Page 278 - Marky Stein - Get a Great Job When You Don't Have a Job-McGraw-Hill (2009)

Fearless Interviewing

ANSWER A: I’m not sure how my marital status would have any
bearing on my ability to carry out my job responsi-
bilities. Could you please clarify that for me?
Or . . .

ANSWER A: Does my race have something to do with the job
description? I don’t think I understand the question.

As for disabilities, according to the Americans with Disabilities
Act, the only way that it is legally feasible to ask a question about
physical or mental disability is the following:

QUESTION: Do you have any physical condition that would prevent you
from doing this job?

Your answer should be no, unless you really are aware of some-
thing that would prevent you from doing that particular job. You
may have a bad back or a trick knee or suffer from depression
or diabetes, but if it doesn’t affect your job duties as described,
you need not mention it. The rest is between you and your doc-
tor. You are not obligated to reveal any disability that doesn’t
directly impair your job performance for a particular job you
are seeking.

The question “Do you have a disability?” is illegal.

It may be answered by a simple no.

Questions to Ask the Employer

There comes a time, usually near the end of the interview, when
the employer will ask you if you have any questions about the
company or the position. However curious you feel, now is not
the time to ask whether you get an assigned parking space or
whether you get an office or a cubicle. Those are real concerns,
but not at this point.
Now is the time to use your inquisitiveness to ask open-ended
questions, gained from your research, that give you information

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