- MENU
- HOME
- SEARCH
- WORLD
- MAIN
- AFRICA
- ASIA
- BALKANS
- EUROPE
- LATIN AMERICA
- MIDDLE EAST
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Benelux
- Brazil
- Canada
- China
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Poland
- Russia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Taiwan
- Turkey
- USA
- BUSINESS
- WEALTH
- STOCKS
- TECH
- HEALTH
- LIFESTYLE
- ENTERTAINMENT
- SPORTS
- RSS
- iHaveNet.com: Small Business Guide
Real Small Business
Even though you need to ask a lot of questions to conduct an effective job interview, you cannot just ask anything. Certain interview questions are illegal to ask, and asking them can lead to a discrimination lawsuit.
Asking questions without the intent of using the answer to discriminate against potential employees is no defense. Furthermore, even if someone volunteers information during the interview that could lead to discrimination, you can still be held liable. For that reason, never write down any information that falls into the categories of questions covered below or into any others you may believe could get you into legal trouble. In these circumstances, state that the volunteered information is not relevant to the interview and move on.
Illegal Job Interview Question Topics
Luckily, you can easily avoid legal trouble by avoiding certain kinds of questions. Most of the illegal interview questions are non-job related and you can keep yourself within legal bounds by sticking to professional topics in an interview.
- Age
- Race, ethnicity, or color
- Gender or sex
- Country of national origin or birthplace
- Religion
- Disability
- Marital or family status or pregnancy
Questions to steer clear of when conducting a job interview include
How old are you?
People over 40 are protected by state and federal law to prevent age discrimination and therefore you may not inquire about a candidate's age. Because most people graduate from high school at age 17 or 18, you may also not ask the year someone graduated from high school.
However, you may ask about year of graduation from college because people attend college at different stages of life.
Are you married?
Leave this kind of question for getting acquainted after an offer has been extended.
Are you a citizen?
Although you will need to verify that someone is a citizen in order to hire them legally, you cannot find out by asking this question.
You may ask it another way however: "Could you, after employment, submit verification of your legal right to work in the United States?"
Are you planning on having children soon?
You may describe job requirements including travel, overtime and hours, and ask candidates if they have any reason they cannot meet the requirements, but you may not ask about plans for childbearing.
May I have your maiden name?
Because knowing a maiden name may provide information about someone's national origin, it opens you up to charges of discrimination. Likewise, you cannot ask for the name of a relative to contact in case of emergency.
You may ask for someone to contact as long as you do not stipulate that the person be a relative.
Are you disabled? Do you have any medical problems? Have you ever filed for worker's compensation?
The 1992 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits job discrimination based on disabilities of any kind.
The questions listed above are just a few examples. It is safest to assume that you cannot ask questions about a person's health or physical capabilities. What you may do is describe job responsibilities and ask the candidate if he/she is capable of performing the job functions "with or without accommodation?"
Small Business Guide
- Starting Up Your Business
- Coming Up With a Winning Business Idea
- Common Startup Mistakes
- The New Rules for Startups
- Business Incubator FAQs
- Naming Your Business
- Researching Your Business
- Your Personal Savings
- Registration, Licenses, and Permits
- Getting a Tax ID Number
- Fast-Growth Startup Resources
- Structuring Your Business
- Overview: Corporations
- State Offices of Incorporation
- Incorporate Out of State?
- Writing a Partnership Agreement
- Choosing a Board of Directors
- Basics of a C Corporation
- Basics of an S Corporation
- Basics of an LLC
- Basics of a Sole Proprietorship
- Basics of a Non-Profit Corporation
- Basics of a Professional Corporation
- Basics of a General Partnership
- Basics of a Limited Partnership
- Your Company's Public Relations
- Elements of a Successful Public Relations Campaign
- How to Use Your Press Coverage Effectively
- Press Releases
- How to Write a Successful Press Release
- Sample Product/Service Press Release
- Sample Commentary Press Release
- Sample Event Press Release
- Sample Tips Press Release
- Sample Personnel Press Release
- Effective Competitive Analysis
- Managing Purchasing to Maximize Cash Flow
- Top Six Pricing Mistakes Businesses Make
- How to Avoid Lowering Your Prices
- Bidding Basics
- Hiring Staff
- Creating an Effective Job Description
- Do You Know How to Pick Them?
- Little-Known Hiring Resources
- Classifying Contract Workers
- Tips for Successful Interviewing
- What You Can't Ask in a Job Interview
- New Hire Paperwork
- Small Business Insurance
- Types of Insurance for Small Businesses
- Small Business Insurance FAQs
- Insurance Resources for Small Businesses
- Home Office Insurance: Myths & Realities
- Small Business Resources
- Government Resources for Small Business on the Web
- Resources for Women Entrepreneurs
- Fast-Growth Startup Resources
- Small Business Security Resources
- Taking Time Off
- Your Pre-Vacation Checklist
- How to Take a Vacation
- Learning to Delegate
- Getting Away When You Can't Get Away
- Preparing for Tax Season
- Year-End Planning Tax Savers
- 10 Ways to Pay Less in Tax
- 25 Common Business Deductions and Expenses
- Avoid These Common Errors and Audit Triggers
- Understanding the Home Office Deduction
- Corporate Income Taxes Primer
- Employment Taxes Primer
- Sales Tax Primer
- Sole Proprietorships and Partnerships Tax Primer
- How to Get a Filing Extension
- Year-End Reconciliation
- Getting the Most from Your Accountant
- Developing Accurate Financial Projections
- Cash Flow
- 10 Ways to Help Increase Your Cash Flow
- Cash vs Accrual Accounting
- Bookkeeping and Record Keeping Basics
- Quick Ways to Get Through a Cash Crunch
- Projecting Cash Flow
- Cash Flow Triage
- Getting Funding
- Cash Flow Through Factoring
- Small Business Investment Corporations (SBIC)
- Traditional Funding Sources
- Non-Traditional Funding Sources
- Your Company's Credit
- How to Read a Business Credit Report
- Credit Terms Glossary for Your Small Business
- How to Protect and Improve Your Business Credit Rating
- Give Your Business the Financing Edge
- Employee Compensation
- Employee Benefits
- Bonuses: How To Be Fair
- Workers' Compensation Q&A
- Keeping Workers' Compensation Costs Down
- Payroll Management Choices
- Key Elements of Payroll
- Working with a Payroll Service Provider
- How to Create a Business Plan
Starting Your Own Business - Hiring Staff - Questions You Can't Ask During a Job Interview
Article: Copyright ©. All rights reserved.