3 ms·

It's not legal for prospective employers to ask you these kinds of questions. If you're talking about your wife and kids during the interview process, you're do

It's not legal for prospective employers to ask you these kinds of questions. If you're talking about your wife and kids during the interview process, you're doing it wrong. My last round of interviews was at age 46. Went from being (voluntarily) unemployed to a FAANG job. I had to do the same stuff the 20-somethings do: practiced hackerrank, answered stupid whiteboard dynamic programming questions that have nothing to do with the job, etc. But at no time did I talk about my personal life with anyone involved in hiring.

dleslie 7y ago
They can ask related questions which might reveal this information. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23031508 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23031508
- mypalmike 7y ago
  Do people really ask about hobbies? In actual professional job interviews? The other questions only lead to answers that involve your personal life if you choose to talk about your personal life. Job interviews are professional negotiation, not chats with friends. Where do you see yourself professionally in 5 years? Why would you mention your family? Asking if you're willing to put in lots of overtime should be a red flag for a job at any age, and answering it shouldn't involve mentioning your kids. Can you work in the US? Maybe there's issues where the answer varies based on marital status...
  - dleslie 7y ago
    Hobbies? Of course, particularly in entertainment software. It shows if you have a unique perspective that could be advantageous to the creative process. I would mention my family for any professional prediction because it is a guiding factor; in five years, I see myself continuing to be a product lead and hopefully working with my daughters on an independent project of their own. I work in entertainment software, in British Columbia; overtime is normal, working 40h a week or less is not. The BC NDP stripped tech workers of their basic employment rights, around two decades ago; among those rights removed was any right to overtime compensation. I can't work in the USA _easily_ and I would _prefer_ not to; I have no interest in raising my kids there. But I've worked from home for five years and so I don't see why I should have to relocate. :P
    - mypalmike 7y ago
      Asking a candidate's hobbies is a recipe for pure unconscious bias. It immediately hooks into your preconceptions about the type of person you'd expect a snowboarder/surfer/sewing enthusiast/furry/birdwatcher/lego collector/"I don't really have any hobbies besides programming"/whatever to be. There are better ways to get a glimpse at culture fit and creativity. When I was younger and working in game development, I probably got asked about hobbies. Nowadays I'm generally pretty good at directing conversations like that politely back on track. As for mentioning something you want to do with your kids in 5 years? In a job interview? I don't understand it but I suppose some people want to talk about their home lives during job interviews. And thanks for reminding me one of the reasons I left game development. I don't miss having just work/work balance. :-)

dleslie 7y ago

They can ask related questions which might reveal this information. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23031508 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23031508

mypalmike 7y ago
Do people really ask about hobbies? In actual professional job interviews? The other questions only lead to answers that involve your personal life if you choose to talk about your personal life. Job interviews are professional negotiation, not chats with friends. Where do you see yourself professionally in 5 years? Why would you mention your family? Asking if you're willing to put in lots of overtime should be a red flag for a job at any age, and answering it shouldn't involve mentioning your kids. Can you work in the US? Maybe there's issues where the answer varies based on marital status...
- dleslie 7y ago
  Hobbies? Of course, particularly in entertainment software. It shows if you have a unique perspective that could be advantageous to the creative process. I would mention my family for any professional prediction because it is a guiding factor; in five years, I see myself continuing to be a product lead and hopefully working with my daughters on an independent project of their own. I work in entertainment software, in British Columbia; overtime is normal, working 40h a week or less is not. The BC NDP stripped tech workers of their basic employment rights, around two decades ago; among those rights removed was any right to overtime compensation. I can't work in the USA _easily_ and I would _prefer_ not to; I have no interest in raising my kids there. But I've worked from home for five years and so I don't see why I should have to relocate. :P
  - mypalmike 7y ago
    Asking a candidate's hobbies is a recipe for pure unconscious bias. It immediately hooks into your preconceptions about the type of person you'd expect a snowboarder/surfer/sewing enthusiast/furry/birdwatcher/lego collector/"I don't really have any hobbies besides programming"/whatever to be. There are better ways to get a glimpse at culture fit and creativity. When I was younger and working in game development, I probably got asked about hobbies. Nowadays I'm generally pretty good at directing conversations like that politely back on track. As for mentioning something you want to do with your kids in 5 years? In a job interview? I don't understand it but I suppose some people want to talk about their home lives during job interviews. And thanks for reminding me one of the reasons I left game development. I don't miss having just work/work balance. :-)