Was this a reasonable 'interview' question?

[TremoloGreen]

I'm looking for a job at the moment; jobs at my level in my industry are almost exclusively mediated through headhunters. I met up with a recruiter today, to chat through what I was looking for, he had a few possible things in mind going from my CV. So not an interview as such, but get to know each other and I suppose he is vetting me, making sure he's not putting forward a candidate who isn't suitable for the job.

We had (I thought) a productive chat and it all sounded promising. Then he asked me "what strategies are you going to use to minmize your stammer in any interviews?" It really put me on the back foot but actually I was really affronted. I have a mild stammer, it's not terrible but it does happen and it's noticeable. I'm an adult and I've had it for as long as I remember, I live with it, so obviously I have strategies for managing it when it happens. I find I do talk every day so I get plenty of practice. Also, I'm not new to job interviews, I'm a senior professional with close to 10 years experience of a fast-paced industry.

I basically told him the above, without getting angry but I was clear I didn't feel the need to discuss it with him. He seemed really annoyed that I wouldn't answer the question and reassure him that I wouldn't embarrass him in some way... just doing his job and all that, everyone can benefit from a few pointers on interview technique. Am I being unreasonable? I felt like he was prejudiced against me because of my stammer and assuming an interviewer would have the same attitude. I also felt it was a bit personal, but maybe that's my issue.

Can I ask everyone to be really honest? What would your automatic thoughts be if you interviewed someone with a stammer? Would you (even unconsciously) think that they might not have what it takes to do a high-pressure, client-facing job?

I took a friend to casualty last week, the senior Doctor had a stammer which is pretty bad. He stammered on every third or fourth word, nobody commented or said a word in the hour and a half we were there.

We live in a small town and I have met this Doctor before as DM has heart problems, to be honest although we know he has a stammer you get used to it, he is a fantastic Dr with a great bedside manner, which is what matters.

I think his phrasing needs work but actually I don't think raising it as an issue is particularly out of order.

your stammer must have been quite prominent and perhaps it was his cack handed way of emulating the "put you on the spot" interview questions to see how you handled it and how much your stammer was effected by stress.

the recruitment industry is a fickle beast and unfortunately reputation is key so he is not going to want to look like a fool by sending someone in who couldn't cope with the level and unless he has dealt with you previously he will have no idea whether you have strategies or coping mechanism in place to minimise the effect the stammer has on you.

as I say he went about it the wrong way but actually I don't think it was am unreasonable question

What would your automatic thoughts be if you interviewed someone with a stammer? Would you (even unconsciously) think that they might not have what it takes to do a high-pressure, client-facing job?

I've interviewed someone with a stammer and truthfully I didn't notice until the very end of the interview when we were shaking hands and he said "is it inappropriate to ask you how my stammer came across? This is my first interview after uni and I wasn't sure whether to mention it or not so you knew I was aware of it". I told him I genuinely hadn't noticed and that if it helped, many of the other candidates had stumbled over their words and that we put anything like that down to nerves being caused by an unnatural situation and we tried to concentrate on what was actually said.

Thinking about it, my old boss used to have something - I don't think it was a stammer as such but he would say "I think, think, I think that the way to go, to go..." - he has an OBE, CBE and is recognised as a trail blazer in our industry and gives speeches all over the world. Maybe that is classed as a stammer? I don't know, but I know that people listen to what he says.

That's the thing, this wasn't an interview, it sounds more like a consultancy session, and it is something that you need to think about in advance, just to ensure you are calm and interview to the best of your ability - not that your stammer may inhibit you, but you may be more conscious of it in that situation.

In a recruitment/coaching situation I would expect the recruiter to ask about disability to get the candidate thinking about it and able to respond positively in a "real" interview situation. For example, an interview may include a tour around the office building. A wheelchair user would benefit from thinking in advance how to approach this, including responding to a tour guide who might be junior and/or nervous and inexperienced about guiding a person with a disability. It does no one any good if everyone has been wound up by an inappropriately handled situation in advance of the interview.

