Prohibited job interview questions

There are laws made to protect you when you are on a job interview. These laws limit what can and should be asked during the hiring process. Some of the main ones are about Race, Religion, and age. Here are a few that you might not have given a second thought to:

- Are you pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant in the near future
- Do you have children?
- Are you presently serving in the National Guard?
- Do you smoke or drink alcohol?
- Do you have any chronic illnesses?
- Are you married?
- Where were you born? or What is your national origin?
- When did you graduate from high school?
- Are you a U.S. Citizen?

Employers ask these questions to try to gauge whether you might be taking extra time off of work. If you have children then they might get sick often. If you are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant, then you might not come back to work. If you are over 55 years of age, then they might think you will be retiring soon. Asking what year you graduated high school is a round about way to figure out how old you are. Always try to sway the conversation off of these questions. If they ask whether you are a U.S. Citizen, you can respond that you are authorized to work in the United States. Never be confrontational as that might eliminate you from any chance of getting the job.