Be aware of 'illegal' interview questions!

Did you realize that there are actually some questions that cannot be asked during a job interview or on a application? There are federal and state laws in effect that prohibit prospective employers from inquiring about how old you are, your marital status, disabilities, affiliations, race, sexual preference, color, religion and national origin. The laws are in effect because obtaining and utilizing this kind of information to make a hiring decision is considered discriminatory.

We all know that there is a more then one way to skin a cat, meaning, an experienced interview may know how to word questions in a legal way to obtain desired information. Some examples of illegal/legal questions:

• Illegal: Are you a US Citizen?
• Legal: Are you authorized to work in the United States

• Illegal: How old are you? What is your birthday? How much longer do you plan to work before retiring?
• Legal: Are you over the age of 18?

• Illegal: Are you married? Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? Do you have children? What are your daycare plans?
• Legal: Would you be willing to travel as needed for this position? Are you willing and able to work overtime if needed?

• Illegal: Do you belong to any social clubs or organizations?
• Legal: Do you belong to any professional organizations that may be relevant to this job opportunity?

• Illegal: Do you have any disabilities? Have you had any recent illness or operations?
• Legal: Can you lift 50-pounds and stand for extended periods of time?

• Illegal: Have you ever been arrested?
• Legal: Have you ever been convicted of a (fill in the blank)

Be alert! Even when answering legal questions, the interviewee tends to talk too much, resulting in disclosing information that could potentially be used against you when a final hiring decision is made.

Reminder of Re-Employment Workshops and the Networking Job Club

Workshop schedule for Oct. 4-8, 2010

• Tuesday, Oct. 5 @ 8:30 a.m. - Networking Job Club


• Tuesday, Oct. 5 @ 9:30 a.m. - Preparing for the Interview Workshop


• Wednesday, Oct. 6 @ 9:30 a.m. - The Mature Job Seeker

Fondly,

Sam