HN Explorer

Ask HN: How do you answer “how old are you” on an interview?

5 points by evex ↗ HN
I'm 20 and I got an interview for a senior javascript engineer,

My first job was when I was 15 years old, it was a PHP and JS job(webdev),

fast-forward, now I'm 20, I've been coding for 5 years professionally, I've made too many projects/products on my own, worked with several startups remotely and locally, and worked with people from Microsoft and Amazon.

I was doing an interview today and it was a video call, I got asked: "you look young, how old are you?"

So I lied and said 21 while I'm 20 – cause I felt undervalued or something of that kind,

How can I avoid or answer this question professionally and not have it affect my offer?

Thanks

33 comments

[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 71.1 ms ] thread
TomMarius
I am in a very similar position. I always answer truthfully and I'm open to the question, people are often just curious - I don't want to work with people who judge based on age anyways.
evex
I would like to be truthful, but I think age is often something recruiters think of like: "He is young, he doesn't have much responsibility, let's give him 0.5x instead of x".

I'm not really sure about this, it's just how I feel.

I would like to hear from a recruiter about this

TomMarius
As I said, I don't want to work with people that judge based on age. You should know the market, and if you see they're doing this, then just leave.
Rainymood
So the opinion of a 9 year old on the current American political climate is just as important as that of a 34 year old?

We all judge, constantly. You're judging people based on the fact that they judge on age, that's also judging on some arbitrary measure.

TomMarius
OP said he's 20, not 9, and we're talking about IT, not politics, a whole different issue. Taking it to the extreme is not helpful to the discussion at all. I never said that judging is bad in general; I said that judging [adults'] capabilities based on age is bad. Context matters.
peapicker
I believe that in the US if they think you might look under 18, they generally ask because certain federal and state laws kick in relating to child labor.
evex
I don't look under 18, the interviewer was German, maybe she just had curiosity... I don't know
HiroshiSan
You don't look under 18 to you :P. You reach a certain age where 18 and 25 aren't that different.
PaulHoule
I think this is an illegal interview question. You are in your rights to answer this with "this is an illegal interview question" but that is not a winning answer.

Usually people are worried about age discrimination against older people, but I've certainly seen workplaces where people above a certain age fit in and younger people did not.

evex
Woah, is it really illegal?! What would be a polite answer?

"I would like to focus on the value I can add to the company instead of focusing on my age"

is this an acceptable answer?

cimmanom
Yes, it's illegal.

So are questions about marital status; about whether you have kids or are pregnant; about race or nationality; about gender; about religion; and about disabilities.

evex
Oh, I was asked if I am married or not and if I have kids!

I'm sure the interviewer had no idea. She was German, maybe it's not illegal to ask these questions in Germany

[deleted]
(comment deleted)
eesmith
Some years back I spent some time reading through the EEOC guidelines. I found them quite interesting to read, and informative. They've guided my understanding of workplace discrimination ever since, and I wish more people would spend time understanding their rights and responsibilities in the workplace.

Here are some of the relevant links to your points:

https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/age.cfm says: "The ADEA does not explicitly prohibit an employer from asking an applicant's age or date of birth. However, such inquiries may deter older workers from applying for employment or may otherwise indicate possible intent to discriminate based on age, contrary to the purposes of the ADEA."

https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/practices/inquiries_marital_status... "The following pre-employment inquiries may be regarded as evidence of intent to discriminate when asked in the pre-employment context: * Whether applicant is pregnant. * Marital status of applicant or whether applicant plans to marry. * Number and age of children or future child bearing plans. * Child care arrangements. * Employment status of spouse. * Name of spouse."

https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/fs-race.cfm says "Requesting pre-employment information which discloses or tends to disclose an applicant's race suggests that race will be unlawfully used as a basis for hiring. Solicitation of such pre-employment information is presumed to be used as a basis for making selection decisions. Therefore, if members of minority groups are excluded from employment, the request for such pre-employment information would likely constitute evidence of discrimination."

evex
Can you please write what's related to my case in plain easy English?

