Job Interviews Get Political

While party preference in the voting booth is still sacrosanct, it may not be in the job interview chamber, according to a survey conducted by executive job search service TheLadders.com. When asked: ìHave you ever been asked to state your voting intention for this yearís presidential race during an interview?î 11% of the surveyís 736 respondents said, ìyes.î

Yes 11%

No 89%

Have you been asked your political preference?

The majority (89%) of those seeking new employment this election season, have not been asked who they are voting for. However, for the 11% that have found themselves in this situation, the outcome has not generally been good.

ìPersonal politics should be avoided at all costs in the hiring process,î explained TheLadders.com founder and president Marc Cenedella. ìEven though the topic can be hard to avoid during this yearís contentious election, job seekers should know that such a polarizing topic can be a powder keg in a job interview. Based on personal accounts provided by some of our survey respondents, the end-result of a politically-themed interview is rarely positive.î

Intrusive as it may be, it is not illegal for recruiters and hiring managers to ask job candidates about their voting preferences. Cenedella recommends the following advice to job-seekers who find themselves staring down a hiring manager who wants to know where you stand politically:

Avoid being controversial at all costs.

Try deflecting the question by making reference to how divisive this electoral race has been. Mention your two neighbors who have embarked on a Hatfield and McCoy-like feud with Bush and Kerry signs lining their lawns; then say youíd just as soon avoid getting into that kind of battle in the interviewerís office.

Do your homework. Itís possible that your prospective employer is a very public supporter of one candidate. Knowing that going in could help the process, but you still want to avoid engaging in such a potentially heated line of conversation. And, beware that not everyone in the company (e.g. the HR manager whoís interviewing you) may share the companyís public stance regarding politics.

The survey of registered $100k executives was conducted on TheLadders.com Web site from September 16, 2004 through September 20, 2004. The margin of error is 3.6%.