It's good to know there are employers who waste valuable interview time wondering whether the guy with the funny-sounding name with a great track record and a degree from IIT is a (gasp) Hindu! A god-damned heathen Hindu! Jesus H. Christ, we do not hire heathens at this here company.
You think they're trying just to be sneaky? All of the alternative questions seemed legitimate.
I'm surprised that you can't ask about military discharge service. Aren't you generally allowed to ask someone the circumstances under which they left a particular job? It seems a little unfair that the military gets a special exemption.
Your post demonstrates bigotry against Hindus - no reading between the lines is necessary. Before you post ignorant comments, perhaps you should read the Bhagavad-Gita.
What if the best coder you had ever seen happened to be a Hindu? If you still thought twice about this person based on their religious belief, I would think twice about your judgment.
Most (all?) religions require their followers to take something on faith, which implies suspending scientific, critical judgement. And most people believe in some religion (computer scientists included - Knuth is an obvious example).
In other words, beliefs have little to do with intellectual ability/productiveness/excellence in software. Get over it.
If somebody literally believed in a multi-armed, elephant-headed monstrosity up in the clouds granting wishes[1], I would THINK TWICE about him. I reserve the right to THINK TWICE about people who are completely deluded. As an employer, might I still exploit this person's labor? Quite possibly. But you better believe that modern-day medievalists give reason for pause. Most people are only nominally religious, or behave so, which is expected.
Sorry for repeating myself, but when I say something that is 100 percent reasonable, I don't really like taking a lot of shit from people.
ignorant comments, perhaps you should read the Bhagavad-Gita
The day I read the Bhagavad-Gita or Rama-rama Ding Dong for that matter in order to reduce my ignorance is the day I die.
which implies suspending scientific, critical judgement
...which implies stupidity. I know, I know. That's the problem. I don't want people suspending scientific, critial judgement.
[1] Or whatever the hell it does--it's not relevant.
but don't expect to be taken seriously when you deride Hinduism
There's a whole army of people on reddit and elsewhere who deride Christianity endlessly and are very much taken seriously when they do so. It's a common double-standard, and I'm always amazed when people get offended by it merely being pointed out.
It's good to know that the HR industry is trained to be a giant pool of snakes right from the get-go.
My advice: At most companies that I'd work for, the HR person carries very little weight. If you get any questions that you think are "sneaky", ask why they're asking.
Is anybody of the opinion that these questions are somehow immoral? Like: how old are you? Got any kids? Live nearby? How tall are you?
Some of these are obviously too intrusive, like what's your religion. But heck, most of this is stuff we'd ask each other over drinks at a mixer anyway.
With the hiring laws the way they are, it is no wonder that HR folks have gotten the reputation as conniving. It's a job I would never want to have in a million years.
It's good to know there are employers who waste valuable interview time wondering whether the guy with the funny-sounding name with a great track record and a degree from IIT is a (gasp) Hindu! A god-damned heathen Hindu! Jesus H. Christ, we do not hire heathens at this here company.