r/jobs • u/LonelyBiochemMajor • Jul 28 '23

Interviews Two separate interviewers asked me if I lived at home with my parents????

I thought it was a red flag the first time it happened. That company actually ended up offering me a job, but I declined (there were numerous other red flags).

Then in an interview yesterday, the interviewer asked me if I lived with my parents. She then asked if I was interviewing with anyone and whether I’d declined any offers. I said I had. She asked why. I tried to give a non committal answer, but she kept pushing.

Are they even allowed to ask me these questions?? It always makes me uncomfortable, but I’m a recent grad and it’s my first time job hunting like this, so I’m not really sure.

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u/SlowKiwi1624 Jul 29 '23

That is a mindset of someone with abundancy.

That’s my mindset now that I’ve gotten fairly well into my career.

It wasn’t my mindset starting out…and I don’t know if it’s good advice for someone that is.

I spent over 6 months after undergrad looking for a job, with the only offer I got in an extremely remote job in someone’s house being significantly low balled.

I took it…was an awful 10 months, but it gave me the experience to get a really good job where I wanted to live.

If I had the mindset of I am also interviewing them…well there were a million red flags that may have made me passed on them.

Sometimes you need to accept that the job is going to suck, and that you don’t have the luxury of interviewing your employer.

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u/Dragon1562 Jul 30 '23

What you are saying has some merit, but most people if they are smart will have work history already at this point. The job you get out of college will have a massive impact on your earning potential in the future as it gets harder to switch out of roles based off previous experiences. So its a double-edged sword.

What is more important for OP is getting a job that is in her field. I got lucky and got a job that pays so-so but my actual role for the company is perfect for my career goals. While the pay isn't astronomical there are a few merits and in time I have exit plans in play with a few companies that I have made relationships with individuals

Knowing people is the most important thing but you gotta be in the right circles to bump into the people you wanna know.