As a resume writing service, we know more about the job-hunting world than just resumes. We also can help you prepare for the interview process, and this includes helping you understand the types of questions that potential employers are not allowed to ask, including the following.
1. Questions About Your Age
It is illegal for employers to ask your age, as this could lead them down the dark path of age discrimination. Sometimes, they will avoid outright asking you about your age, but will offer up a question that will provide them with a general idea about your age. Obviously, a potential employer is interesting in learning your age, and often it’s just out of curiosity, but sometimes it’s way for employers to avoid hiring people who they feel are too young or too old, when they should simply focus on hiring the best employees, regardless of age.
2. Questions About Your Family
Employers shouldn’t ask about your marital status nor should they ask you whether or not you have children. Certainly, this information might come up during the course of conversations, but a hiring manager should not ask you these types of questions. Additionally, a hiring manager shouldn’t ask about your religion, political affiliation and other similar personal questions. These simply aren’t relevant issues; their goal should be to focus on your skills and the way you present yourself in an interview. Our resume writing service team cautions however, that hiring managers can ask about your general availability. If parenting commitments or religious commitments don’t allow you to meet the needs of an employer, this can be a concern. So while they can’t ask you about kids or religion, they might ask if you are able to work during specific hours of the day or work overtime occasionally. They might also ask if you are available to travel when necessary.
3. Questions About Your Background & Ethnicity
Sometimes, a hiring manager might simply be curious about your ethnic or cultural background. After all, your family tree and country of origin can be very interesting to learn about, but it’s not something that a hiring manager should ever ask and it can be a sign of discriminatory practices.
4. Questions About Jail
If you’ve spent some time behind bars, our resume writing service experts encourage you to be upfront about this information, and express how that experience has changed you for the better. However, a hiring manager typically shouldn’t ask about your brushes with the law so you shouldn’t hear a question such as “have you ever been arrested?” However, they can ask whether or not you have been convicted of a crime relating to the business. For instance, a hiring manager can ask someone applying for an accounting position or banking position, if they have been convicted of fraud or theft.
5. Questions About Disabilities & Addiction
Employers cannot ask you about any physical or mental disabilities during the interview process. This includes asking about treatment you may have received for mental health issues as well as providing a list of any prescription drugs you are taking. After you receive a job offer, however, an employer can ask you questions about some disabilities as long as these are standard questions they ask everyone who receives a job offer. What an employer might do, if necessary, is simply ask you if you are able to handle certain tasks, such as lifting heavy objects. If this is part of the job requirement, this should be a question asked to all of the job candidates, and not just one or two.
The hiring manager can ask you if are willing to submit to drug testing, but not if you have been treated for drug or alcohol addiction. Keep in mind, they are allowed to ask if you have ever been disciplined for violating company policies regarding the use of alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco and so on.
In general, hiring managers should be asking questions about your qualifications, skills and work history and steering away from personal questions. Still, the hiring manager also is trying to gauge whether or not your personality will mesh well with the current team. Therefore, making a positive impression during the interview is crucial and our resume writing service can help. We offer career coaching services that will help you transform yourself into the best possible job candidate, and a coaching session can help alleviate your interview anxiety and help you present a more confident image to a potential employer.