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October 03, 2007

10 illegal job interview questions

From TechRepublic.  These seem to be aimed at the tech crowd (natch) but apply broadly as well.

  1. Where were you born?  (I think "where do you live" applies as well)
  2. What is your native language?
  3. Are you married?  (Legal in Europe)
  4. How old are you?  (Legal in Europe)
  5. Do you have children?
  6. Do you plan to get pregnant?
  7. What's your religion?
  8. Do you have a disability or illness?
  9. Are you in the National Guard?
  10. Do you smoke or use alcohol?

I think some people ask these questions inadvertently, even as offhand/small talk before or after the interview.  Often tough to respond with "that's an illegal question," calling out your potential future employer.  Best to deflect with humor I think - if the line of questioning persists, then you know something's up.  However, seems near impossible for anyone to argue that they didn't get a job based on not responding to an illegal question.