Question of the Day

[James Barrow]

Having recently interviewed for jobs I've become more interested in what
hiring managers may ask during an interview.

As an aside, this same topic was threaded here about a month ago, but the
specific question was whether or not a hiring manager could ask questions
about a woman's pregnancy.

This time, however, my question is not quite that sensitive.

The following scenarios all involved recruiters, and not the client company.

1.  A recruiter recently asked me if I thought the commute to the client
company was too far for me to drive.  I said no, and that my average commute
has been 90 miles round trip for the past six years.  The recruiter refused
to submit my resume based on the commute.  Can they do this?

2.  Another recruiter asked me during an interview if I was planning any
travel in the near future.  Since I was not, I answered no.  It seems to me
that this is a loaded question.  What if I had already booked a trip six
months from the date of the interview?  Can a hiring manager refuse a
candidate based on this?

3.  (This is the most important) Whenever I actively look for a job, I
invariably talk to a recruiter who goes through my job history in great
detail.  This includes asking me what my salary was for every job on my
resume.  This one bothers me because it always sounds like the recruiter is
trying to determine how to get me into the job for the least amount of
money.  At other times I simply cannot recall what my salary was 10 years
ago.  Am I obligated to answer this question?

What's the most unusual question that you've been asked by a
recruiter/hiring manager?