Of course, if you were asked in an actual, formal interview, that would be discrimination.

I guess what he would have said if he wasn't a dick was "Have you found your stammer to be an issue during interviews at all?" Then you would have said "Not at all" and moved straight on.

It depends entirely on the job and on the severity of the stammer. If I was interviewing for a job which required a lot of verbal presentation and I had a candidate who stammered to the point of not being able to finish their sentence or communicate what they intended to say then i'm afraid it would be an issue. Even if it is covered by the equalities act, there needs to be a thought for whether the person can do what the job role requires.

It sounds like your stammer has in no way prevented you from doing the job you do, and that it wouldn't affect the jobs you hope to apply for. In which case I guess you should reply in that vein.

Should he have asked? I don't know, in my experience recruitment people can be absolutely awful.... and personal... suggesting women change their hairstyle or wear more makeup are not unheard of...

Thanks everyone.. and thanks for the reassurring comments. Those who want to know how bad it is, in the course of talking to you for an hour, I would probably do it 3 or 4 times, I tend to repeat first letters and/or have short pauses between words. In a stressful situation like an interview, I would probably do it a couple more times and slightly more severely, i.e. more repetitions, longer pauses but also maybe slight tics like grimacing or blinking for a split second.

Since adulthood, I am at a stage with it where it does not affect anything I do really, and for this reason, I don't consider it a disability. I have a mild aversion to using the phone, but in a work context, I just force myself to get on with it. I have given (very well rehearsed) speeches to rooms of 300 people, business pitches, countless presentations, video conferences with non-native English speakers and so on. No-one has ever commented on it in a professional context before (not to my face anyway!)

Ultimately, it isn't any more of a barrier to communicating what I want to say, than for example, having a mild accent. With that in mind, and this guy being able to see that, I can only conclude he had some perception of the stammer as 'bad' or assumed an interviewer would and that is why he questioned it. That's why I want to know what people really think - why would a stammer be 'bad'?

Obviously, I have had this stammer and dealt with others' reactions to it since before I had a developed sense of who I was, and that did have an impact on my self esteem. Therefore, although I am in a pretty good place with it these days, I don't think I've managed to eliminate all my emotional baggage. That's why I want to know if I'm BU.

The recruiter is obviously completely barmy. He thinks you have a stammer for "fun" all day, but when it comes down to an important interview you can "fix it" for an hour.

I mean really, he's a complete idiot. I wouldn't give him any more of my thought processes. Move on to people who are worth thinking about.

It sounds like it's pretty mild! And to deal with it in an almost confrontational way like that is definitely dickish on his part.

I wonder if he's the type that thinks he's coming across as really brave and no-bullshit to just address the 'elephant in the room', except there wasn't one and he did it horribly clumsily!

Those of you saying, he was only saying it to OP to assist her in a job, the op isnt someone who needed assistance. She was someone who was capable, employable with a strong work back ground. She wasnt looking for work in a call centre and I presume she knows how a stammer would fare in her field and already makes plenty of adaptations.

So I would find this question rude and offensive and a bit patronising. The annoyance he showed when you responded to his question seals the fact that he is, indeed, a dick.

Personally if it was me I would be giving a bit of feedback to him and the recruitment company.

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I'm sorry, struggling with the new mobile layout! Ignore me, but yes, he's a horrible man!

I'm sorry, struggling with the new mobile layout! Ignore me, but yes, he's a horrible man!

I agree with plec.
I would say it is a reasonable question for someone wanting you to come across as well as possible at a future interview.

So stammering prevents me from coming across well. Can you please elaborate? I've said upthread it's not really a comprehensibility issue.

So stammering prevents me from coming across well. Can you please elaborate? I've said upthread it's not really a comprehensibility issue.

