Eric (39) was confronted with his medical past during a job interview
Last Friday, I had a job interview via video calling. It concerned the position of account manager. It was the second interview and I’m very enthusiastic. Or maybe I should say: I WAS very enthusiastic. I’m not quite sure yet...
But suddenly, they started talking about my reference mentioning the fact that I had suffered a burnout.
During the second interview, they said that - partly based on my reference’s email - they thought my skills and experience matched the job profile very well. But to my great surprise, they also told me that my reference wrote something about the fact that I had suffered a burnout. And then they asked me if the burnout was stress-related.
They did say that it was of course none of their business what exactly was going on. But because the position can be quite hectic, they wanted to check whether I can handle stress well. I was very taken aback by this turn in the interview and I really didn’t know how to respond.
Surely there are other ways to test someone’s stress resistance?
Of course, I understand very well that stress resistance is an important competency for this position. I really think it’s their right to ask about this and test it. Especially in these crazy times of crisis, failure is the last thing you want. But surely there are other ways to test someone’s stress resistance?
It just doesn’t feel okay to start talking about my burnout. They have no clue how that impacted me. And also, I was facing a combination of difficult circumstances at the time. I find it offensive to simply suggest that I may not be able to withstand stress. I’m also shocked that my previous employer would just share this kind of information in an email.
What about health information at work?
Did you know that...
- Health data are very sensitive personal data? That is why privacy law imposes strict conditions on the processing of this type of data.
- An employer is not allowed to ask about your health or absenteeism due to illness during an job interview? Under certain circumstances, the employer may have a pre-employment medical examination carried out by a company doctor.
- You are obliged to report if you cannot perform important parts of the job due to an illness or disability? For example, if your job requires you to stand a lot, but you are unable to do so because of your health. And an employer can of course also ask you whether you are capable of doing so.
- Employers are hardly ever allowed to record information about the nature and cause of your illness? Let alone that they can email this information to another organisation. Only the occupational health and safety service or company doctor may process these medical data.
- Employers often look up applicants online? They can use that information - without you perhaps being aware of it. Even though that is not always allowed. Therefore, be aware of the information you share on the Internet. For example, by making your social media profiles private. That is why we have also changed the personal data in this example.
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* The privacy stories on this website are based on actual reports to the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA). Due to the privacy of those involved, the personal data and some circumstances have been changed. We use models (stock photography) for the images in these stories.
Why is protecting personal data so important? These people tell what happened to them.