Interviewing:

Illegal Questioning

Refrain from asking questions about a protected category that are not related to skills, abilities or knowledge needed for the
job. Below is a list of the protected categories and examples of questions that you should not ask. This is not an exhaustive
list.

 Sex/Gender
 Race/Color
 National Origin/Ancestry
 Religion/Creed
 Disability/Medical Condition
 Age
 Marital Status
 Pregnancy
 Sexual Orientation
 Veteran Status (federal)

Questions about Race/Color

Where are your family roots?
What family traditions do you observe?
Do you have relatives in (the south, New Jersey, Africa, etc.)

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Questions about National Origin/Ancestry
What's your nationality?
Hmm, that's a (Italian, Greek, etc.) name, isn't it?
What language do you speak at home?
Where are your parents from?
Where were you born?
Where were your parents born?
What languages do your parents speak?
What do your parents do?
Were your parents born in this country? Were you born in this country?
What kind of accent is that?

Questions about Religion/Creed

Are you (Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, etc.)?
What do you do Sunday mornings?
Are you a member of any religious group?
What religion do you practice?
What religious group do you belong to?
What church do you belong to?
I’ve seen you at church, how do you like the Pastor? Minister? Rabbi? Priest?
What religious holidays will you need to take?
What organizations do you belong to?

Questions about Health and Disabilities

Do you have any physical problems?
Do you have any health problems?
How many days were you sick last year?
Can you read the fine print on this form?

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Questions about Health and Disabilities (cont’d)
How's your back?
Were you ever denied health insurance?
Were you ever denied life insurance?
When were you last in the hospital? When did you last consult a doctor?
Do you have a doctor you see regularly? Are you handicapped?
Have you ever filed a workman's compensation claim?

Questions about Age

When were you born?
When did you graduate from high school?
When did you graduate from college?
Are you near retirement age?
Aren't you a little young to be seeking a job with this much responsibility?
Aren't you a little too old for a fast-changing company such as ours?

Questions about Marital Status and Family

Are you single, married, separated, divorced?
Why have you never married?
Do you live alone?
Do you have any children?
What was your maiden name?
Is that the last name you were born with?
Do you prefer to be called Miss, Ms., or Mrs.?
Are you a single parent?
How many dependents are you responsible for?
Who's the boss in your family?
What kind of work does your spouse do?

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Questions about Marital Status and Family (cont’d)
How much time do you spend with your family?
Tell me about your children. Do you have a good relationship with your children?
Do you have any children not living with you?
Do you live with your parents?
What childcare arrangements have you made for your children?
My darn kids seem to pick up every bug that comes around. Yours, too?
My wife (husband) hates me working on weekends. What about yours?
Will travel be a burden on your family?
Are you a family man (woman)?

Questions about Pregnancy

Are you pregnant?
Do you intend to have children?
How much time are you planning to take off when you have your baby?
I see you’re pregnant, are you planning on returning to work after a leave of absence?

Questions about Sexual Orientation

Do you have any roommates?
Do you date other men? Do you date other women?
What's your sexual orientation?
Are you straight?
Are you gay? Are you a lesbian?
What groups do you belong to?

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Questions about Veteran Status
What do you think about the armed services?
Do you think that our government is supporting our armed services?

Other Personal Questions

Do you own or rent your home?
What was your record in the military?
Have you ever gone bankrupt?
Have you ever been arrested?
Do you have any outside income?
Do you earn any money from hobbies or investments?

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