Odd Interview protocol?

ThorsMane

Hi,

My friend is going for an interview for a position in a organisation she’s already part of... in the email with the details of time and location of the interview there were some odd instructions

First was, she must turn off her phone in front of the interviewers which she though was over the top and odd.

The other was she would be told before hand if it was/wasn’t acceptable to shake hands with the interviewers

She’s kinda bogled on the whole thing... has anyone ever experienced such strict rules for a job interview ? Is this normal?

Mrcaramelchoc

I can't see Any problem with being asked to turn off your mobile phone.besides the fact that it might distract her they might be thinking of her recording the audio/interview?
The shake hands thing is weird.

Squatter

Mrcaramelchoc wrote: »

The shake hands thing is weird.

Religious thingy? Can a devout Muslim shake hands with a strange female?

s7ryf3925pivug

Squatter wrote: »

Religious thingy? Can a devout Muslim shake hands with a strange female?

A Muslim lady dentist repaired a filling on my broken tooth. She gingerly poked it through a sheet that covered my mouth otherwise so she could work on it without sullying herself on my mouth/face. It was a bit odd. I guess they have these things for people with high risk diseases, or maybe it was her own invention.

Reati

Squatter wrote: »

Religious thingy? Can a devout Muslim shake hands with a strange female?

No. I worked with a guy who would t shake females hands. So it's likely a religious thing alright.

OMM 0000

ThorsMane wrote: »

Hi,

My friend is going for an interview for a position in a organisation she’s already part of... in the email with the details of time and location of the interview there were some odd instructions

First was, she must turn off her phone in front of the interviewers which she though was over the top and odd.

The other was she would be told before hand if it was/wasn’t acceptable to shake hands with the interviewers

She’s kinda bogled on the whole thing... has anyone ever experienced such strict rules for a job interview ? Is this normal?

Unless you're in Saudi Arabia or something, this sort of thing would be a huge red flag for me, and I'd be declining the interview.

banie01

It not only strikes me as an attempt to ensure they accomodate someones religious preference/belief, but also by requesting that they have sight of the interviewee's phone being switched off!
That they are seeking to ensure the phone isn't used to record the interview, for whatever reason they may deem such an odd request appropriate.

Common courtesy would to my mind at least, dictate my phone was switched off for any interview.
That they seem to be making the interview being conducted/concluded, contigent upon their sight of an interviewee powering down their phone is frankly more than odd.

Can I ask if this interview is one of our Charity/Quango bodies?

Reati

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Unless you're in Saudi Arabia or something, this sort of thing would be a huge red flag for me, and I'd be declining the interview.

Can you only have religious beliefs in Saudi Arabia?

OMM 0000

Reati wrote: »

Can you only have religious beliefs in Saudi Arabia?

OMM 0000 wrote:

Unless you're in Saudi Arabia or something

I think it's pretty obvious to everyone I was referring to a strict muslim culture where the women can't shake hands?

I don't think we've implemented that in Ireland yet...

"But what if the interviewer was a muslim woman? :mad:"

Then when the interview starts she just politely says "Oh sorry, I'm a muslim, I cannot shake your hand".

Isn't that much more normal and friendly than this weird e-mail?

Reati

OMM 0000 wrote: »

I think it's pretty obvious to everyone I was referring to a strict muslim culture where the women can't shake hands?

I don't think we've implemented that in Ireland yet...

"But what if the interviewer was a muslim woman? :mad:"

Then when the interview starts she just politely says "Oh sorry, I'm a muslim, I cannot shake your hand".

Isn't that much more normal and friendly than this weird e-mail?

The email is calling it out to make it clear before the awkward "I can't shake you hand moment" at the start of the interview which might be a bigger throw off for a candidate. They are trying to be considerate.

You reply was because they called this out the OP shouldn't take the interview.

OMM 0000

Reati wrote: »

The email is calling it out to make it clear before the awkward "I can't shake you hand moment" at the start of the interview which might be a bigger throw off for a candidate. They are trying to be considerate.

You reply was because they called this out the OP shouldn't take the interview.

Not just that. Also because they are telling them what to do with their phone.

It makes me believe their HR team are extremely controlling.

I really don't think their e-mail makes things less awkward. IMO it makes things more awkward.

facehugger99

Reati wrote: »

The email is calling it out to make it clear before the awkward "I can't shake you hand moment" at the start of the interview which might be a bigger throw off for a candidate. They are trying to be considerate.

It might be more considerate not to employ someone who believes females are so unclean they can't be touched on the hand.

