Can I ask for interview questions as an accomodation? Or even as not.

May 1, 2022 9:28 AM

I am interviewing Tue for quite a specific job that I believe I would-be very good at.

It's ten hours a week at a church, $20 an hour. I was tipped off by a current employee who wrote, "I thought of you when I saw this. You should apply."

Just wondering if I can ask for a copy of the questions (or, questions "similar to the ones I might be asked.")

I am NOT good at thinking on my feet. I tens to clog up mentally. I realize there is stuff to look at online too. As I have mentioned in previous posts my memory sucks a bit. They bumped the interview date up a week (a good sign?) so I won't have too much time to research.

It is, not to be too specific, a very old and liberal church I could get behind.

If your answer is no, please offer other solutions.

posted by Rumi'sLeftSock to Work & Money (17 answers total)

No, this will come off as odd.

Go through a list of behavioral interview questions and practice answering them aloud.
posted by saturdaymornings at 9:42 AM on May 1, 2022

You can just ask about the interview structure, and "what type of questions will be asked". This gets you 90% of the way there.

If you say you are asking for an accommodation they would likely ask for a diagnosis, etc. And neurodiverse interview accommodations are still pretty new, even most disability advocate organizations don't provide things like this yet.
posted by hermanubis at 9:46 AM on May 1, 2022

There's a legal answer and a pragmatic answer here.

Pragmatic - you can ask for whatever you want, and the employer can choose to offer it, without necessarily getting into legal requirements for an accommodation. The non-legal approach is similar to asking for anything else (a break in middle of day to go take care of your pet, or some extra drinks in the room because you get thirsty). Ask, and they may provide. I would phrase such a request as "could you provide some information on what topics we'll be covering so I can provide better quality answers?". As an employer, I want to get the best information I can out of an interview because the time is very short. My organization will cover sample list of topics covered, although we will cover topics outside the sample list, and we will not provide specific questions.

Legally - it's not obvious to me "memory [sucking]" and "clog up mentally" are disabilities requiring accommodation, and I think an employer may have the same concern. Employers are allowed to ask for documentation about specifics of a disability and to what extent a disability requires accommodation in cases where the disability is not obvious. Can you provide such documentation?

If you are able to provide such documentation, does the disability limit your ability to perform the "essential functions" of the job? An employer is not required to modify the requirements of a job (if the requirements are appropriate) as an accommodation. Think of a "reasonable" accommodation as being a thing that the employer can do with minimal impact to the employer, work environment, or requirements of the job in order to enable you to work there. I would expect the employer to be asking you/themselves the question of what the equivalent accommodation would be if you got the job. If you need questions in advance for the interview, what'll they need to do if they employ you? Will that future accommodation be "reasonable"?
posted by saeculorum at 9:48 AM on May 1, 2022

I would not ask. Also, many interviews are more like a conversation with no "set of questions" to review.

For a position like the one you describe, however, it's not difficult to imagine what they are looking to learn:
- how did you hear about this job?
- what is your work history?
- what skills do you have that we need?
- are you easy to work with, reliable, responsible?

So IMHO the best way to prepare is to find a willing friend (zoom is fine) and practice talking... about yourself, your basic skills, why the job is a good fit, and how you can add value to the organization. Also come up with (and practice asking) a few follow-up questions ("what is the most important thing this job does for the church?" "what would a typical shift/day be like?" or "Who else would I be working with?")
posted by nkknkk at 9:57 AM on May 1, 2022

You can ask but most employers will say no. That's creating an uneven playing field for their other applicants. There are some cases where it's absolutely reasonable to ask for a disability accommodation during an interview process, but it doesn't sound like you're asking for accommodatiion of a specific documented disability. (Please note I don't love this whole model of medical gatekeepimg of who deserves accommodation, but it's what we have to work with, probably, depending on where you're located.)

It might be worth asking another question here and/or googling specifically about what church interviews are like - I bet there's some specific knowledge that would help you prepare. But beyond that I think you just need to practice. Practice behavioral interview questions - you'll find a million examples online - until you have homed a handful of stories that are responsive to typical questions. Practice explaining your background. Practice explaining why you're excited about this job. Do a little research on the church and prepare a couple of questions for them. Practice saying, "Let me think about that for a second" and taking a few breaths to come up with your answer; that will be fine in most interviews, although you don't want to do it for *every* question.
posted by Stacey at 10:19 AM on May 1, 2022

I can't really comment on whether or not you should ask. BUT the place where I work (public sector in Canada) does this - they provide the interview questions anywhere from 1/2 hour - 24 hours in advance. I don't know when and why they started doing this but presumably it is so you can be better prepared. They give you 5 questions, which doesn't seem like a lot, but each question has about 3-4 parts to it, so it asks for a LOT of detail. In the pandemic, the questions are emailed to us and you can be sure that people are sharing those with their friends. So I guess they're not worried about that.

