Can a company where I had a job interview ask other interviewees about me?
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Can a company where I had a job interview ask other interviewees about me?
I recently had a job interview. When I went in to my current job, a coworker who
also had a job interview at this company told me he was asked in his interview
what he thought about me. Now I am worried that he will tell my current employer
and put my current job in jeopardy.
Is this a legal tactic for an employer?
Asked on May 11, 2018 under Employment Labor Law, New Jersey
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
There is no legal prohibition agains this. It is perfectly permissable for an employer to inquire of others about their knowledge of you; this include fellow applicants. If for some reason you think that this action had to do with some form of actionable discrimination (i.e. was due to your race, religion, gender, age (over 40), disability, nationality, etc.), then you may have a claim but otherwise you do not.
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
It is completely legal. There is no law stating that a company cannot ask other persons, including other job candidates or interviewees, about one of the candidates; more generally, there is no law about any person asking any other person what the know about or think about someone, and also no law preventing someone who knows you interviewed somewhere from telling your current employer about it. This, unfortunately, is a risk of interviewing for a job.
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