While in some companies personal questions during interviews are a usual practice, in others
this
kind of information is considered irrelevant and not taken into account when hiring a candidate. Those who agree with
this
approach suggest that information about hobbies and marital status might help to define the applicant’s personal profile and,
hence
, to prospect their fitting into the company.
However
, for those that consider
this
unnecessary, and I am strongly a part of
this
group, state that these types of questions might be used against the contender during the hiring operation.
On the
one
hand, hiring a candidate is a long and sometimes stressful process for both companies and employees.
However
,
this
path can be improved if the candidate is an adequate fit for the
position
. During work, the employees are subject to many interferences,
such
as meetings and social events, whereby other features
besides
their professional abilities may be exposed. For these reasons, many employers argue about the necessity of personal information a priori, before hiring an applicant. In fact, statistics have shown that 35% of employees do not feel well established in the organization that they are a part of, due to their different interests outside of work.
On the other hand
, considering today’s diversity in the world and the workplace, no
one
should be discriminated against because of their personal choices. Profiling only what is necessary for the
position
would be of extreme help in order to avoid any kind of discrimination regarding hobbies, interests and marital status. Taking me as an example, I have never been told that my
gender
would be a drawback for a research
position
,
nevertheless
, for a group composed of just
one
gender
, me not fitting into the
position
might not be only related to my professional abilities. In another example, a group of researchers composed of just
one
gender
might display a bias against another
gender
, which might influence the kinds of questions asked during the interview process, and ultimately affect
one
’s success at the job.
To summarize, personal interests and other non-related work preferences should not be taken into account in any part of life except by those that are in your life.
Therefore
, I strongly support a hiring operation that searches for candidates based on their abilities and competences.