Anyway, I'll give you some generic interview advice in case it's helpful: definitely be clear about why you're the best person for the job. What skills and knowledge do you have? How will the organization benefit from hiring you? Use the PAR method to frame your answers. What was a problem you faced at work, what action did you take, what was the result. Maybe include what you learned and what you could have done differently. Review the job spec carefully and think up examples from your work history that demonstrate each skill. Write out your stories with the PAR method, and rehearse them. Practice in front of mirror, record yourself, practice with a friend or in front of your pet/plant/stuffed animal.

Here is Ask A Manager's guide on how to prepare for an interview. Her site is really good if you want to dig in more. Also is it possible to ask for advice from the employee that told you about the job opening?
posted by foxjacket at 10:19 AM on May 1, 2022

I agree with others that asking an org for interview questions in advance is likely to create a negative impression. Good enough, you know someone who already works for them! *And* they think you’ll make a good fit!

Reach out and ask if they’d be willing to chat with you. You could ask *why* they think you’d be a good fit - what their own interview was like - what their typical workday looks like - what the culture of work and management is like at this church - what challenges they’ve faced and how they’ve overcome them - etc. Their answers will inform you which of your skills and accomplishments to emphasize in your interview. Good luck!
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 10:39 AM on May 1, 2022

Given this is a church and a liberal one, I would anticipate this being somewhat informal. Along with practicing in advance, I would suggest if you feel like it's going you're freezing up, you could have something prepared to say about that: "When you asked me that last question I got a bit flustered - I'm really excited about this job and I can get nervous when I'm on the spot. But I want to add that [... xyz great thing about you]"
posted by latkes at 10:41 AM on May 1, 2022

Nthing that asking gets tricky.

However, it's fine to bring in notes! You want to review your own info in advance so it's fresh in your mind, but it's fine to write up some notes of examples you might like to use (like those common interview questions, or examples of times you've used skills that are relevant.) Don't make a big deal out of these, don't make them long (just enough to remind you: ideally you have a single sheet that covers most of what might come up plus a copy of your resume as a backup). Just set a copy out (maybe with a copy of your resume) and glance at it when you need a reminder.

(It can look less pre-planned if this is handwritten on a notepad.)

If anyone asks, have something you can say, like "I find I do a lot better when I'm not relying on my memory for dates or details - I've got a habit of writing it down to help." which, honestly, is probably a good sign in a job that's looking for detail skills.
posted by jenettsilver at 10:51 AM on May 1, 2022

The larger an organisation is the more likely they are to have a more structured approach to interviewing and the more likely they are to have a standard list of questions. That would also make it more likely that they would refuse to give them to you due to HR having to make sure that they treat all candidates fairly. If this is as small an organisation as it sounds what you’ll be asked will be largely down to the interviewer.

Be prepared to answer the questions nkknkk list. If your friend was in any way involved in your application/recommended you/the interviewer is aware that they encouraged you to apply be prepared to explain how you know them at a high level. And be prepared to summarise what they told you about the position, also at a high level.

Other than that do a google search to check if they were in the news recently or have any upcoming events an interested candidate should be aware of.

Write out the answers to the questions as a talk track and practice saying them. Practice them in different orders.

Also write down any questions you have for them.
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:54 AM on May 1, 2022

As someone who sometimes hires people, this would not bother me, and would indicate a desire to be prepared. That said, it is unusual so it is a risk to ask.

The number one thing I look for is someone who has relevant experience and *is able to talk about that experience in depth* in a way that demonstrates that they understand the mission of the organization and how to further it.

Tip for doing that:
If the church has a mission or values statement listed on their website, read it and practice working some of these ideas into a description of your past work. Think of anecdotes about your past work that demonstrate your capacity to advance these ideals.

Also, think about each of the job duties and practice an anecdote to tell that relays your strengths in each area of responsibility.

Think of questions you would like to ask them about the organization and the different job functions. Churches probably look for people who have strong soft skills and a commitment to the mission in addition to competence, so you can ask questions about that. You can also ask about the congregation’s near term and long term goals or projects. This will make you seem engaged!
posted by mai at 10:58 AM on May 1, 2022

One great interview strategy is to tell them what you like about the organization and why you’d be excited to work there.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 11:24 AM on May 1, 2022

I think you're on safer ground here than you would be for a larger organization. Churches tend to be... not to say unprofessional, but informal in how they go about hiring people; unless it's a pretty big church they are unlikely to have more than a handful of people on staff (priest/pastor, music director, sexton/janitor/physical plant person, church administrator) and many of those will be part-time positions.

Beyond a general understanding that you know how to do the job, a lot of the process will probably just making sure they like you and think you would fit into the culture. Your interviewers will likely be the priest/pastor and staff or board/vestry members.

You don't mention if you are religious or a part of the church's faith tradition, but you may be asked about that. Most liberal churches are fine about whether or not you are a part of their (or any) faith community but make sure you know what you want to do: are you okay with being at church on Sundays if that is a part of your role (e.g. if you're a parish administrator they may want you to show up so that parishioners know who you are and what you do). Even if you aren't a part of the church formally, would you be expected to be a part of the community? Or would they be fine with you showing up, doing your job, and that's the limit of your involvement?

