that you hated the boss.

It is OK to tell them you were made redundant due to the downturn in your sector, or that you are looking for a fresh challenge, exactly like they are offering!

We all feel frustrated or angry at times.  Have you ever resigned in frustration or anger?

If you tell them that you walked out on a job, then you will find yourself walking out of the interview, without a job.

When addressing this question, it is probably fine to state that you get frustrated at times, but that if you have personal or work-related difficulties, you have always managed to resolve them successfully without taking them out on people and you are resilient and don’t walk away from major issues or problems.

Describe the worst boss you ever worked for?

The number one rule is to never EVER run down your former employers.  If you end up ranting and raving about an ex boss, this will result in your elimination from the selection process.

So when answering this question, focus on an example in which the boss was problematic for all employees and explain to them, how you easily resolved the issue with the boss and ended up with a good working relationship with your boss (as a result or your efforts of course).

Finally, don’t provide a specific name of the boss (just in case the person you are describing is the uncle, best friend, son of the person interviewing you).

Do you work well under pressure?

Nobody likes to work under intense melt down pressure, but don’t tell them that working under pressure leads to higher stress levels and lower performance levels.

With this leading question, always tell them you work well under pressure and that you are able to work in a productive manner and you have high energy and motivation levels.

It might also be a good idea to give them an example of how you managed to get a task done on an urgent basis and easily met time pressures.

Are you sensitive to criticism?

Of course we all hate criticism, but if you answer honestly, you will probably be eliminated, in particular if the position is one, in which negative feedback is part of the work environment.

The best approach is to state that you always take note of criticism and if it is valid, set about to improve your performance and if it is invalid, you don’t take it personally.

Have you ever broken some company rule?

Even if the company rule you broke, actually value added to systems and your employer, don’t tell them you broke a company rule, as this is another knock-out question.  Some employers will view such behaviour in a very negative light, in particular in a work culture in which an individualistic approach or alternative way of doing things is viewed as heresy.

Instead just state, that your personal policy is to observe the rules, and that you consider company rules and procedures as necessary for the effective and safe running of a business.

Do you think you are being paid enough?

Tread with caution, as this question is really problematic.  Answer with a no, and your anger and frustration might show up and they might eliminate you on the basis of their budget constraints.  Answer with a yes, and you might end up under-selling yourself during salary negotiations.

The best response is to simply state that no matter how much people earn, they always strive for a higher figure as that is human nature.  You should also add that you will be flexible during salary negotiations (but DON’T put a figure on the table at this stage or proceedings).