A child is every mother and father’s greatest happiness and love. Parents are usually happy to talk about their children. But it’s more complicated when it comes to applying for a job. An awkward situation may arise. After all, having a child doesn’t really have anything to do with work. If an employer asks about children, a parent may fear that they will not be hired because they have children. Children need a lot of care. Maybe the employer thinks the parent will be absent too often if the child gets sick? To make sure that no one has to worry about children at a job interview, there is a rule that job applicants cannot be asked questions about their children.
Let’s see how Leena did in her job interview.
Leena is raising three children. She hasn’t worked for the past year. But now she’s looking for a job. Leena is constantly looking at job advertisements. One day, she finds a suitable job offer. She decides to apply. After a while, Leena gets a call from the employer inviting her for an interview. Leena prepares for the interview with hope. After all, she has the education, skills and experience required for the job. At the job interview, however, the employer asks Leena if she’s married and has children. Leena feels uncomfortable. What does her family have to do with the job?
How can this be solved?
In fact, an employer is only allowed to ask for information that is directly related to the job duties. For example, they may ask about education, skills, experience and character traits. Whether or not Leena has a husband and children has nothing to do with her job skills. An employer may ask about children if, for example, the employee has already been hired and benefits are offered to children of employees and the employer wants to tell the employee about them. However, it is always up to the employee to decide whether or not to tell their employer about their children.
Leena decided to talk about her family at her job interview. But she added that she’s not obliged to answer this question. The employer apologised. They then talked about Leena’s previous work. A few days later, Leena’s phone rang. Leena was hired. Leena is a very hard worker and her employer is very pleased that he made the right decision!