If you aren't familiar with the faith tradition (or even if you are), ask about structures. Church governance can be, well, byzantine. Do you answer to the priest/pastor? The vestry/board? Make sure you're clear on your responsibilities and who you are responsible to, there's the risk of getting sucked into church politics and having five different people telling you to do/not do X.

I don't mean any of this to sound overly negative, just be aware that churches are typically run by people with seminary degrees plus volunteers, so it's just a different employment environment from your standard job. Some churches are very competently and professionally run, others are... not. That doesn't necessarily need to be a deal-breaker, but it's good to have a sense of that upfront.

Ask your friend and/or other people from the church if you know anyone about how things work, what to expect. That would be a great starting point.
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:25 AM on May 1, 2022

I agree with those who suggest not asking for questions and instead preparing by reviewing common interview questions online. I've conducted a fair number of interviews over the years and we always have a set of prepared questions that are specific to the job. So I would suggest reviewing the position description and thinking about how you would respond to questions about any experience you have with the job responsibilities.

For example, when hiring a department coordinator, we'd ask "Can you tell us about your experience planning meetings with multiple internal and external guests?" because meeting scheduling is listed as a primary responsibility. We look for people who can describe that they've successfully done it before, and if they have not, we want to hear them articulate how they would go about doing it.
Good luck!
posted by fies at 12:15 PM on May 1, 2022

I think this is a reasonable request for an interview for a full-time, career track position. For a part time job where you already know someone there, it’s overkill. They’re not going to grill you until you give them three examples of times you’ve failed and what you’ve learned from those experiences. The questions are more likely to be “tell me about yourself” and “have you ever done [specific aspect of job]?” Quite honestly, if you’re unable to answer whether you’ve done the job before, you might not be the best candidate. This is a part-time job, and they want someone who is not going t be a headache. Alternatively, if they do grill you with behavioral interview questions, that’s a sign that maybe you don’t want to work there. You don’t want a headache from a part time job any more than they do.

Write down answers to a couple of stock questions like “what’s your biggest weakness?” and “what do you like about [job]?”, then bring the notes in a folder with a notepad and an extra copy of your resume. That should be enough prep.
posted by kevinbelt at 3:22 PM on May 1, 2022

I wouldn't ask for the questions in advance, but here's one thought if you do leave the interview feeling like the job itself is a good fit, but that you weren't able to properly convey that in the interview.

If the employee who recommended the job to you is someone you're able to talk openly and casually with, and who's likely to be a part of the hiring conversation, it might not hurt to follow up with them expressing your excitement about the job and noting that you're not always the best at thinking on your feet during interviews but that looking back, you think it'd be a great fit for X, Y, Z reasons.

(If either of those things don't apply, you can also send a thank you note to your interviewer with the same expression of excitement and reiteration of why you believe you're well suited for the job, though in that case I'd leave the mild self deprecation out of it.)
posted by eponym at 6:19 PM on May 1, 2022

I'm of two (or three or more) minds about this. 1) There is the chance that they will see it as a strange request and it will damage your chances of getting the job. 2) That said, if it is the kind of place that has those sorts of attitudes, it might not be the best fit for you after all.

The safest thing to do would be to reach out to the employee who sent you the posting, tell them how excited you are about the job, but you are nervous about the interview, so do they have any idea what they might ask about? You might even ask them if they would be willing to do a "mock interview" with them.

If that doesn't work for whatever reason, I'd reach out to any other friend that has done hiring of part time, entry-level employees and see if they would do a mock interview with you.

All that said, Stacey is 100% correct. What you want to do is think about a handful of "stories" you can tell about your past work/educational experience that have something to do with the tasks you will be doing. Things like "a time I provided good customer service", "a time I organized a complicated project", "a time I was an excellent assistant and followed directions", "a time when I solved a problem creatively and independently". You might think of some others, based on this particular job and your experience. They don't even have to be 100% factual. You can combine multiple events into a single story, omit irrelevant details, focus on your individual contributions, describe what you would have done in a given situation if there wasn't some sort of extenuating circumstance, etc. Certainly don't make things up out of whole cloth, but feel free to depict yourself in the best possible light.

Another thing to do is to make sure you have at least one question for them prepared in advance. A good one if nothing else comes to mind is "What is the most important thing for the person in this position to excel at immediately? What should my highest priority be on day one if I am hired?" If they happen to answer your prepared question during the conversation, when they ask if you have questions say something like, "Well I was going to ask about [XYZ], but you sort of already covered that, so not really!"

The interview is generally not a great time to ask about benefits and perks. Don't ask about breaks or vacation or if you can bring your dog, or if you have to be at every special event or whatever. Save that for after they offer you the job but before you accept, if the answers are important to you. You can ask about salary though, if that doesn't come up naturally.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:42 AM on May 2, 2022