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Illegal Interview Questions

Discriminatory Questions by Employers

According to most countries nowadays, there are guidelines that employers need to follow in conducting job interviews:

• Questions should not be asked to which answers will have a disparate effect in screening out any minorities and/or members of one sex (disqualify a significantly larger percentage of members of a particular group than others).
• Questions must be job-related; that is, necessary to judge an applicant's competence for the job in question.

In order to comply with these criteria, employers should not ask questions concerning:

• Marital and Family Status
• Ancestry, National Origin, Race or Color
• Religious or Political Affiliation
• Sex
• Age (except to establish that the applicant meets minimum age requirements by law)

How Do I Handle Inappropriate Questions?

Most individuals, if they are interviewing with large organizations, will not encounter these inappropriate questions. These personnel offices and their interviewers are well versed in the laws. However, in the event that you are asked a question which seems inappropriate to you, there are several ways to handle the situation:

• 1st –Deflect the question. Simply state why you are a good candidate for the job and ignore the actual question.
• 2nd - You can give an honest, assertive, but not contentious reply. Example:
  o Interviewer: "Does your spouse mind if you travel?"
  o Applicant: "We are completely supportive of each other's career ambitions."
• 3rd - You can give an antagonistic reply such as “That’s an illegal question and I don’t have to answer it." This, however, will usually end their consideration of you for the position.
• 4th - Your best protection against inappropriate questions is to be prepared to deal with them in advance. Think of how you want to reply or not reply to these questions and practice the responses with a friend, counselor, or a Career Services Center staff member (If available in your contry of residence)
• 5th - Consider very carefully whether or not you want to work for such an organization. This interview may be a preview of discrimination you may encounter on the job.
• 6th - If you feel your legal rights have been violated, discuss the situation with a legal consultant and contact labour office (Depending on your country of residence)