What applicants should know about illegal interview questions

On Behalf of | May 14, 2016 | Employee Rights

Even though job growth was not as strong in April compared to previous months, a number of people are still poised to enter the job market as 2016 continues. With that, hiring should be expected to continue at a brisk pace. However, not all job applicants are treated the same, and they may not always understand their rights as they are considered for open positions.

As such, job seekers should be aware of questions may be illegal. This post will highlight a few of them.

Questions about your marital status – It may be natural in idle small talk to volunteer information about your spouse, especially if you are soon to be married or are recently divorced. However, questions by a potential employer about whether you are married, single or divorced are illegal. After all, your marital status should not be a qualification or requirement for employment.

Questions about nationality or religious affiliation – With many applicants, it may not be so obvious what their nationality is, or what religion they subscribe to. Nevertheless, an employer’s  questions to clarify an applicant’s religion or race are not allowed.

Questions about disabilities or handicaps – In the same vein, interview questions about potential disabilities or specific health conditions that do not reasonably relate to an applicant’s ability to perform the job are illegal.

Questions about family and children – Similar to what we noted above, an employer may not ask questions about your family; especially about your spouse’s employment status. The same applies to questions about you many children you have or whether you have child care.

If you have questions about illegal interview questions, contact an experienced employment law attorney

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