Mentioning children at interview

an9i77

mountainofdebt wrote: »

I was listening to a radio discussion once and a woman made the point that when a man is asked to tell the interviewer about themselves they talk first about their professional career whereas a woman begins telling the interviewer about their home set up first.

That's a bit of a generalisation! I'm sure a lot of women wouldn't do this - me for starters.

Takeaway_Addict

an9i77 wrote: »

That's a bit of a generalisation! I'm sure a lot of women wouldn't do this - me for starters.

But % wise more women than men probably do through lack of experience or knowledge of interview techniques

Georgiegirl256

How old is your friend! She sounds very immature! Like someone else said, I'd give up trying to offer her any advice and tell her that you've given her advice but she's not listening, so why should you bother anymore. She sounds like she likes the sound of her own voice and wants everyone else to know it!

capeverde

As an employer I would ask in a general preamble about their personal life, are they married / in a relationship, do they have children etc. Its about profiling for the available position. If you have a job that requires unsociable hours or working away etc it may best suit a single person, whereas on the other hand a person married with children offers more of a chance of stability as they have commitments to meet and may be less likely to take a hangover sickie on a Monday and or flit from job to job.

Obviously there are exceptions to every rule, but for me its all part of the process and whilst not foolproof it buys you an advantage.

Savvy_Sue

pandora205 wrote: »

I'd regard it as quite unprofessional for someone to mention personal information about themselves at interview, particularly something that would be discriminatory if a panel asked directly. As others have said, why is this particular piece of information relevant more than other pieces of personal information? And the candidate's aim should be to ensure they meet the person specification for the job rather than go off topic.

I agree completely with this.

capeverde wrote: »

As an employer I would ask in a general preamble about their personal life, are they married / in a relationship, do they have children etc. Its about profiling for the available position. If you have a job that requires unsociable hours or working away etc it may best suit a single person, whereas on the other hand a person married with children offers more of a chance of stability as they have commitments to meet and may be less likely to take a hangover sickie on a Monday and or flit from job to job.

Obviously there are exceptions to every rule, but for me its all part of the process and whilst not foolproof it buys you an advantage.

I think you're treading on dangerous ground. Asking about their personal life, including relationships and children, in an interview setting, has the potential to lead to discrimination. Surely the best thing is to be absolutely clear up front what the hours are, including whether they're ever unsociable or not, what flexibility you require from them and offer in return, and then say "do you have a problem with that?" an9i77 will say "no problem" because she's not the one doing the childcare. And that's all you need to know ...

By all means make it clear that the majority of your workforce are gay / straight / single / in relationships / parents / childfree / dog lovers / cat lovers, but don't assume that anyone not fitting into the majority box won't fit in your workplace.

an9i77

Takeaway_Addict wrote: »

But % wise more women than men probably do through lack of experience or knowledge of interview techniques

Oh yes - silly women! What would they know about interview techniques?

Poppy9

capeverde wrote: »

As an employer I would ask in a general preamble about their personal life, are they married / in a relationship, do they have children etc. Its about profiling for the available position. If you have a job that requires unsociable hours or working away etc it may best suit a single person, whereas on the other hand a person married with children offers more of a chance of stability as they have commitments to meet and may be less likely to take a hangover sickie on a Monday and or flit from job to job.

Obviously there are exceptions to every rule, but for me its all part of the process and whilst not foolproof it buys you an advantage.

You obviously don't work for the council as this is absolutely not allowed. If you did ask these questions you would leave the Authority open to a discrimination claim.

capeverde

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

I agree completely with this.

I think you're treading on dangerous ground. Asking about their personal life, including relationships and children, in an interview setting, has the potential to lead to discrimination. Surely the best thing is to be absolutely clear up front what the hours are, including whether they're ever unsociable or not, what flexibility you require from them and offer in return, and then say "do you have a problem with that?" an9i77 will say "no problem" because she's not the one doing the childcare. And that's all you need to know ...

By all means make it clear that the majority of your workforce are gay / straight / single / in relationships / parents / childfree / dog lovers / cat lovers, but don't assume that anyone not fitting into the majority box won't fit in your workplace.

I disagree, the whole recruitment process is based on positive discrimination to find the best candidate. I reserve the right to inquire about a candidates personal circumstances as I find this important.

I agree with the last part though, never assume.

capeverde

Poppy9 wrote: »

You obviously don't work for the council as this is absolutely not allowed. If you did ask these questions you would leave the Authority open to a discrimination claim.

If I did work for the council it would be a damn site more productive and cost effective than it is now.

Goldiegirl

I can't see why the friend thinks that mentioning her child would indicate that she was suitable for the role.

If I was the interviewer it would prejudice me against her, as I'd think she was one of one women who was obsessed with her child, and had no other subject of conversation - it's boring when people bang on about their kids the whole time, and it's a pain working with them.