Techie reveals shocking 'illegal' question asked by HR in interview: 'I was in disbelief'

A techie recounted a troubling interview experience where a recruiter asked her an inappropriate question at the end of their meeting which left her stunned. In a post titled "HR asked me the strangest illegal question at the end of my interview," the candidate described a final-round interview for a senior developer role at a software company.

According to the post, the techie said that the interview went well with smooth and productive and the salary expectations also aligned with her goals. However, towards the end of the interview, the HR director asked a surprising question that left her feeling uneasy.

“Could you tell me if you're planning to have children in the next few years?” she asked.

Shocked by question

The techie said she was taken aback by the question. "I was completely caught off guard. After an awkward pause, I asked her to repeat the question, thinking I must have misheard. Nope - she actually doubled down and said, "We just want to know about your family planning situation for our team planning purposes." she wrote.

Surprised at the HR manager's inappropriateness and potential illegality of the question in hiring decisions, the candidate politely decline to answer. “She seemed genuinely surprised I called her out on it. The entire positive vibe of the interview immediately evaporated," she said.

"On my drive home, I was still in disbelief. Has anyone else encountered something like this in tech interviews recently? I'm not sure if I should report this or just move on to other opportunities," she asked.

Internet reacts

The post has drawn criticism online, with users encouraging the developer to report the incident to employment watchdogs.

"Yes, I have encountered something like this before. Yes, I reported it.. however, it went nowhere as I expected. What I like to do is place that on their company's glass door employee review site. It gives everyone an opportunity to see it," suggested oner user.

Another said, "You could also try to find out who the CEO of the company is, and email them letting them know that their HR people are asking illegal questions, and that you are reporting them."