Employees are protected from discriminatory actions. This includes harassment or unfair treatment based on their individual characteristics. However, discrimination can occur as early as the interview process. This can happen when employers ask interviewees questions that are discriminatory in nature.
Both employees and employers should be aware of invasive questions, even if these questions seem innocent at first. Here are a few questions that employers should not ask individuals during interviews:
1. Where are you from?
An employer should not ask an interviewee where their place of origin is, if they are native-born or what languages they speak (unless it is relevant to a position). These questions may focus on a person’s citizenship, national origin or race, which are all protected subjects that can not be discriminated against regardless of the answers. However, there may be questions that are relevant to an employee’s role, such as verifying an interviewee’s work visa status.
2. How old are you?
An employer may wish to know the age of an interviewee. They may ask, for example, what year they were born or graduated from high school, which could lead to age discrimination. However, there may be some appropriate questions to ask, such as if an interviewee is above the minimum age to work or if their age would affect their ability to work in a job with a maximum age limit for safety reasons.
3. What is your religion?
Questions that focus on an interviewee’s religion may lead to discriminatory actions. These questions could focus on the religious beliefs of the interviewee or whether they attend church regularly. A question that could be important to ask, however, is whether an interviewee can work on weekends.
4. Are you married?
Any questions that may relate to a person’s marital status, sexual orientation or intent to start a family could be invasive. A question that could be asked is whether an interviewee is willing to relocate, which could be affected by the interviewee’s family status.
It is important that employers ask interviewees questions about their work experience, skills and responsibilities carefully. These kinds of non-invasive questions can help ensure that an interviewee is hired based on their abilities. It is important for both employers and employees to understand their legal rights.