Yes the recruiter was indeed a bit of a dick to ask it like that. It sounds upsetting and embarrassing for you OP

But those people bandying disability discrimination terminology around aren't helping. This was not discrimination unless the recruiter chose not to submit the OP for a job because of the stammer. Asking how she would deal with it is a legitimate question if the job involved speaking to customers or groups. There seems to be a fear of even mentioning a disability in case it's seen as prejudice, when in fact asking how it affects someone can be a positive step to support them.

Part of my job involves coaching people for interviews. One highly qualified professional client I had, had a severe and physically very noticeable disability. The disability would clearly limit their ability to do their job except that they worked and attended interviews with the assistance of a carer who did the bits they couldn't do and they used certain specialist equipment for computers etc. In discussion with the client I found out that they never actually mentioned either their disability or the presence of their carer to the potential employers at interview. They just assumed that if the employer wanted to know they would ask. Yet they had attended hundreds of interviews and never once been asked. Nor had they ever been offered a job. I assume the disability was a massive elephant in the room - employers were too scared to ask for fear of being accused of discrimination. But if they had, the client would have been able to reassure them how they would be able to carry out all aspects of the job.

perfectly fine question.
stammers can be "beaten" by various techniques, but catching you on the hop with it was probably not something he planned on doing, but threw up an awkward situation.

Personally - if I was hiring someone for a client facing/speaking position, it would be a concern if the stammer impacted upon, as people have said, presentations, client visits etc - regardless of it being an impediment, it (cruelly) can be a very off-putting situation for both the stammerer and the people around, and can then distract from the information being provided.

And, in Haff's scenario, an recruitment advisor should have brought it up so that the client could work out how to introduce that information, to shine a spotlight on the elephant, so that prospective employers could be reassured and recruit with all information.

I do practice interviews with lots of students and I will always alert them to any habit they have that might need addressing. How else are they supposed to know how to put their best side forward?

I think, in this case, the bloke was a bit blunt, but now that particular elephant has been acknowledged. OP can use it or not, as she chooses.

Tremolo maybe you need to ask someone you trust to mock interview you and to grill you a bit. You may be a little rusty and, if you know it you can deal with it.

OP - I don't know you and I don't know if it does or doesn't. However, that's not what I said. I said that it was a reasonable question for someone wanting you to come across as well as possible at a future interview.

You did ask for honest opinions.

I echo what Nomana has just said - the bloke was a bit blunt, but now you can use it or not, as you choose.

Yep, I'm fine with honest and opinions and that's great, thanks. I just wanted to get behind why I potentially am not coming across as well as possible. That is, what exactly it is about stammering (in a way that doesn't preclude understanding me) that might make someone form a negative opinion of me. For example, you might say 'I would assume you were a nervous person and not very confident' and that would be useful information.

And as for using his advice, I'm afraid I just found it a bit patronizing really. Have I thought about minimizing my stammering? Funnily enough, yes, that's what I'm doing and practicing every single day of my life. Sadly, I haven't done enough to "beat" the stammering, maybe I should have tried harder, it would have made school a lot easier

You could always ask him how he has coped in interviews, given his face?
okay, I am a child

I'm quite surprised by some of the attitudes on this thread. A stammer is something OP lives with and by the sound of it, has taken every step she can to make sure it doesn't affect her* life too much. Also she's a senior professional, not some numpty who needs telling how to behave at an interview.

a very off-putting situation for both the stammerer and the people around
I don't think the onus is on the OP to make other people feel comfortable about her stammer. She probably can't do more than she already does to control it. I have a birthmark on my face, it might make other people uncomfortable to look at me, would it be OK for a recruitment consultant to ask me what I'm planning to do about my face? Maybe I could wear makeup?

For those of you saying "perhaps he was just clumsy", a recruitment consultant is basically a salesman, he should have good social interaction skills. I think you should give his company some feedback to let them know that he made an inappropriate comment. I take it you won't be using this company for your own hiring if that comes under your remit - let them know that.