Don't be scared by Job interviewers

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DURING job interviews, have you ever been caught off guard by sensitive questions? For instance, questions that ask about your age, height and weight and relationship status.

Such questions can be offensive because they intrude on your privacy and often suggest some form of discrimination may be in the offering.

In flat-out refusing to answer them, you run the risk of appearing uncooperative. These are hardly words an employer mould use to describe the \"ideal\" candidate.

So how should you handle these troublesome inquiries?

Answer with honesty and confidence

You can examine the question for its intent and respond with an answer relevant to the job.

For example, someone from a Beijing-based company asks:

\"Are you originally from Beijing?\"

You could respond: \"No, but I am authorized to work in the city.\"

Similarly, if the interviewer asks:

\"Will your boyfriend/girlfriend also work in the same city?\"

You might answer: \"That doesn't affect my dedication to this job. I'll work hard and do my best no matter where he/she is.\"

Inject some humor

For instance, you're asked about your height (because you're of small stature). You say, \"I'm very happy with my height, because it helps me keep my balance when I stand on the shoulders of giants.\" Such a reply may make the situation less formal; it also displays your wit.

Answer by asking them a question

If you think a question is offensive, choose not to answer it by asking a question, politely.

For example, an interviewer asks, \"When do you plan to marry? And do you plan to have a child?\" With a smile on your face, you can reply: \"Is that important to the job?\"

In this case, most interviewers will not ask the question again, or at least, reword them.

Potentially illegal questions

In the West, many questions that would seem normal in China border on being illegal. For example, \"Are you able to work overtime, evenings and weekends?\" And: \"What do you think about office romance?\"

In China, however, there are few questions on the legal \"blacklist\", according to career counseling expert Tang Leiheng. \"In these cases, students must answer in a euphemistical way, even if the answer is a refusal.\"

Some questions, however, like those which play on gender differences, are banned. For instance, you're told, \"This job has always been handled by a male. So we prefer to recruit a man.\"

In this case, don't be afraid of a little confrontation. State that you're as qualified as any man. If they still refuse you, you can complain to the labor arbitration committee.