{"id":692,"date":"2025-04-08T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kafkaonline.com\/?p=692"},"modified":"2025-04-30T11:10:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T11:10:12","slug":"6-types-of-illegal-interview-questions-to-watch-out-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/kafkaonline.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/08\/6-types-of-illegal-interview-questions-to-watch-out-for\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Types Of Illegal Interview Questions To Watch Out For"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.workitdaily.com\/media-library\/professional-woman-nervous-after-being-asked-illegal-interview-questions.jpg?id=22028558&amp;width=1200&amp;height=800&amp;coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0\"><\/p>\n<p>Did you know that there are interview questions that might seem legitimate but are actually illegal? While there are some that are clearly inappropriate, not all of them are so obvious. Don&#8217;t overlook the different types of illegal interview questions! <\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Illegal interview questions often touch on personal topics like age, marital status, religion, or citizenship\u2014topics that have no bearing on your ability to do the job. Knowing what\u2019s off-limits can help you recognize red flags and respond professionally when you&#8217;re caught off guard.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few types of illegal interview questions you should watch out for during your next job interview.<\/p>\n<h3>Types of Illegal Interview Questions<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"rm-shortcode\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"4b4d4df2d9964554146692890876c385\" style=\"position:relative;padding-top:56.25%\"><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What To Do When You&#039;re Asked An Illegal Interview Question\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZOCnF-49hqQ?start=56&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Interview questions about your family life:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Are you married?<\/li>\n<li>Do you have any kids?<\/li>\n<li>Are you pregnant?<\/li>\n<li>Who takes care of your kids while you&#8217;re at work?\n<\/li>\n<li>\nDo you have childcare arrangements?\n<\/li>\n<li>\nIs your spouse okay with you working long hours?\n<\/li>\n<li>\nDoes your family support your career goals?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Interview questions about race:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What&#8217;s your nationality?<\/li>\n<li>What race are you?<\/li>\n<li>Where are you from originally?\n<\/li>\n<li>\nWhat\u2019s your ethnic background?\n<\/li>\n<li>\nAre you a U.S. citizen? <em>(This is often a nuanced area\u2014asking about work authorization is legal, but asking about citizenship\/nationality can cross a line.)<\/em>\n<\/li>\n<li>\nWhat language do you speak at home?\n<\/li>\n<li>\nAre you part of a minority group?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><strong>Interview questions about religion:<\/strong><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>What church do you attend?<\/li>\n<li>What is your religion?<\/li>\n<li>Are you religious?<\/li>\n<li>Do you pray at work?\n<\/li>\n<li>\nWill you need time off for religious holidays?\n<\/li>\n<li>\nCan you work on weekends\/Sundays\/Saturdays? <em>(This can be legal if it\u2019s asked of all candidates, but becomes problematic if it&#8217;s targeting someone\u2019s religion.)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><strong>Interview questions about your living situation:<\/strong><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>Do you own a home?<\/li>\n<li>Do you rent?<\/li>\n<li>Do you have an apartment?<\/li>\n<li>Do you have anybody living with you?<\/li>\n<li>Do you live with your parents?<\/li>\n<li>How long is your commute?\n<\/li>\n<li>\nWhat\u2019s your ZIP code?\n<\/li>\n<li>\nWho do you live with?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><strong>Interview questions about your gender:<\/strong><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>Are you male or female?<\/li>\n<li>What\u2019s your gender?<\/li>\n<li>\nAre you transgender?\n<\/li>\n<li>What&#8217;s your sexual orientation?<\/li>\n<li>\nAre you in a same-sex relationship?\n<\/li>\n<li>\nAre you gay or straight?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><strong>Interview questions about your age:<\/strong><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>How old are you?<\/li>\n<li>What&#8217;s your birth year?<\/li>\n<li>When&#8217;s your birthday?<\/li>\n<li>What year did you graduate from high school?<\/li>\n<li>What year did you graduate from college?<\/li>\n<li>How long have you been working?\n<\/li>\n<li>\nAre you planning to retire soon?\n<\/li>\n<li>\nDo you think you can keep up with a younger team? <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Why These Interview Questions Are Illegal<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Man answers a question during a job interview\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"67836c6cbee6bb4c44a445d0e3bbb36e\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"e8069\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.workitdaily.com\/media-library\/man-answers-a-question-during-a-job-interview.jpg?id=29826283&amp;width=980\"><\/p>\n<p>So what makes these questions illegal?<\/p>\n<p>First, they have no relation to the job requirements. Second, there are <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeoc.gov\/statutes\/title-vii-civil-rights-act-1964\" target=\"_blank\">strict laws<\/a> in place that prevent interviewers from asking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.workitdaily.com\/common-interview-questions-and-answers\" target=\"_blank\">interview questions<\/a> that can be discriminatory<\/strong>. These laws exist to ensure fair hiring practices and to protect candidates from being judged on personal factors rather than professional qualifications. Questions about age, marital status, religion, or citizenship status can open the door to bias and are, therefore, off-limits.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re asked something that feels too personal, it&#8217;s worth considering whether the question is appropriate\u2014or even legal.<\/p>\n<h3>Why Interviewers Ask Illegal Interview Questions<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Man goes in for an informational interview\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"976984de5d99525018c039755ab471f1\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"36bd4\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.workitdaily.com\/media-library\/man-goes-in-for-an-informational-interview.jpg?id=22640623&amp;width=980\"><\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, there are bad interviewers out there who will try to slip some of these questions in on purpose (hello, workplace discrimination). There are also some inexperienced interviewers out there who simply don&#8217;t know these are illegal questions and are just trying to make conversation.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re asked these questions, whether intentionally or not, <strong>it&#8217;s best to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.workitdaily.com\/preparing-for-an-interview\" target=\"_blank\">be prepared<\/a> so you don&#8217;t get flustered<\/strong> during the interview.<\/p>\n<h3>How To Prepare For Illegal Interview Questions<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Woman on laptop prepares for her next job interview\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"c6206899ae599fa82006942fc3d584b2\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"a42da\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.workitdaily.com\/media-library\/woman-on-laptop-prepares-for-her-next-job-interview.jpg?id=25676882&amp;width=980\"><\/p>\n<p>Sadly, these types of illegal interview questions are asked all of the time during interviews. Not sure how to prepare for them? <strong>We built an in-depth <a href=\"https:\/\/www.workitdaily.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">interview prep course<\/a> (inside our community) that will help you understand how to respond to such questions.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We hope this article helps you identify any illegal questions you might be asked in a job interview. Good luck, and keep an eye out for those red flags!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Need more help with your job search?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Get access to our <a href=\"https:\/\/workitdaily.lpages.co\/free-resource-center-optin\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Free Resource Center<\/a> today (no credit card required!).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did you know that there are interview questions that might seem legitimate but are actually illegal? While there are some that are clearly inappropriate, not all of them are so obvious. Don&#8217;t overlook the different types of illegal interview questions! Illegal interview questions often touch on personal topics like age, marital status, religion, or citizenship\u2014topics that have no bearing on your ability to do the job. Knowing what\u2019s off-limits can help you recognize red flags and respond professionally when you&#8217;re &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/kafkaonline.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/08\/6-types-of-illegal-interview-questions-to-watch-out-for\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;6 Types Of Illegal Interview Questions To Watch Out For&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":694,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-development"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kafkaonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kafkaonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kafkaonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kafkaonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kafkaonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=692"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/kafkaonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":693,"href":"http:\/\/kafkaonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692\/revisions\/693"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kafkaonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kafkaonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kafkaonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kafkaonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}