Some questions about financial situation have been used to discriminate against minorities. However, if they don`t address race, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, or genetic information, they are not inappropriate interview questions. Some questions are illegal for an employer before a conditional offer of employment. These may include the following questions: Carefully planned questions and a structured interview process that is the same for all candidates ensure equal treatment of all candidates. Focus on the requirements of the position and how each candidate has worked in the past. “I`ve lived in several different places, but I`m legally allowed to work in the United States.” The U.S. EEOC sets ground rules for illegal questions that an employer cannot ask. Depending on where you live and the job you are interviewing for, the employer may be able to check your criminal record as part of a background check. If someone illegally asks you for your credit history, you can simply say: DISCLAIMER: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal or personal advice. If you have specific legal questions, you should consult your lawyer if necessary. Below are practical tips on how to navigate the questions as they are asked. We are not lawyers and none of the following is legal advice. If someone asks you a question about religion, you can also assure them of your availability by saying something like, “So, what should you do?” Before the interview, think about the illegal questions listed below.
Decide how you will deal with it. If you don`t feel comfortable responding to an answer, prepare your response in advance. Try to answer in a way that preserves your privacy without offending the interviewer. An employer may need to ask questions about race for subsidy programs. If not, here are some examples of what you shouldn`t ask during a job interview: Many employers ask this question because they are concerned about absenteeism. However, legally, an employer cannot refuse to hire someone on the basis of marital status, marital status or sexual orientation, and this question alludes to all of the above. An acceptable way to ask about absenteeism would be, “Do you have any commitments that could prevent you from adhering to the work schedule we discussed?” Have you ever been arrested? (illegal in some states) Religious organizations may discriminate on the basis of their religion. For everyone else, questions about religion are questions you can`t ask in an interview. If you decide to answer, you can tell the interviewer: A good answer would remind them of your relevant strengths and show them how your experience can benefit their business: If a question about gender arises, your best approach would be to answer the question without even mentioning sex: There are dozens of questions, that you can`t ask in an interview, and hundreds more that you can. The EEOC does not mention education in its list of questions that should not be asked in a job interview.
Nevertheless, some educational questions may reveal the age of a candidate. Again, this is not technically legal advice and we are not lawyers. However, if you decide to take legal action after being asked illegal questions, you should seek advice from a lawyer. Since the law is still evolving, it is also the responsibility of the human resources department to check for updates to the law that may affect the legal interview questions you may ask. Alcohol or drug use: The only question allowed regarding current or past drug or alcohol use is: “Are you currently using illegal drugs?” When it comes to your interview questions, they should be designed to determine a candidate`s ability to perform the essential duties you have defined for the position. Make sure you formulate your requests in language relevant to the job and do not assume a candidate`s abilities or disabilities. Gender, gender or sexual orientation. Some of these questions are quite simple, such as: height, weight, citizenship and similar concerns may be considered inappropriate interview questions. It depends on why the employer is asking the question and how they use the information. Why is the date of high school graduation on the list of questions you cannot ask during an interview? It can show your age. Pro tip: Still not sure how to answer illegal interview questions? You can always respond and decide later if the hiring manager has crossed a line.
What is it? As a job seeker, how do you know when to talk and when to zip it? Legal: Background checks and credit checks are legal as long as you give your permission and comply with all state and federal laws. You can end the interview at any time or refuse to answer the question. It may be uncomfortable, but it`s better than working for a company whose policies you don`t agree with. If you are asked illegal questions, in this case you can even show that you do not want to work for the company – they did you a favor by showing you their true face. But how old are you? And what is your date of birth? are fine if it is a legal requirement for the job. For example, if you are under 18 or work in a bar. An interviewer may ask, “Are you legally allowed to work in the United States?” or “How many languages do you speak fluently?” It`s illegal to ask a candidate questions: When interviewers ask these questions, they may be interested in learning more about your commitment to a church, but they probably ask you if you can work certain days or hours. It`s a gray area when an interviewer asks a question like “Can you work on Sunday mornings?” but they should never associate these questions with religion. For most employers, citizenship is a list of illegal questions to ask during an interview. As long as the candidate`s documents are legal, hiring managers have no right to this information. Citizenship, ancestry or nationality. Employers in the U.S.
can get into big trouble if they hire people who aren`t legally allowed to work in the country. For this reason, companies have begun to take more extreme measures to find out the citizenship of their applicants even before they are hired. Did we miss any questions we shouldn`t be asking in an interview? Maybe a hiring manager demanded an answer to an inappropriate interview question? Call us in the comments! We will be happy to answer you. Most inquiries about disability and medical matters are considered illegal interview questions. Employers can only ask, “Can you do the work?” Although interview questions like these are asked on phone screens around the world, it is technically an illegal interview question as it can often infer age. The Age Discrimination Act prevents age discrimination in the workplace. Instead, employers can ask questions like, “Do you have a college degree?” Or, “Are you over 18?” Handicap. Interviewers will often ask you questions about your ability to perform certain tasks, with questions such as “Are you able to safely lift and carry objects weighing up to 50 pounds?” or “Are you able to handle the duration of an eight-hour shift?” These questions are legal and quite common. Pro tip: Before you sit down for an interview, take some time to make a list of your best accomplishments. Sometimes interviewers ask an inappropriate question without realizing it – they can be just as clueless as we are.
In this case, you can answer politely, but only acknowledge the intent of the question in your answer. If background checks are not used for a protected group, these are not inappropriate interview questions. Interviewers cannot ask about your age with questions such as: Fair hiring laws have been enacted to give every candidate a fair chance in the interview and selection process.
