Illegal Interview Questions The Interviewer Can’t Ask You

Besides having to answer tough interview questions what may stump you even more is illegal interview questions. There are questions an job interviewer can’t ask, but they do and you have the right to refuse them.

Just like on a job application you don’t have to divulge your marital status, number of children, date of birth, nationality, religious background etc. While these are more straight to the point, some hiring Human Resources may try to go another route of asking these illegal questions. There are many more, but here are some variations:

1. How’s your health?
2. Do you plan to start a family soon?
3. Are you authorized to work in the US or Canada (or other country)?
4. Where were you born?
5. Do you attend church?
6. Do you observe (holiday)?
7. How many times have you missed work due to illness or family emergencies in the last year?
8. What social organizations do you belong to?
9. What was your first language spoken at home?
10. When do you plan to retire?

If you choose to answer any of the illegal questions, be careful in how you answer them. I often hear employers ask “Tell me about yourself.” Don’t go into the spiel of stating your age or emphasizing how young your children are etc.

On the other hand if you refuse, do it tactfully. Don’t flat out say, “I refuse to answer.” You can say something like, “That’s an unusual question. I’ve never been asked that before.”

There are ways around it by choosing your words carefully so you’re not directly answering or not answering their illegal questions. Keep in mind too; do you really want to work for a company who is discriminatory?

~Sophia