OMM 0000

I was in West China once (xinjiang) and I was introduced to a woman. She was Chinese looking but had a headscarf. I extended my hand and she said "I'm a muslim, I can't shake your hand". I said, "Oh, OK". (I wasn't aware of that traditional). And that was the end of it. No bother.

It's not awkward.

It's kind of like going to a restaurant with someone, and asking if they're going to have the steak, and they respond "I'm a vegetarian, I'm going to have the mango salad". That's grand.

Reati

facehugger99 wrote: »

It might be more considerate not to employ someone who believes females are so unclean they can't be touched on the hand.

Erm, you can't descriminate on religious grounds.

Anyway, that's not what they believe. Research it then come back.

AndrewJRenko

banie01 wrote: »

It not only strikes me as an attempt to ensure they accomodate someones religious preference/belief, but also by requesting that they have sight of the interviewee's phone being switched off!
That they are seeking to ensure the phone isn't used to record the interview, for whatever reason they may deem such an odd request appropriate.

Common courtesy would to my mind at least, dictate my phone was switched off for any interview.
That they seem to be making the interview being conducted/concluded, contigent upon their sight of an interviewee powering down their phone is frankly more than odd.

Can I ask if this interview is one of our Charity/Quango bodies?

Somebody recorded an interview once, and it caused problems for them. So they've come up with this protocol to prevent it happening again.

Unless of course, you have two phones.

Gobsh1tes

FitzElla

Never heard of the phone thing, but I have been told beforehand in another interview that the interview panel will not be doing handshakes with candidates. I didn't think much of it at the time, just figured it was a way to keep it more structured and formal and so I wouldn't have to worry about any of the "do I shake their hand before or after or who's hand do I shake first" overthinking.

Rubberchikken

this type of behaviour makes me think the world of eork/hr is just getting more bonkers.
if the interview is in ireland surely you should accept that handshaking is normal and acceptable and emailing not to is just ridiculous.

how do muslim female doctors manage to examine someone in an Christian country?

this type of controlling over the top pc nonsense is what makes people look on people of other religions with derision.

irishgrover

handshake this is a bit odd - but would not find it too off putting....variety of potential reasons for it..

the thing with being observed turning off your phone is very weird - unless there is a very significant secrecy/security element to the job I would see this as a big potential flag...

skallywag

The phone thing I have never heard of before, and it's pretty meaningless anyway, i.e. if one really wanted to record something (assuming that is the reason it is being requested) then use an ipod in another pocket, etc.

Unless they also plan a strip search?

The shaking hands one is also something I have not come across either, but now that it has been brought up it has made me think. I must say that I was actually not aware that muslim woman could not shake hands. I have been in Asia where I have shook hands (on my offering) with muslim women, though it was always a very limp handshake etc. but I simply put this down to the usual limp handshake that you can find in Asia in general, both men and women.

It dawns on me now though that perhaps they just went through with it not to cause embarrassment etc. Feel a bit silly now, lesson learned for me (-:

kippy

Most likely an initial test to ensure you can read email/instruction and follow instruction to the tee.
Should be fairly straightforward to follow those and get the interview off to a good start......

bmc58

Squatter wrote: »

Religious thingy? Can a devout Muslim shake hands with a strange female?

A Muslim female doctor cannot shake hands with a Christian man.Not sure about the female to female interaction.

ThorsMane

I’d like to clarify, the interviewers are not Muslim.

skallywag

ThorsMane wrote: »

I’d like to clarify, the interviewers are not Muslim.

Unless it's on some class of religious grounds then I simply cannot understand it.

ThorsMane

skallywag wrote: »

Unless it's on some class of religious grounds then I simply cannot understand it.

Neither can I.

AndrewJRenko

ThorsMane wrote: »

I’d like to clarify, the interviewers are not Muslim.

How can you be sure?

odyssey06

Sounds like the company should have a general no handshake policy. Anything else confusing as hell...

ThorsMane

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

How can you be sure?

Like I said in the original post, she’s already part of the organisation... she knows who her interviewers are

Purple Mountain

I remember hearing before that in Hollywood, when potential actors go meet a director (or was it agent!) for an interview, they sometimes get a 'no handshake or no perfume/cologne' specification before hand.

s7ryf3925pivug

One of the interviewers has some quirks by the sound of it.

AndrewJRenko

ThorsMane wrote: »

Like I said in the original post, she’s already part of the organisation... she knows who her interviewers are

Do you know the religion of everyone in your organisation? People don't necessarily advertise their religion in work.

Working class heroes

One of my previous managers, just before introducing me to someone advised me not to shake his hand.
He lost his right hand in an accident. You just never know exactly what’s going on I suppose.....