Can they ask me that in an interview?

As the summer job season begins to wane and the ski resort season begins to wax (pun intended), you may wonder as you go into interviews what employers can and cannot ask you. It is a good question. While employers have the right to learn a lot about you during the recruiting and interviewing process, to determine whether or not you are a good fit for their organizations, it is your right to be asked questions in a lawful and proper way. During your interviews, pay attention to their questions so you can ensure that you are ready to respond in case they cross the line.

Here are some basic categories that should make your "red flag" sensor wake up.

• Family
• Religion
• Criminal History
• Ethnicity
• Health
• Age

This is not to say that they cannot ask you questions about the above, but notice how the question is asked.

For example, there are laws in place regarding a minimum age for serving alcohol so it is okay for an employer to ask you "Are you at least 21 years of age?" If someone asks you straight out, "How old are you?," they are asking that question illegally. You may for the sake of politeness say that you are not required to answer that question, but would be happy to confirm that you meet their minimum requirements.

The key is to never lose one's cool during an interview. If an employer's representative asks you an improper question, don't take it personally or get mad, just re-direct them and explain in a professional manner that their question is improper and you will not answer the question as asked. If the questions are extremely flagrant, you may simply determine that this employer is not the one for you. Remember that interviews are designed for both sides to learn more about each other.

If you would like to learn about more examples of how and where these interview question wires might get crossed, check out the following article by Lily Garcia on the WashingtonPost.com website.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/jobs/features/2007/interview-survival-kit/improper_questions.html

Summer in Seattle?

Last time when I wrote about summer in Seattle, it was just after the 4th and life (i.e. summer) had just begun. It seems now that we're in a bit of a funk where it looks and acts like early spring or late fall. We've had lots of rain and few blue skies. And if we have them at all, it is fleeting and wait ten minutes before it changes back to clouds.

Cool Works' headquarters in Gardiner, Montana, on the other hand, is having the opposite weather right now. If you believe in rain dancing, do it for Yellowstone. If so inclined there will be a meeting tonight in Gardiner regarding the Owl Fire. Get details here.

Personally, I'm having a mellow summer by not really taking any trips and staying at home trying to get organized. So, when I ask the members of our social network, My CoolWorks, to share their stories and photos, I mean it. I love to know that there are people out there doing their thing and seeing the world. Let me live vicariously through you. Share, share, share. In fact, a woman who recently joined our social network just won a camera by being the 100th person to add a photo to their profile. Come and see what it's all about.

So, for those of you still looking for some working fun or fun working, check out our list of Stretch Your Summer opportunities. Many employers' seasons run into late fall so you have not missed the summer job boat yet.

Lastly, I've had an incredible time posting jobs recently. It seems that this is the summer for adventures beyond my wildest dreams. First, I posted a series of jobs for the Nature Conservancy on the Palmyra Atoll, 1000 miles south of Hawaii and then last week, I posted a job for an opportunity like no other to see the world as a personal and research assistant for an Author preparing for his book called Mankind's Destiny.

There are lots of cool opportunities out there this summer. To learn more about these summer jobs, take a peak at CoolWorks.com.

Summer Camp to Summer Jobs

A week ago today, I had the opportunity to be a judge at Business Week, a week-long, business camp for high school students in the State of Washington. I'm definitely aging myself when I say this, but, I was a Business Week student back in the summer of 1989. I remember the feeling of excitement as I moved into my college dorm room for the week with someone I had never met before and then getting to meet other kids from all over the state to create our own business. Think of it as an organized lemonade stand for teens.

As a judge, my job was to rate the kids, (and may I say for the record, that the group of young men and women we met were outstanding), on their business knowledge, creativity, team work and presentation. I was very impressed as were the other 25 or so judges from businesses all over the Puget Sound. These kids are going to go great places. They are our future leaders and my hope is that with this experience and other summer job opportunities, they'll grow into business savvy and responsible adults.



These photos were all taken at the Business Week held at Pacific Lutheran University.

Here in Washington, we also believe that summer doesn't really begin until July 5th. Along with the rest of the country though, we want summer to stretch as long as possible, hence, Cool Works (tm) wants you to remember that there are still summer jobs out there for the taking.

Check out these cool employers who still need fun people like YOU to join them this year from now through September and sometimes October.

• Be a chef at Drowsy Water Ranch (isn't that a great name?) in Colorado.
• Sixty-Three Ranch is looking for a server/housekeeper. They're located near Yellowstone National Park.
• All kinds of jobs are still available in Washington state at Mt. Rainier, Sol Duc Hot Springs and Doe Bay Resort on Orcas Island.

Just recently we added a page on our website called Stretch Your Summer. Check it out to learn more about the jobs I mentioned above and many others.

Happy Summer Everyone! I can say that now...it's July 6th!

Learn about other cool job opportunities at CoolWorks.com.