What exactly are the illegal questions during interview?

[Poety]

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I'd like to know what the illegal questions are during an interview.

Is is legal to ask how many places and exactly where else you are interviewing? And what about what family thinks of the specialty and if family can move -?

 

[Krinkle]

Those are definitely illegal and you should avoid answering them all together.

 

[psychedoc2b]

I'd like to know what the illegal questions are during an interview.

Is is legal to ask how many places and exactly where else you are interviewing? That felt illegal. And what about what family thinks of the specialty and if family can move - felt borderline illegal.

Poety,

Program directors can ask any questions they want because they can pick and choose who they want. If they do ask so-called illegal questions, then you should think carefully before answering. I have been asked many so-called illegal questions and was told that since I am the one looking for the job and the program director is in the driver's seat that he/she can ask anything they feel like asking. I don't think any program director is stupid enough to think that you are actually going to do something about it unless you want to end up not getting a position anywhere. Thus, just keep in mind that you have a choice in choosing where you want to go. You don't have to choose or rank a program whose director/interviewer made you feel uncomfortable.

psychedoc2b

 

[Anasazi23]

The questions you mentioned are borderline illegal.

Illegal questions I think are normally along the lines of:

Are you married?

Do you have children? If so, who takes care of them?

Do you plan on having children while in residency?

etc.

 

[atsai3]

I'd like to know what the illegal questions are during an interview.

Is is legal to ask how many places and exactly where else you are interviewing? That felt illegal. And what about what family thinks of the specialty and if family can move - felt borderline illegal.

I'm curious -- what does "illegal" mean in this context? Part of the interview is for the program to decide if you are a good fit for them and for you to decide if the program is a good fit for you.

-AT.

 

[Poety]

Thanks for replies everyone - I think illegal means could be used against you, but I don't think they were in that context at all. I do think they were to see if I was a good fit. now that Atsai brought that up, I imagine the illegal questions could be used in that sense right? I mean in a residency where a lot of people have kids or what not, they may like residnets with kids, or in a predominately single residency, perhaps they know family types won't fit in as well. I was more wondering about the "where else are you interviewing" questions - why would they care, those are the ones I really thought you weren't supposed to be asked. Kinda made me uncomfortable.

 

[Manochikitsak]

Are you married?

How is this question ilegal? I think its a harmless but certainly a personal question.

 

[psychedoc2b]

I'd like to know what the illegal questions are during an interview.

Is is legal to ask how many places and exactly where else you are interviewing? And what about what family thinks of the specialty and if family can move -?

How's this:

I've been asked-
1)What's your diagnosis?
2)What meds do you take?
3)With your history what makes you think you can do the work as a resident?

I told in one interview my diagnosis since I was asked by a program director, and his response was that he believed that noone with my diagnosis should do anything stressful.

I was thinking,well, life is stressful for everybody does that mean we should all die?

I also in another interview did not reveal my diagnosis and was told by the program director I was being too vague.

Conclusion: Think carefully about your answers and don't back down from them. No matter what they ask just make sure you feel confident about your answer and if you feel that the program director is giving you a hard time, then just check that program off your list and don't rank them.

And, don't feel irritated or annoyed by their questions because some of them are just being plain jerks and as you know the world is full of them.

 

[Anasazi23]

Here is one of the hundreds (thousands!) of web pages that outline "illegal" questions. They are simply not allowed to be asked with the purpose of denying employment.

 

[atsai3]

Thanks for replies everyone - I think illegal means could be used against you, but I don't think they were in that context at all. I do think they were to see if I was a good fit. now that Atsai brought that up, I imagine the illegal questions could be used in that sense right? I mean in a residency where a lot of people have kids or what not, they may like residnets with kids, or in a predominately single residency, perhaps they know family types won't fit in as well. I was more wondering about the "where else are you interviewing" questions - why would they care, those are the ones I really thought you weren't supposed to be asked. Kinda made me uncomfortable.

I have been asked the "where else are you interviewing?" and the "when are you planning on having children?" and "any concerns about living in this city as a single person?" types of questions. If they are "illegal", then perhaps my skin is simply too thick.

