Interview questions on Marital Status and Family Status that employers, including
employers of sales professionals, are not allowed to ask under UK and European legislation.
Protect yourself by knowing the interview questions that you can and can’t ask at
a sales interview. Know the illegal questions before you begin to recruit sales
staff
Marital and Family Status
These questions primarily concern women with children or women of likely childbearing
age, however the illegal nature of the questions are applicable to everyone.
Ensure that assumptions are not made and avoid embarrassing candidates (and ultimately
yourself) by abstaining from asking the following questions.
Illegal: "Is "Smith" your maiden name?"
This question may seem innocent and simple, but it's most certainly off-limits. A
woman's marital status isn't something that's required to be shared with employers.
Instead you can verify whether if she has gained experience using any other names
by asking a question such as "Have you worked or earned a degree under another name?"
Illegal: "Do you have or plan to have children?"
The concern in hand here is that family obligation will get in the way of work hours,
motivation and focus. Do not make assumptions on family situations alternatively
find out directly what the candidates availability is by asking "Are you available
to work overtime on occasion? Can you travel?" instead.
Illegal: "Do you have kids?"
It is not your place as an employer to ask this, but you may be fortunate enough
that the candidate volunteers to give this information to your anyway. You can ask
preferably "What is your experience with "x" age group?"
Illegal: "Who is your closest relative to notify in case of an emergency?"
This may come as a surprise to you as it is not obviously offensive, but this question
does make assumptions about a potential employee's personal life. They may not be
close to any of their relatives and would instead prefer to list a friend or caretaker.
Therefore ask a question along the lines of "In case of an emergency, who should
we notify?" instead.
Illegal: "What do your parents do for a living?"
This question can potentially reveal a great deal about a candidate but it does not
however reveal their future performance in a position. If you are trying to find
out if your candidates family has traditionally worked in that industry you can ask
"tell me how you became interested in the "x" industry." This may help provide clarification
and greater understanding on a candidate's family background.
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Questions sales employers are not allowed to ask - Marital Status
