Secrets of a CRA Recruiter
Secrets of a CRA Recruiter
How to Navigate Illegal Interview Questions
Navigating Illegal Interview Questions: A Jobseeker’s Guide
Today’s roundtable topic is illegal interview questions. I want to note that this podcast is primarily for the candidate. While hiring managers and interviewers will benefit, job seekers should be educated about interview questions that are classified as illegal.
Hiring Managers, we cover this topic as well as provide an interview template here.
We will provide examples of illegal interview questions, discuss what makes them unlawful to ask, and provide tangible advice on how to respond if asked an inappropriate question.
We discuss several references in the podcast, so I am providing them below. But know this: If a question feels invasive, trust your instincts. You are not obligated to answer, but how you respond can preserve your candidacy. After all, you may be dealing with a ‘non-trained’ interviewer rather than someone who is trying to discriminate.
Always prioritize your comfort and rights because no job is worth compromising. We hope this podcast helps you to stay informed, stay confident, and remember that interviews are about your skills, not your personal life.
List of references:
- Federal and state laws, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), prohibit employers from discriminating against job applicants or employees based on protected characteristics.
- Note that the above laws will also protect you from companies asking irrelevant interview questions. Simply put, questions have to be pertinent to the requirements of the position. For example, a company can’t ask if you have a driver’s license if the job doesn’t require travel.
- Employers who ask illegal questions risk facing lawsuits and penalties from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or other regulatory agencies.
We want to hear from you.
Have you been asked an illegal interview question? How did you handle it?