The question you shouldn't ask a female candidate

While it’s important for a recruiter to gauge a full picture of their candidate before they put them forward for a job, there are some areas which all interviewers should be especially wary of.

Simon Whitehead, a Partner at HRC Law, spoke to Executive Grapevine about the potential risks of assessing a woman’s suitability for a role based on their future family plans.

“A common sense approach can usually be adopted across this area of law and, as always, avoidance is the best means to tackle the issue - if in doubt tread carefully,” he said.

“In a particularly interesting case, one candidate was asked during an interview if she had plans to start a family. She informed her prospective employer that she had ‘no immediate plans’ and was thereafter offered the job. On her first day in her new job she informed her employer that she was pregnant and was immediately dismissed due to the fact that she had lied during the interview.