Illegal Interview Questions
Yes, there are questions that potential employers are barred from asking. Interviewers should only be concerned with your abilities and qualifications.
Illegal questions include:
Age:
• What is your date of birth?
• What year did you graduate from high school or college?
• How much longer do you plan to work before you retire?
Nationality:
• Are you a US citizen?
• What is your national origin?
• What country are you from?
• Is English your first language?
• What is your native tongue?
• How long have you lived here?
Religion:
• What church do you attend?
• What religious holidays do you practice?
• Do you belong to a club or social organization?
Marital and Family Status:
• Are you single, married, widowed, divorced, or separated?
• Is this your maiden name?
• What do you think of interoffice dating?
• Do you have children or are you planning to have children?
• If you get pregnant, will you continue to work and will you come back after maternity leave?
• Who will take care of your children while you’re at work?
• What is your sexual orientation?
• What do your parents do for a living?
Gender:
• We’ve always had a man/woman do this job. How do you think you will stack up?
• How do you feel about supervising/working with men/women?
Health and Physical Abilities:
• Do you socially drink?
• Do you smoke?
• Do you take drugs?
• Have you ever been treated for drug addiction or alcoholism?
• How much do you weigh?
• How tall are you?
• How many days were you absent from work because of illness last year?
• Do you have any disabilities?
• Have you ever been hospitalized? If so, for what condition?
• Have you ever been treated by a psychiatrist or psychologist? If so, for what condition?
• Are you taking any prescribed drugs?
• Have you ever filed a workers’ compensation claim?
• How did you get that scar/mark/other physical abnormality?
Miscellaneous:
• How far is your commute?
• Do you live nearby?
• Have you ever been arrested?
• Do you have any outstanding debt?
• What type of discharge did you receive in the military?
• How often are you deployed for your Army Reserve training exercises?
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