This question was asked during a hedge fund interview. It took me completely by surprise. Moreover, is this even legit to ask something private like this? Totally weirded me out.
Did anyone ever experience this?
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Unhelpful response: I'm pretty sure it is illegal to ask that question.
Wow thanks. At least I know it wasn't just me who felt that this was a weird question to ask.
Recitation: Let us proceed to facilitate communication, and bring about the termination of hostilities.
dammit im out of SBs
Don't think they should've asked the question like that, maybe interviewer is inexperienced or just dumb. They should've asked how you learned about the hedge fund and what got you interested in finance, and leave it to the candidate to bring up their parents if they want to...
easy answer: my parents are dead, next question. if they're not, that's fine, it's none of their business.
Ya that question is completely uncalled for & totally useless. What kind of idiot asks that?
I've had that happen in an interview and said they were dead & then the interviewer stumbled around for a couple min before I wrapped it up & walked out.
Guess things really are a little different over there, cos here in Asia that's about as normal a question as "What did you have for lunch?", or "At what age did you discover masturbation?". Just the usual small talk.
I can't tell if this is a troll
I was asked a similar question - but that was part of the conversation. I lived in many country, interviewer was curious, I obliged. It all depends of the context.
Have been asked this in two separate interviews (both UK). Once out of the blue and another time it was a natural part of the conversation. Unsure if legal.
Did it organically come up or did they say something like "okay, next question, what do your parents do?"
Yes, it was exactly like you said, "okay, next question, what do your parents do?" That's why it felt a little strange..
Is it really that harmful? Whether someone told me their dad was a big shot at KKR and their mom a spinal surgeon, or that their dad sold weed and their mom gave massages, it's interesting without taking away from someone's chances to get the job. You might score some bonus points on the sympathy, relatibility factor if nothing else.
I think it totally depends on your interviewer. if your interviewer is a WASP, came from HYP, spent summers at the cape flirting with tennis instructors, and then you say something like "my dad's an auto mechanic," not much opportunity for rapport building. I would think that interviewers click better with people they have similar interests/backgrounds as.
if your interviewer is a non-target who hustled his/her way into the job, they probably won't ask this question, unless they want to see if you've struggled to get to where you are. if you flip roles, let's say you're the yuppie and the interviewer grew up in a trailer, your parents' profession could hurt you.
I think it's a totally fine question with the right context. for example, let's say I got curious about finance because my dad was a banker. a perfectly natural question would be "where did your dad work?" which is much less invasive than "what do you parents do?"
for people who have successful parents and are proud of them, it's silly to think that this question could do harm, but for those on this forum who are a bit embarrassed by their parents or want to surpass them in wealth/career success, I hope you can see why this question feels out of bounds.
Fair enough, although I would assume most people hope to be wealthier than their parents (unless they're absolutely loaded) and I think it's sad to be embarrassed by what your parents do although I can see some instances where that's the case.
In the end it all comes down to context. I was asked if my parents were in the industry (commodities is a hotbed of nepotism) but it seemed natural enough.
Yeah, lot's of people land jobs on wall street with the sympathy card.
I'd say 95% of people land jobs on Wall Street because the interviewer likes them. The "sympathy card" obviously won't be a big factor, but every little bit helps. Some interviewers like people who seemed to have hustled to get where they are.
Is this a hedge fund with $500k AUM started by some retard?
Several partners asked this question in PE / HF recruiting. It was a bit more discrete along the lines of tell me about your upbringing so it's fairly open ended and less invasive. It was surprising but given the flow of the conversation wasn't terribly "weird or rude". Ultimately, they just wanted to get to know me as a person a bit more, how I came down my path, etc. It was more of an airport test.
I was asked something similar when interviewing for IBD. Definitely helped set me apart from other candidates at the time when you explain to the interviewer you're a first generation college student from a target school that doesn't sit around complaining about how the world is unfair and can hold a conversation. But, I could definitely see it hurting you if you come from an upper/upper middle class family since you're probably automatically labeled as a rich kid who doesn't deserve squat (as untrue as that may be for some). Such is life, I suppose.
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