Job interviews: The awkward and uncomfortable questions women get asked more than men
A job interview is an exciting opportunity to make a good impression on a potential employer, but it can also be a highly stressful experience.
Even when you’re confident that you’ve got the skills and qualifications that match the job description, you can never be 100% sure what you will be asked.
A well-prepared interviewer will behave professionally, and focus on a candidate’s skills, qualifications, and professional experience. They should be conscious of equal opportunity guidelines, and some questions that must never be asked in an interview. Ideally, everyone who gets to the interview stage should be asked the same fair and relevant questions.
Unfortunately, sometimes an interviewer doesn’t get the memo. Whether due to overt prejudice, or unconscious bias, hopeful job applicants can sometimes end up fielding questions that are overly personal or inappropriate, making them feel uncomfortable and unfairly scrutinized compared to the competition.
The good news is, if you know about the kind of awkward questions you might get asked, you’ll be in a better position to give an effective response. Resume.io surveyed 2000 Amercans to find out about the worst questions people get asked in interviews, and the results showed women tend to get asked certain types of questions more than men.
It seems that interviewers are more inclined to question the capabilities and skill sets of women applicants. Women are more likely to be asked about their strengths and weaknesses than men, to focus on past failures, or prove their ability to collaborate in team work.
Similarly, women are more likely to be asked to prove that they are viable candidates. Interviewers ask women why they should hire them, or why they are a good fit for the job, more than they ask men. In this case, you should remember that your skills and experience are valid, and shouldn’t be undermined.
Women are also questioned about their motivations more than men. More women get asked why they want the job, why they applied in the first place, and are questioned about their future plans. Remember, you are under no obligation to share personal information in an interview, so try to focus on how you will apply and develop your existing skills in the new role, instead.
To help you feel confident facing the most frustrating interview questions, Resume.io gathered expert advice on how to answer the top 10 worst interview questions.
