When interviewees volunteer off-limits information

Dear Bob …

All this talk about interviews and illegal questions has me wondering …

If I’m interviewing someone, and they disclose information about themselves without my prompting, what do I do?

For example, a very realistic question “Why did you leave XYZ job?”

with a reply “XYZ company wanted me to start travelling on a regular basis. Since my wife just had our first child, I couldn’t be away from family that much.”

Now, I understand that I cannot ask “Are you married?” or “Do you have children?” And the information does not really change my opinion of whether or not to hire. We don’t require overtime, and there is minimal (and for the most part, optional) travel involved.

So my understanding is nothing is illegal. But what do I do if someone voluntarily discloses information that might effect my decision?

– Interviewer

Dear Interviewer …

Legally, if they disclose it without any prompting on your part you are allowed to know it (so far as I know — I’m knowledgeable but not a specialist; consult your HR department for the definitive answer).

Professionally, if it’s an excluded area of conversation it isn’t a good idea to take it into account when making a hiring decision. The laws in question aren’t an example of government bureaucracy run amok. They’re an example of what government requires lining up very well with what businesses ought to do anyway: Hire based on the ability to do the job.

Which brings me to the short answer to your question: When an applicant strays into territory that isn’t relevant to the position, ignore what they tell you and redirect the conversation back to what does matter.

There’s one exception to this: If you think the applicant is offering the information to influence your decision-making, count it as a negative. I know of cases where applicants have revealed their religiosity, family situation, ethnicity and so on because of their expectation that these factors might lead the interviewer to consider them more favorably. If you think that’s what’s going on it should tell you something.

The best applicants will try to lead you to consider them more favorably by impressing you with how well they can do the work.

This is especially true with applicants for management positions, because they are supposed to know the rules – it’s part of being a professional manager.

There are, of course, gray areas. I’m more likely to forgive an applicant who says, “I raised five children – of course I can multitask!” much more than one who says, “I’m a Christian and a father and that’s how I manage people.”

Raising five children really is evidence of the ability to multitask, after all.

– Bob