Legal Interview Questions
(and Illegal, Unethical and Trick Questions, too!)

Legal Interview Questions

I'd describe legal interview questions as ones that might appear a bit iffy but are actually acceptable depending on the specific job or industry you are interviewing for and depending on where you live and employment laws that apply.

Some of the legal interview questions you can be asked might be ones we've already discussed on this site. Some questions might simply be part of the interview process to help the employer gauge your suitability for the position and your suitability to join the company and will enquire about your:

Again, local laws might dictate what constitutes legal interview questions and which questions are off limits.

Some of these questions might be necessary depending on your industry and level of position.

If you are interviewing for a job in a different country, you will need to gain the legal ability to work in that country first so this is obviously a concern for a potential employer if gaining this status might take you months or years.

If you were interviewing for a position that involved security clearance, any criminal record would obviously be an important consideration for the hiring company.

These are just two legal interview questions that might be crucial to you getting a particular job or joining a particular company.

Before you attend an interview, try to have a clear idea of possible legal interview questions that you might be asked given the job you are applying for, and given the industry you work in.

Illegal Interview Questions

You should only be asked legal interview questions during an interview but let's face it, chances are good that you will run into an interviewer at some point that will ask you one of more of these not-so legal interview questions. You can choose to answer the question(s) in one of three ways:

1. You could choose not to answer the question which will probably ruin your chances at the job.

No, this isn't fair but it is often the reality if you choose this route. I'm not sure I'd want to work for a company that hires managers who treat people this way anyways to be honest.

2. You could choose to answer the question.

In other words, you tell the interviewer the honest answer to the question.

3. You could choose to ignore the question and handle the possible reason for asking such a question.

If for example you were asked your age and you are young, you might respond by saying that you are experienced beyond your years if you suspect the interviewer feels you are too young for the position.

If you are more experienced and feel that the interviewer might believe you to be too old for the position, you might suggest that your experience brings a unique insight to the role that a less experienced candidate couldn't bring.

In other words, you politely let the interviewer know that whatever concern they might have is not a valid one.

One thing to keep in mind when handling these sorts of questions:

Not all interviewers who ask not-so legal interview questions are doing it for insincere reasons.

Interviewers are human, too!

No, it is not right to ask you about your country of origin (for example) but they might be genuinely interested to learn more about you. If you meet someone on the street and are casually talking, it probably wouldn't seem out of the ordinary to ask each other such questions and sometimes it is hard for an interviewer to remember that some questions are simply not ones they should include in an interview setting.

If they are simply trying to make conversation with you, it can be difficult to consistently stick to asking legal interview questions and they might not intentionally mean to do something wrong so be careful how you react to such questions. Use common sense when responding.

Just ensure that you are aware what possible questions you would not feel comfortable answering and be certain that you know how you'll handle each question should one arise.

Unethical Questions

This might be a legal interview question but it's one that simply shouldn't be asked.

Another example of an unethical question would be one that asks you to do something that would benefit the company you are interviewing with and in exchange for doing it, would result in you getting the job. I've actually heard of companies who use a recruiter to find staff but then tell the job candidate that they will hire them under the table by cutting the recruiter out of the deal in order to not have to pay the recruiter!

Would you want to work for a company that treats people like this?

Probably not.

Another example of an unethical question would be one that isn't actually unethical to ask but describes an unethical situation that you might face in your career and asks how you'd respond to the situation.

For example, I've heard the following question asked in an interview and the goal of asking the question was to gauge how the interviewee dealt with a hypothetical unethical dilemma that was posed to them:

Imagine that you have a chance to increase sales in your company by a significant amount of money by securing a very valuable contract that is worth $2 million. In order to gain this $2 million contract through, the person you are negotiating with has suggested that an under the table (ie. illegal or unethical) payment needs to be paid.

How would you respond?

In other words, would you accept the terms and make an under the table payment or would you walk away and refuse to make the payment but lose out on the $2 million contract in the process, perhaps to a major competitor?

A third way to handle the problem is probably the most effective and correct way to answer the question: keep negotiating until everything is above the table!

In other words, negotiate until everything is above-board and legal.

True, this would be an ideal result but remember this is just a hypothetical question and the interviewer would most likely be assessing your credibility and ethics to see how you deal with unscrupulous people.

The last thing a company wants to do is hire someone who does things ?the wrong way!?

Trick Questions

Remember, we all have a different personality and some hiring managers you speak with might be a bit unconventional. Some questions are asked just to gauge your reaction to them!

Some individual hiring managers and some companies might ask legal interview questions that could be described as trick questions or stress questions that are used to test your ability to think on your feet and to test your reasoning skills. Here are a few such questions that I've heard asked during some interviews:

Describe yourself in 5 words. Yikes. How can you summarize yourself in five words? Think of five words that properly describe you, highlight your character and that would be of benefit to the company and to the job such as: organized, intuitive, ethical, trustworthy, honest, professional, fair, enterprising, entrepreneurial, focused, etc.

Take your pick!

What hobbies do you have? Remember how I suggested leaving hobbies and personal interests off of your resume? In an interview setting, this is when mentioning your hobbies might have some merit. If you are an avid guitar player and see that the interviewer has a picture of themselves playing a guitar, this might be a good opportunity to casually mention your common interest in the guitar. People hire people that they like and if you can establish a commonality with the interviewer, it can only help you!

What is your greatest achievement outside of work? If you have a family, perhaps your greatest achievement is raising your kids. Perhaps it's the time you donate to a special charity. It might be getting your university degree. Think of an achievement that highlights your personality and indicates a balanced life outside work.

What magazines do you read? Maybe you don't read much at all! In this case, focus on things that you do read: newspapers, books, e-books, etc. If you do any reading that is work-related, mention it.

What tv shows do you watch? Do you watch shows that are business-related or that apply to your industry or work? If not, try to think of a show or two that won't make it look like you spend all your free time on the couch.

Do you think I'm a good interviewer? If it will help you get the job, yes! I have actually heard this question asked before. Perhaps the interviewer was looking for positive reinforcement. Give it to them, just don't kiss their butt.

Tell me about your family. This might be considered a borderline legal interview question depending on where you live. I've been asked this question before and it just seemed to me that interviewer was generally interested to learn more about my family, nothing more. They might be family-oriented themselves especially if they work for a family-run company.

Sell me this pencil. I actually had this question asked of me during an interview! I was interviewing for a sales position and I had to "sell" the pencil to the interviewer. FYI, my answer to this question was to offer the pencil to them for free to try for one week with the intention of returning after one week to see if they liked the pencil enough to buy it?

There are three people on a desert island and there is one boat, one bag of nails and a roll of tape... In other words, they give you a situational question that appears to have nothing to do with the job you are interviewing for but appears to be testing your perception and reasoning abilities.

Summary

Whatever the case, these are just some of the odd questions that you might be asked that appear to have nothing to do with the job in question.

Handling legal interview questions, illegal questions, unethical questions or trick questions might just be part of the process you have to go through so be prepared.

How you handle each question might be more important that what you actually say.

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