Jan 2000

Some questions - asking about the applicant’s marital status or ethnicity - are clearly off limits in a job interview. But what do you do when an applicant volunteers personal information? Here are some scripts you can use to steer the conversation back to appropriate topics:

- The applicant starts discussing her union activities or favorite church.

Interrupt in a firm but polite tone and say: “Getting back to why we’re here today, let’s talk about your computer programming experience...” then continue questioning her about job-related skills and qualifications.

- The candidate announces she’s pregnant and has child care concerns.

State that your company has a maternity leave policy and offers child care referral services. Do not ask about the applicant’s due date. Ultimately, you will need to get the interview back on track, by getting back to the basic requirements. After describing the job duties, you can ask, “Is there some reason that you cannot meet these requirements?