You can certainly read into the question whatever meaning you want, but I actually think the questioner was trying to (for my benefit) see if I was a good fit for the program. Programs X and Z have been at the top of my short list, and when I interviewed at Program X I didn't volunteer the information to one particular interviewer. But at one point during the interview he said, "Well, I think you would do well here at Program X. But given your interests, I think you really should also think about Program Z." I took that as a sincere gesture and thanked him for looking out for me (and also felt somewhat relieved that I had, independent of my interviewer who had many more years of experience on me, arrived at the conclusion that Program Z ought to be on my short list!).

If, on the other hand, the questioner was really trying to be devilish, then I still don't think the appropriate response is to complain that the questions were somehow "illegal" -- I would just be glad that I found out at the interview that the program wouldn't be a good fit. If a program is going to frown on kids, for example, and I'm thinking about having kids in the near future, well then, that program probably isn't a terribly great fit for me. Or if the program is going to have a problem with my chronic illness, then that program probably isn't a great fit for me and I don't want to train there anyway.

-AT.

 

[Poety]

Why has this thread gotten to dramatic? I was just asking a question - I wasn't ALL THAT OFFENDED that like I'd go and report someone for petes sake, I was just making a statment and just asking are these legal -sheesh, I feel like this thread went down some strange path and I don't think I started it in that direction, if I did, I didn't mean to.

I'm done in here.

 

[Manochikitsak]

Here is one of the hundreds (thousands!) of web pages that outline "illegal" questions. They are simply not allowed to be asked with the purpose of denying employment.

These are pretty much baloney questions with respect to what is asked in residency interviews. I don't think any applicant is foolish enough to protest if same questions are worded in a certain way.

It just seems to be a stupid form of political correctness to me.

 

[atsai3]

Whoa, y'all -- I think it's perfectly alright to have an interesting discussion without getting all worked up about it.

-AT.

 

[Poety]

Hi Atsai!

I was just confused why my post seemed to insinuate I was mortified or something or that I was so disgruntled about the whole question thing that I would report it or something. I was kind of making general conversation but I got the feeling that people took it as some major serious issue I was having.

Looking back now I dont even know why I posted it in the first place, the questions weren't that big of a deal, just made me uncomfortable when pressured to know where else I was applying and asking for specifics is all, not that it even matters - I mean I'm going to rank where I want regardless of what questions they ask - I am afterall interviewing them too right? 😳

 

[OldPsychDoc]

These are pretty much baloney questions with respect to what is asked in residency interviews. I don't think any applicant is foolish enough to protest if same questions are worded in a certain way.

It just seems to be a stupid form of political correctness to me.

What it is about is not political correctness, but guarding against liability on the part of the interviewer, should an interviewee decide he/she was discriminated against in the process. If you didn't ask a "bad" question, then you can't know that the applicant is a married/gay/old/Hare Krishna/llama hobbyist and therefore discriminate against him/her on the basis of those qualities. So as an interviewer, I am supposed to aim my questions at whether or not he/she has the ability to perform their duties--not whether they are interesting to me as a person.

"And when everyone is 'Super'...then no one will be."

 

[Manochikitsak]

So as an interviewer, I am supposed to aim my questions at whether or not he/she has the ability to perform their duties--not whether they are interesting to me as a person.

But that doesn't happen in the real world. In fact, a lot of what is "supposed" to be doesn't happen in real world at all.

In an ideal world, there should be no disclosure of intentions to rank the progrms or applicants, but it happens all the time. So, I think its pointless to discuss the so called legal questions here....Unless someone wants to go ahead and file a lawsuit against all the residency programs...."blaming them for asking illegal questions" during interviews. 🙄

 

[OldPsychDoc]

But that doesn't happen in the real world. In fact, a lot of what is "supposed" to be doesn't happen in real world at all.

In an ideal world, there should be no disclosure of intentions to rank the progrms or applicants, but it happens all the time. So, I think its pointless to discuss the so called legal questions here....Unless someone wants to go ahead and file a lawsuit against all the residency programs...."blaming them for asking illegal questions" during interviews. 🙄

Hey, I don't make the rules...but you gotta admit, the last thing a PD wants is a letter of inquiry from a rejected applicant's lawyer! 😱

 

[Hurricane]

Hey, I don't make the rules...but you gotta admit, the last thing a PD wants is a letter of inquiry from a rejected applicant's lawyer! 😱

Unless you're one of those MD/JD people. What a great opportunity to strut your stuff. 😉