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Tricky topics

When they ask something they shouldn't

“They asked my age, religion or if I'm planning a family. What do I do?”

What they really want to know

Usually nothing bad: some interviewers just don't know the rules.

Your rights (UK)

  • In the UK, employers shouldn't make decisions based on age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage, pregnancy, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. Questions about these are a warning sign.
  • You can politely steer back to the job. If you think you were treated unfairly, Acas gives free, confidential advice.

A starting point, not legal advice.

How to say it

  1. Stay calm and polite.
  2. Answer the real worry behind it, not the question: “I'm fully available for the hours.”
  3. Move back to the job.

For example

“I'd rather keep my family life private, but I can tell you I'm fully available for the shifts in the advert, and I've always had great attendance.”

Use your own words and your own story. This is only a shape to follow.

Try to avoid

  • Feeling you have to answer
  • Getting into an argument in the interview

Practise it

Sam will ask: “Are you planning to have children any time soon?”

Free help

Welcome!

Hi, I'm Sam

I'll be your interviewer. Here are three quick tips so practice feels like the real thing.

  1. Give me my most human voice

    With it, I sound like a real person instead of a robot. It's a one-time download of about 90MB, then it works offline too.

    Safe and private. It's free and open-source, it downloads from Hugging Face (a well-known home for free AI voices), and it runs only on your device. Nothing you say is sent anywhere by it, and you can switch back to the standard voice any time in Me.

  2. Answer out loud

    Use Chrome, Edge or Safari and tap Allow when asked for the microphone. Rather not speak? Typing works just as well.

  3. Find a quiet spot

    Headphones help in Live Interview, so I don't hear myself. And don't worry about mistakes: try again and watch your score go up.

Your progress stays in this browser. Come back in the same browser to keep your streak and scores. Private or incognito windows forget everything when you close them.

Want me to sound more human?

My most human voice sounds like a real person instead of a robot. It's a one-time download of about 90MB, then it works offline too.

Safe and private. It's free and open-source, it downloads from Hugging Face (a well-known home for free AI voices), and it runs only on your device. Nothing you say is sent anywhere by it, and you can switch back to the standard voice any time in Me.

Keep your progress safe

Nice work so far! Your progress is saved in this browser, not in an account, so a few things can wipe it:

A backup is one small file. Load it in Me on any device to carry on where you left off.