Dear Bob ... How should I deal with people who ask inappropriate questions during interviews? I'm not talking about the obvious stuff, such as questions about age, religion, or race, but other matters of a personal and not pertinent nature. I had an interview a couple of days ago and was explaining (yet again) that I had held a position at the Pentagon but had to be laid off because the governmen Dear Bob …How should I deal with people who ask inappropriate questions during interviews? I’m not talking about the obvious stuff, such as questions about age, religion, or race, but other matters of a personal and not pertinent nature.I had an interview a couple of days ago and was explaining (yet again) that I had held a position at the Pentagon but had to be laid off because the government told me there would be an extremely long delay in granting me a security clearance due to my having changed my name. I don’t like having to explain that in an interview, and I usually try to avoid the matter altogether, but when it does come up, I prefer to make clear that the problem with my clearance was not due to drug use or a criminal record or anything else like that.A name change is rather like a divorce. It’s not a secret or anything, and it may come up in conversation, but the reasons for a divorce are highly personal, and it’s not proper to ask someone why their marriage went south. A lot of people don’t understand that the same principle applies with a name change, though, and I do sometimes get asked why I did it.My response was, “It wasn’t for any unlawful or improper purposes like evading creditors or anything like that, if that’s what you mean, but beyond that, it’s a rather private matter, and I’d rather not get into it.” That seems like as good a response as any, but if you have anything better, I’d certainly be all ears. (I have to admit that I’ve sometimes been tempted to go the shock route — explaining that I had an abusive father and changed my name to avoid having the same last name as a man I consider to be a real jerk. I would really love to see the person turn deep crimson as they realize the depth of their faux pas, but part of me knows better, of course, so I refrain.)So that’s the personal aspect of it … what about the legal aspect of it? Does the law say anything about this kind of inquiry? (I suspect it doesn’t.) I believe that, at most, an employer is entitled to know that it was done legally and for proper purposes, nothing more — and even that much is a stretch, except in certain unusual cases such as the government security clearance — which is why I gave this interviewer the response that I did.– New name, questions get old Dear New Name …To answer your question, go back to a subject I’ve mentioned in the past – the difference between qualifying and disqualifying questions in an interview. Just about everything having to do with an applicant’s employment history is a disqualifying question, which means you want to answer it as quickly as possible without sounding evasive and without raising any red flags. The only problem I have with the answer you’re giving is that it sounds like you’re protestething too much – a red flag.How about something simpler and easier for the other party to digest? I’d suggest something like this: “Back when I was in college I changed my name, for reasons that seemed important at the time. When I needed a security clearance I found out name changes cause serious delays in the process, but by then it was too late.” Shrug. Does this trivialize something serious you’ve had to face and deal with in your life? Sure it does. That’s okay: Your goal is to get a job offer without deceiving the hiring manager, not full disclosure of unimportant and irrelevant information (to the interviewer, that is). Presenting the situation as a youthful indiscretion gets the whole thing off the table quickly and harmlessly, letting you get back to what really matters: How you’re going to fix all of the hiring manager’s problems.Does the law have anything to say about this? Not being an attorney I can’t say for certain. I’m pretty sure it’s in bounds, at least up to a point. After all, your employment history is in bounds, which means reasons for terminations are in bounds. Until you make it clear that the name change wasn’t because you’re trying to (for example) wipe the slate clean from a criminal past, the interviewer is asking entirely appropriate questions, to determine whether there’s something in your past that’s a reason to disqualify you from employment.– Bob ——– Technology Industry