Answering Illegal Interview Questions

by Angela Loëb

What Is An Illegal Interview Question?

Various state and federal laws require employers to refrain from asking questions in certain protected categories, such as national origin, citizenship, age, marital status, disabilities, arrest and conviction record, military discharge status, race, gender and pregnancy status.

The 3 Most Common Categories In Which Illegal Questions Are Asked:

Nationality
They can’t come right out and ask you if you are U.S. citizen, where you were born or what your native language is.

Age
They can inquire if you are over the age of 18, but that is the only legal age-related question they can ask. They can’t ask for your birthdate or for the dates when you graduated from school.

Marital/Family Status
They can’t ask for your marital status or if you have children. They definitely can’t ask about your child care arrangements.

Ideal Answers to Common Illegal Interview Questions:

Question: Are you a U.S. citizen?
Advice: Answer in the way it was supposed to be asked: “I am eligible/authorized to work in the United States.”

Question: How old are you?
Advice: Use humor to deflect: “Oh, don’t worry, I’m of legal working age!”
or
Reframe the question: “If you’re asking me how many years I’ve been working in this particular field, I’ve been in it for __ years. ”

Question: Do you have children?
Advice: Deflect: “Oh, you can be assured that I plan to pursue my career whether or not I have a family.”

Angela Loëb is an author, speaker and co-owner of Great Occupations. She and her partner, Jay Markunas, help people make successful career transitions through workshops, “pajama learning” webclasses, personalized consulting sessions, as well as through The Job Search Boot Camp Show. Find out more at www.greatoccupations.com.

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