October 13, 2013

7 Illegal Interview Questions

When was your last job interview? Did you get asked lots of interview questions? Were you prepared for all of them? Did you know that there are lots of questions that are actually illegal?

It may surprise you, but there are certain subjects that are taboo. In fact, any job that questions your age, race, national origin, gender, religion, marital status, pregnancy, arrest record, or sexual orientation are completely unacceptable. For instance, an interviewer cannot ask you:

  1. Have you ever been arrested?
  2. Are you married?
  3. Do you go to church?
  4. What is your citizenship?
  5. Is English your first language?
  6. How old are you?
  7. Are you disabled?

These questions are illegal under both state and federal laws. You are more than welcome to answer any of these questions if you choose to, but you do not have to unless you want to. In many cases, it may be smarter to dodge the question or you may have an awkward interview situation.

It’s up to you to make note if you are asked any of these questions and then you can take action. It’s smart to be aware of what questions are illegal and to realize that you do not have to answer any of them. Be prepared for these questions, just in case you are asked them during a job interview.

Now there are loopholes to these questions. It all depends on how the questions are phrased. Discover more illegal interview questions and how they can be phrased differently and legally on USAToday.com and Business Insider.

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