Do i have to tell prospective employer I'm engaged?

Being an HR Professional, those personal questions they asked you were completely illegal the EEO law are they stupid?!?!?! . That just ticks me off. I am sorry that, those questions were rasied to you on more than one occasion.

This may help you for next time when someone ask you the personal questions

The female candidate was asked, 'Do you plan to have children?' She was taken aback by the question and wasn't sure how to answer.

She figured she had three choices:

a.To answer the question honestly even though she did not want to.
b. To tell the interviewer it is none of his business and the question is illegal.
c. To deal with the concern behind the question, ignoring the illegal question itself.
How would you answer the question if you were the female candidate?

The best answer is 'C.'

An appropriate answer from the candidate might have been, 'somthing else or not I plan to have children in the future is not really relevant to my career. I plan to work and have a career no matter what happens in my personal life.'

Why is this type of question asked in an interview? Why are interviewers concerned about your plans to reproduce, your marital status and your retirement plans? It's simple; they want to make sure you are the solution to a problem, not the source of more headaches.

When the female candidate was asked her plans regarding future motherhood, the interviewer may have been trying to determine whether she was in for the long-term or just until the company could pay for the birth of her firstborn. It is clearly a discriminatory question, one that would probably never be asked of a male candidate, and it is illegal to make hiring decisions based on it.

Technically, it is illegal for an interviewer to make hiring decisions based on anything personal that is not directly job-related. Off-limit questions include (but are not limited to): information regarding your age, marital status, country of origin, religion, sexual orientation and health status. Almost any legal information about you is illegal in the job interview.

There are some exceptions to this rule, which might be confusing. Personal questions considered to be job-related usually are permissible in the interview or on the job application.

Hope that helps!

I am going job hunting soon .. another two months and I am terrified about that question. I freak out enough on interviews that is why I haven't been hired by another company yet because i get anxiety attacks and become dumb in the interview.

Now i know to be aware to not wear my e-ring and when asked that quested about getting married or kids what to kinda say. I mean i am so honest i usually say oh yea i plan to be married with kids just not right away i want to establish my career. Maybe that hurt me.. don't know.

Yes that question is ILLEGAL for an employer to ask. I'm a recruiter & graduated with a degree in HR. My response to that employer would be (in a very nice way), 'I'm sorry but what is the revelance of that question?' You will totally throw them off track and make them uneasy about asking that question again. In my opinion I really don't think they would discredit your interview for asking that question.

I also agree with the other girls you DON'T want to work for a company that has the nerve to ask that question. They OBVIOUSLY do not know what the HR Laws are, and probably don't treat their employees well because of it.

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Posted by SeaMaiden

Right now, i am just trying to get my foot in the door, so i will just smile and answer that i am single, because legally when i fill out forms i am single so im not really lying. i am just so surprised that no one else is asked this, maybe its a heathcare job thing, i dont know. im just worried that they will ask me who i live with....'ummm a roomate?!'. then 6 months later i will announce my engagement to my roomate, lol.

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i was in a very similar situation.....obviously you are free to make your own decision, but i would wear your ring. you know why? it will be virtually impossible to hold a conversation with your co-workers otherwise. of course we are all independent women with lives apart from our significant others, but lets face it - planning a wedding takes up a lot of time to the exclusion of other activities. even if you don't talk about it non-stop once you are employed, it is still part of your life. plus (and this is the biggest reason) how are you going to answer the innocent questions of 'so do you have a boyfriend?' 'so what did you do last night?' or the best 'when are you getting engaged?' then you have to lie and say you got engaged later - do you really need that hassle? i agree with the other poster...just say work is my priority no matter what happens in my personal life, that makes you look assertive. Plus co-workers are great at spotting shady behavior and gossiping about it....

i am engaged to someone who lives on the west coast and i really worried about what my boss would think when i returned from school with a ring on (knowing my FH lived far away). i thought it would be a big deal ...i think he barely notices (typical guy), and i think a lot of bosses are like that. ok sorry for the bible - hope it helped!