How do you respond to an inappropriate question on an interview?

[David]

A huge chunk of my job is conducting employment interviews. I don't know any personnel managers whose favorite part of their job is conducting employment interviews. First it eats up a huge chunk of your time. Secondly, you're going to end up disappointing almost everyone you interview.

But I've been on both sides of the desk in employment interviews and it's a lot easier asking the questions. That's why when I interview people I try to set them at ease. I don't play "gotch-ya" games and I don't ask BS questions like "what's your worst quality."

So he didn't handle it very well. It was not professional and it was not appropriate. Is he a bigot? I don't know. It just could have been you happened to get scheduled at the end of a long day of interviews. He's only human and humans get tired and then they say things they wouldn't have normally.

He should have handled it by asking you to pronounce your name and then repeating and asking if I got it, and then proceding to the interview.

You handled it well. It's always best not to burn your bridges. Good luck on your teaching career.