What Questions Are Interviewers NOT Allowed to Ask?

[Spitting Camel]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I was told they cannot ask about other schools and stuff of too much of a personal nature. Anything we should be weary of and possible strategies for dealing with illegal questions??

 

[mmz6]

religion sexual preference, touchy subjects like that..

i think the rule of thumb is if u dont mention in, then neither can they.. but if u mention it (via casual conversation, in one of your essays, etc.) then its fair game.

in one of my interviews religion came up... and it was obvious my interviewer wanted to know what relgion i practiced... I didn't care.. and just told him straight up.

ur not obligated to say.. if an illegal question does come up.. but if you have nothing to hide.. then answer it.. if u not comfortable. say it.. in a nonconfrontational way.

peace.
mmz6

 

[avhart]

Is it normal for interviewers to talk about the other schools you applied to? I have encountered this a few times and I talked about it but it was kind of awkward to tell them my impressions of another school...

 

[mamadoc]

"Aren't you worried you won't be able to meet someone and get married if you go to medical school?"

"Who is going to take care of your kids if you go to med school?" (even guys have been asked this; it is ILLEGAL regardless)

"What is your financial situation - how are you going to be able to afford to go?" (this is a question for the financial aid office NOT in the interview)

"I see you participated in a walk to raise funds for the Lesbian Health Center. Are you a lesbian?"

In general I suggest that if you get a question that seems sketchy to you - and if your gut is telling you that you could be risking your spot if you answer, then it might well be a sketchy question - smile and say something like, "Well, I am sure i will be able to figure that out, but what's more important to me is.... " and then move the interview in a direction that better suits your goals. It is probably not a good idea to jump out of your chair and yell, "Hey! That question is illegal!" 😎

Take a cue from the presidential candidate debates. Note how they take questions and somehow turn them around until they are answering the question they WANTED rather than the question they GOT. Obviously you're not going to do this with a question like, "Tell me about your research," or "Can you explain the C in first semester O-chem." But if you get, "So you and your boyfriend attend the same undergrad. What's going to happen if you get in here?" that's when to try and move to something else.

 

[TexasRose]

I was talking to a friend, who is an interviewer for a large firm, about these type questions. She told me that although it's illegal to base a DECISION on the answers to these questions, the questions themselves are not illegal. Now, her firm tells it's interviewers to avoid asking them because it's a slippery slope and hard to prove the answers aren't relevant to the decision.

It's best, I think, to handle them as Mamadoc said. Steer your answer in the direction you want the conversation to go. I use questions about my kids to talk about my dedication and my ability to achieve, with a family to boot.

Try not to overact to sensitive questions. Answer simply and succintly and with luck the interviewer will move on.

Theresa

 

[rugbyboy]

I am just curious, but could it be that they are looking for honesty and integrity when asking personel questions? Or maybe to gauge how well you have thought your life through?

I have always been very annoyed if someone "steers" the question. You don't fool anyone and it only re-enforces the doubts that were the cause of the question. I would love to hear some thoughts on this matter.

 

[Jonathanamine]

another illegal one for the ladies:

"What does your boyfriend think about this...etc etc. Do you plan on getting married in school?"

it's all about spin and framing. you control the interview but make them feel like they are in charge.

 

[Mistress S]

I think what someone said about re-directing the question is good advice if you can do it, but might be difficult to pull off without being obvious. However, telling the interviewer the question is illegal or answering it honestly may count against you in the interviewer's eyes, whether they will acknowledge it or not. I was just reading something on MSN about this, it said to address the underlying concern behind the question without answering the specific question. For example, in the workforce, the concern with a woman getting pregnant is that she will leave; so if a woman is asked a question regarding future parenting plans, she could respond, "Whether or not I have children is irrelevant to my future career, but I plan to work and have a career regardless of what happens in my personal life." It is a little trickier with adcoms, because you have to decide why they are asking the question, then try to address that rather than the question itself. They may have the same concerns as a job inerviewer would, or they may be trying to find out, as someone suggested earlier, if you have given serious consideration to your life plans; or have some other reason altogether.

An interviewer at a med school in state A might ask you, for example, "So, what will your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse who is attending school/working in state B do if you are accepted here?" The concern that the interviewer is probably trying to address is that you may not attend their school if admitted due to relationship constraints, and they may probe into your relationship (illegally) for this reason. Alternatively, they may be trying to make sure you have given thought to this issue, regardless of your response. You could address both of these concerns without actually answering the question by saying, "My partner and I have discussed my plans to attend medical school; he/she is comfortable with the process and knows how important pursuing this goal is to me, and that I will attend the school best suited for me."

Of course an interviewer could always keep probing after you give such a response, but if someone is showing such blatant disregard for propriety in the interview after this point I don't think you would be out of line to politely but firmly point out that questions regarding yout personal life, religion, sexual orientation, etc. shouldn't be relevant to your admission to the school, which is after all the purpose of the interview.

 

[DOtobe]

Saw this today on MSN. It's about job interviews, but it could apply to med school interviews as well...

http://editorial.careers.msn.com/articles/illegal/