Interview Ethics: Is It Okay for Interviewers to Ask Candidates About Smoking Habits?

Question on Interview Practices

Is it appropriate for a male interviewer to ask a female candidate, "Do you smoke?" during an interview and then take the candidate for a smoke? Is this considered a good practice?

As a non-smoker, my view is that taking a "smoke break" during an interview is wrong. It gives a poor impression of the organization.

The sex of the interviewer/interviewee is immaterial.

Are you the interviewer or the female who has been asked to accompany for a smoke? In either case, it is professionally unethical to engage in such acts.

Regards

"Practice" - The word itself is wrong. Can you elaborate on the situation a bit? For instance, this can be viewed in two ways.

Firstly, when the interviewee needs to wait for their second or final round of the interview, i.e., there is a significant time gap between the first round and the second or final round of the interview. Generally, companies do offer lunch or snacks as a gesture. Perhaps the interviewer here was quite bold to offer a smoke!

If this was not the case and it was just to take a break during the interview, one must strictly avoid making such an offer. This can impact the company's brand, the image of the interviewer, and the management. I hope you understand that this seriously raises doubts about the interviewer's work integrity.

As mentioned by other members, it is not about being male or female, but yes, when there is a female candidate, one must be mindful of their behavior.

Instead of offering a cigarette, the interviewer can take the candidate to the cafeteria and offer a cup of tea. With that tea, an informal interview could take place, and it would not be an issue.

In some companies, interviewers themselves offer tea and start discussing some issues instead of asking formal interview questions. During the discussion, they inquire about the candidate's experience, qualifications, family, and other relevant details.

Offering a cigarette to a candidate is not acceptable as it reflects poorly on the company and the interviewer.

Obviously, the interviewer is a smoker and had the urge to smoke at that point in time. Offering a cigarette is not very offensive; rather, it's being courteous. However, for the interviewee, it may be a little embarrassing, especially being a female in India. The female interviewee probably was not ready for this proposal during the interview. However, the final choice remains with the interviewee whether to accept or politely reject. In short, it's not a big issue in corporates.

It is totally unethical. First of all, smoking is injurious to health. You are not only spoiling your health but also others' health. You have no right to do so.

Regards,
KBBhat
HR & Yoga Consultant

Dear Vinooraj, I saw your query and the answers given by the respected members. As an admin, offering a cigarette is unethical in the realm of HR. Tomorrow, the same HR personnel might, during interviews, ask male or female candidates for a sip of a hot drink, which is both irrational and unethical in our culture, despite India's significant advancement.

Hopefully, the HR personnel, after reviewing the responses provided by the members, will reconsider the practice of asking irrelevant interview questions. The answer has been given without prejudice.

Regards, Ravi

I am not complaining about smoking; I also smoke. The point I want to make is, how can the HR Head/Recruitment Head ask a Recruiter (interviewee) such a question? The interviewee is someone I know; she told me that she had a cool interview and shared how it went. I still have many questions in my mind, but I do not want to make this a big issue.

Please state what questions you have in mind. If I am right, the majority of the responses so far clearly state that it is unethical and that the sex of the interviewer/interviewee is immaterial.

Do you think it would have been okay if the interviewer and interviewee were of the same sex or if the interviewer was female and the interviewee male?

The issue is not about gender but about health. "Smoking is injurious to health." Any organization which promotes smoking so openly is certainly not health-conscious!

I am not complaining about smoking; even I do smoke. The point I want to make is how can the HR Head/Recruitment Head ask a Recruiter (interviewee) such questions? The interviewee is someone I know; she told me that she had a cool interview and explained how it happened. Despite this, I still have many questions in my mind, but I do not want to make this a big issue.

If the interviewee does not have any problem, there is no harm. I can provide you with two examples:

1. My friend's boss is a chain smoker. When he interviewed a male candidate, he asked, "Do you mind if I smoke?" The candidate refused, and upon selection, he felt that his boss would have offered him a cigar.

2. During another interview, he asked a female candidate if she minded him smoking, to which the female candidate took a cigar from her purse and smoked along with the boss.

Now, consider this situation and what should be done. If an interviewer connects well with a candidate and offers anything to the candidate, male or female, such as tea, coffee, or a cigar, it depends on the culture/atmosphere of the company. Additionally, the candidate must decide whether to join such a culture/atmosphere.

There is no reason why the interviewee would be asked by the interviewer for a smoke break or drinks break, regardless of whether the former is male or female. The question itself sounds odd and funny.

Funny Comments

It actually does not matter unless it affected the interview process, i.e., the candidate was selected because she agreed to have a smoke with him/her. Let's not read too much into things and try to become moral policemen/policewomen. We should focus more on professional aspects.

Request don't take it amiss.

Regards,
Manoj