Forbidden Questions
about Race:
Examples: What is
your skin color?
What is your race?
Is your spouse Caucasian/Hispanic/African American/Asian, etc?
Exceptions: There are no fair questions about race in an interview or application,
but an employer can allow you to voluntarily indicate your race on your application.
Forbidden
Questions about National Origin:
Examples: You sound
like you have an accent; where
are you from?
Where were you born?
Are you an American citizen?
Exceptions: Employers are required to hire only those employees who can legally
work in the United States. For that reason, employers can ask whether you are
eligible to work in the United States.
Suspect
Questions about Age:
The Age Discrimination
in Employment Act of 1967 protects
workers over 40 in private companies
of twenty employees or more and
government organizations.
Examples: When were
you born?
When did you graduate from high school?
How old are you?
Exceptions: The act does not prohibit interviewers from posing questions about
age, but does prohibit discrimination on these grounds unless age directly
affects the job. An employer can rightfully inquire whether the candidate meets
the minimum federal age requirements for employment (usually 14-17 years old). |