HireVetsFirst (home) American Excellence at Work
Topics - Interviews - Answer Questions
Getting Started Topics Resources Support & Assistance Search Site Help
 
4. INTERVIEWS
  4.8 ANSWER QUESTIONS
   
  ILLEGAL INTERVIEWING QUESTIONS
   
 
Inquiry Area
Illegal Question
Legal Question
National Origin/Citizenship
  • Are you a U.S. citizen?
  • Where were you/your parents born?
  • What is your “native tongue?”
  • Are you authorized to work in the United States?
  • What languages do you read/speak/write fluently? (This is okay only if this ability is
    relevant to the job.)
Age
  • How old are you?
  • When did you graduate?
  • What’s your date of birth?
  • Are you over the age of 18?
Marital/Family Status
  • What’s your marital status?
  • Whom do you live with?
    Do you plan to have a family?
    When?
  • How many kids do you have?
  • What are your child-care arrangements?
  • Would you be willing to relocate if necessary?
  • Would you be able and willing to travel as needed by the job? (This is okay if it is asked of all applicants.)
  • Would you be able and willing to work overtime as necessary? (Again, this is okay only if it is asked of all applicants.)
Affiliations
  • What clubs or social organizations do you belong to?
  • List any professional or trade groups or other organizations that you consider relevant to your ability to perform this job.
Personal
  • How tall are you? How much do you weigh? (Questions about height/weight are not acceptable unless minimum standards are essential to job performance.)
  • Are you able to lift a 50-pound weight and carry it 100 yards, as that is part of the job?
Disabilities
  • Do you have any disabilities?
  • Please complete the following medical history.
  • Have you had any recent or past illnesses or operations? If yes, list them and give dates when these occurred.
  • What was the date of your last physical exam?
  • How’s your family’s health?
  • When did you lose your eyesight? How?
  • Do you need an accommodation to perform the job? (This question can only be asked after a job offer has been made.)
  • Are you able to perform the essential functions of this job? (This question is okay if the interviewer has thoroughly described the job.)
  • Can you demonstrate how you would perform the following job- related functions?
  • As part of the hiring process, after a job offer has been made, you will be required to undergo a medical exam. (Exam results must be kept strictly confidential, except medical/safety personnel may be
    informed if emergency medical
    treatment is required, and
    supervisors may be informed about
    necessary job accommodations,
    based on exam results.)
Arrest Record
  • Have you ever been arrested?
  • Have you ever been convicted of __________? (The crime named should be reasonably related to the performance of the job in question.)
Military
  • If you’ve been in the military, were you honorably discharged?
  • In what branch of the Armed Forces did you serve?
  • What type of training or education did you receive in the military?
   
  Taken from: “Handling Illegal Questions.” Kaplan, Rochelle. Planning Job Choices, 1998. National
Association of Colleges and Employers, 1998, pp. E61-2.
   
  Worrying about what is right is always more important than worrying about who is right.
 
Go Back One Page
Go To Next Page
© 2005