It is lawful, unless the nature of questions is outlawed or hinting at illegal activity. For practical purposes, though, confidentiality would be hard to enforce because Google cannot realistically prevent you from disclosing those questions. Whether or not Google can remedy any breach of that clause, that is a separate and uncertain aspect.
Googles clause is binding only if you consent to it. Signing an NDA is not the only way to render confidentiality binding. Consent can be evidenced by anything that reflects your agreement to abide by that condition. It could be an email reply, or by subsequent conduct such as attending the interview with knowledge that constraint and without objecting to it.
The fact that you attended the interview after reading that email makes their clause binding unless you objected and they nonetheless conducted the interview.
Obviously Google is not the government and can not classify things. Sorry for the short answer, but thats what it is. Asking you to do something in an email is not binding or everyone would send crazy requests in emails. 🙂
If you actually sign and NDA though, you have to abide by it.
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Why confidentiality skills are a must
Confidentiality in the workplace is all about keeping stuff private (e.g. company data, competitive metrics and salary info.)Â
This could be:Â
HR pros who handle sensitive data, from candidatesâ resumes to salary info.
Finance employees who manage benefits packages.
Legal teams who create classified docs full of private company info.
IT pros who process digital files and deal with data privacy.
Managers who have the downlow on strategic decisions and employee info.
How would you store historical employee records? (e.g. contracts, benefits packages etc)
When chatting to external people, how do you know what you can and canât divulge?
What do you say to someone who wants to know their teammates salary?
How do you store and share confidential docs? What are the best tech tools to use?
What do you do if a potential client wants to know company details? (e.g. for new products and features.)
If youâre asked to divulge sensitive info in a meeting, how do you respond?
What would you do if you received a sensitive email addressed to someone else?Â
Top tips:Â
Keep your questions open by using hypothetical scenarios likely to occur on the job.
Include short tests to see how your candidates respond. For example, you could ask office assistants to tell you how theyâd organize a desk to see how they store classified docs, or ask IT admin candidates to recommend cyber security apps.
Pro candidates: Youâre looking for someone who will steer clear of gossip and show tons of respect.
High ethical standards: Your ideal candidate has good judgement when it comes to assessing classified info and sensitive data access.
Discreet candidates: Discretion is a must to avoid uncomfortable situations and legal risks.
They just donât get it: Candidates who donât understand what confidential info even is, ainât gonna cut it.Â
Secretive over discreet: They need to get the difference between being confidential and not disclosing any info at all.Â
Candidates who donât care: Security is make or break for business, so you need candidates who understand the importance of secure storage and transference of confidential data.Â
Unprofessional or impolite: Being able to politely decline access to unauthorized personnel is key.
Q: You accidentally receive an email addressed to the HR Manager that contains confidential company information. How would you react?
A data breach is a serious event so effective communication is critical when one occurs. Interviewers want to see that you act quickly and decisively in this type of situation.
Sample answer: “I would immediately notify the sender that the email was sent to me in error. I wouldn’t open any attachments nor would I copy or forward the email. To maintain confidentiality, I’d delete it from both my inbox and trash.”
How you handle confidential matters and information? Secretary Job Interview Question and Answer
