Single? Planning a family? 85% of hiring managers admit to asking off-limits questions at interview

Bosses come under fire after survey reveals 8 out of 10 are guilty of asking inappropriate interview questions

•  A third (33%) of hiring managers in Edinburgh think it’s acceptable to ask if you’re married or in a relationship
• 78% do not think it is off limits to ask what year candidates were born
• 65% of hiring managers in Edinburgh say they have had no official training on interview questions
• 31% think it’s acceptable to ask if you’ll need time off for religious holidays
• 30% asked if the applicant had plans to start a family

A SHOCKING 85% of interviewers – and 78% in Edinburgh – have admitted asking inappropriate questions when grilling job seekers, new research by UK science and technology recruitment specialists, Hyper Recruitment Solutions (HRS) has revealed.

Over half (55%) admitted asking candidates what year they were born and two in five (42%) asked if the applicant was planning to start a family². In addition, the vast majority (88%) said it was acceptable to ask a candidate whether or not they planned to have children.

The top 10 ‘red flag’ questions that hiring managers admitted they have asked candidates in interviews include:

• What year were you born? (55%)
• Do you have any children? (56%)
• Are you physically fit and healthy? (53%)
• Are you in a relationship or married? (51%)
• Have you got any plans to start a family? (42%)
• Where is your accent from? (46%)
• Will you need flexible time for family life? (46%)
• Did you grow up outside of the UK? (45%)
• Will you need time off during half term? (43%)
• Will you need personal time off for religious holidays? (40%)

The research also unveiled confusion among interviewers over what can and cannot be asked in interviews, with nearly half (47%) of hiring managers saying they have never had official training on what questions are potentially illegal to ask in an interview.

Such questions have the potential to breach employment law, which requires potential employers to treat all candidates fairly and could be perceived as discriminatory.

The Apprentice winner Ricky Martin, who set up his own recruitment firm (HRS) after winning the reality TV show in 2012, called on Britain’s bosses to sharpen up their act when it comes to interviews – to give all applicants an equal chance.

He said: “It’s pretty shocking to unearth that such practices are happening every day in the hiring process. It is imperative employers are educated on work place practice, to put a stop to such shocking and

interview practices which lead to unprecedented inequality.

“Official training should be mandatory across all business sectors for anyone involved in the process of interviewing prospective candidates. 

“ It’s also really important a light is shone on what is and isn’t acceptable in recruitment to give prospective employees the best possible chance of success at the interview stage.”

From an employee point of view, the survey went on to show that one in five (19%) feel they have been mistreated in an interview.  And, of those, 48% tried to ignore it, 34% told the interviewer how they felt, 19% walked out and just 17% made a complaint to the hiring company.

Under-35s are twice as likely (32%) as over-35s (16%) to feel mistreated in an interview and the research showed a marked difference between questions asked of interviewees who are under or over 35.

Over half (56%) of under-35s were asked what year they graduated compared to just 22% of candidates aged over-35. This is a question that could be used to determine a candidate’s age, depending on how it was asked.

And 40% of under-35s were asked if they had plans to start a family compared to just 12% of over-35s.

Ricky Martin continued: “This research isn’t about suggesting the recruitment process is made easy for interviewees, but ensuring all prospective employees are given a fair, legal and honest opportunity to secure a job based on their skills and ability not their gender, personal choices or maternity/paternity choices!”

The research reveals male interviewers are more likely to think it is acceptable to ask questions about so-called ‘protected characteristics’ than female hirers.

Over three-quarters (77%) of interviewers surveyed said they do not think it is potentially illegal to ask, ‘Are you planning on going on maternity / paternity leave?’ with 40% thinking the question is acceptable and 36% thinking it is inappropriate – but not potentially illegal.

However, 42% of male hiring managers think it is an ‘acceptable’ question compared to 24% of female hiring managers.

The research also unveiled a lack of interview training among those responsible for hiring staff. Just a third (36%) of those at a junior level of responsibility said they had received training, compared to 56% of those at director level and 72% of business owners.

Employees’ worst 10 interview questions to be asked:

1. What would your worst enemy say about you?
2. Where do you see yourself in five years?
3. If you were on holiday with all of your family and the company need you, would you come back?
4. If you were an animal, what animal would you be and why?
5. What are your weaknesses?
6. Describe a situation where you didn’t work well with a supervisor or co-worker.
7. What is your biggest regret?
8. Tell me about a time you failed.
9. Tell me something interesting about yourself.
10. What would you do if you were the sole survivor of an airline crash on a desert island?

Which questions or statements do hiring managers think are appropriate, inappropriate and illegal to ask in interviews? 

Question	Acceptable	Inappropriate	Potentially illegal
I noticed you are single on Facebook	31%	55%	14%
Do you plan to have any more children?	36%	42%	22%
Are your parents from outside the UK?	36%	46%	18%
Our team has a great work / life balance – we always go out and get drunk	36%	57%	6%
Have you got any plans to start a family?	39%	39%	22%
Do you drink alcohol?	39%	53%	9%
Are you planning on maternity / paternity leave?	40%	36%	23%
Do you often get a migraine or headache?	40%	50%	10%
Who do you live with?	42%	49%	9%
Will you need time off for religious holidays?	43%	39%	18%
Which social media platforms do you use?	44%	50%	6%
You’ll get along with xxas you are into similar things	45%	48%	6%
Are you in a relationship / married?	46%	43%	11%
Where is your accent from?	47%	44%	9%
We have a young culture here – does that appeal to you?	49%	43%	8%
Will you need time off during half term?	50%	40%	10%
Will you need flexible time for family life?	52%	37%	11%
Do you have any children?	54%	35%	12%
You’ll fit in	58%	38%	5%
What year were you born?	60%	28%	12%

Question	%age of under-35s who have been asked this in an interview	%age of over-35s who have been asked this in an interview
What year did you graduate?	56%	22%
What year were you born?	51%	41%
Do you have any children?	49%	41%
Do you drink alcohol?	40%	14%
Have you got any plans to start a family?	40%	12%
Will you need flexible time for family life?	37%	13%
Are you planning on going on maternity / paternity leave?	34%	8%
Will you need time off for religious holidays?	34%	7%
What are your thoughts on work relationships?	33%	10%
Do you plan to have any more children?	29%	8%

——————————-

An online survey was conducted by Atomik Research among 2,000 UK professionals: this included over 1,000 employees (who have never been involved in the hiring process) and over 1,000 hiring managers (who have been involved in interviewing candidates in their company). The research fieldwork took place between 2^nd and 6^th August 2018. Atomik Research is an independent creative market research agency that employs MRS-certified researchers and abides to MRS code.