Execuse me :)

qbrass
If they ask, then don't hire you, you have a case against them for discrimination.
geofft
It is not literally illegal to ask, but if they decide not to hire someone after asking the question (or possibly, if they ask some people interviewing for the job, and then decide not to hire someone they didn't ask), it is absurdly easy for the person who wasn't hired to pursue a discrimination claim.

Therefore, most HR departments simply tell you that it's illegal (or prohibited, more precisely). There's a huge amount of legal risk to the company, in asking, and no benefit because it is illegal to actually take the answer into account.

Personally, I would probably answer truthfully in the interview, and then politely tell the recruiter / hiring manager next time I spoke to them, "Thanks, I enjoyed speaking with <person> about the company! By the way, they asked me about my age (or whether I was married, or whatever), and I just wanted to confirm that this information will not be used in a hiring decision. We were making small talk and I didn't mind answering, but I don't think it's relevant to what I can bring to the company." If the recruiter or hiring manager is in the least bit competent, they will immediately panic, and probably end up finding a way for that person to have no role in making your hiring decision, or something.

(This only applies for hiring in the US, if this is in another company things may be totally different)

evex
Great, I can use your advice in my next interview, thanks!
geofft
You may want to note bendmorris's correction elsewhere in the thread, that age discrimination is only for people age 40 and up. It's still awful for the company to be asking "You look young!", because that might imply they see being young as desirable, but you might not be able to push back very hard if the recruiter doesn't panic.
bendmorris
Asking your age isn't illegal by itself. ADEA makes it illegal to discriminate against workers age 40 and up based on age. Doesn't apply here.

In fact, employers can have legitimate reason to ask your age, such as background checks.

jotux
They may also want to make sure you're over 18.
[deleted]
(comment deleted)
icedchai
Add 5 years to your current age. If they call you out on it later, say they are must not be remembering your answer, then remind them those questions are illegal. wink wink ;)
evex
Hahah that would be hilarious
atmosx
Don't lie. You can explain how come that you're applying for a senior position at a young age as you did right here, it makes sense, but lying is the fastest way to getting red-flagged I can think of.
evex
I think this is the right way of approaching it, I just needed someone to confirm this

Yet I'm still looking if someone have some better way to approach this

jryan49
Just be honest and maybe ask them why they care and communicate or have a discussion about it.
Endy
I ask them politely why or how that affects the responsibilities of the position. In the US, interviewers & such can ask your DOB to confirm your background, but asking your age is opening themselves up to an age discrimination lawsuit if they don't hire you.
[dead] blockchain-help
At Blockchain Help, you’ll find that our experts not only give you unmatched technical solutions but also provide complete end-to-end assistance and handholding, starting from the analysis of your business concept to helping you successfully launch your ICO. VISIT US: https://www.blockchainhelp.pro
vijaybritto
On a darker note, you can tell them: "Old enough to murder your entire family"
kevinsimper
I have experienced the same thing and when people ask for your age it is generally because they are impressed and not because they think you can't be taken seriously.

And regarding pay, if you know what you want then you can't control what they will offer you, you can say what you want and require and then either decline or accept the offer :)

keiferski
This falls into the category of “reply with a joke that diffuses the question and changes the topic.” For example, say, “Oh, I’ve got a few grandchildren now” or whatever off-the-cuff joke you can think of.

If they insist on you answering and there isn’t a legitimate reason for them to know, you’re probably being discriminated against.

fanzhang
Actually sad to say, at least in the USA, it is not generally illegal to discriminate against someone because they are too young (any age under 40): https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/age.cfm .

I know from other comments that you were being interviewed in Germany, so YMMV.

Your best bet in a situation is two possibilities.

1) You recognize such a question means the firm is not a good fit for you. Then it doesn't really matter what you say.

2) You're displeased but still are willing to put up with a company that dings you for that. In that case, I would open by talking about how much experience you have and how mature you are. Focus on that instead of the age.