Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes discrimination based on national origin, citizenship, age, marital status, disabilities, arrest records, military casualties, or personal information (such as height and weight) illegal. Illegal job interview questions request information from candidates for a position that could be used to discriminate against them. Asking questions about a candidate's age, race, religion, or gender could expose a company to a discrimination lawsuit. Prospective employers can't ask you about your financial situation or credit history during interviews, unless you apply for certain financial or banking positions.
Interviewers can also ask about any training or experience you've gained related to the job you're applying for. For example, if you're being interviewed for a job that involves guarding an invaluable piece of art, the interviewer may ask you if you've ever been convicted of theft. Interviewers can legally ask questions about age if the job has an age requirement, such as being a waiter. Unless these questions have something to do with the job requirements, they should not be mentioned during an interview.
Download all the illegal questions from the previous interviews in a PDF and use them to create your own EEO guidelines. If background checks aren't used against a protected group, they aren't inappropriate interview questions. You cannot be asked about arrests without convictions or participation in political causes, but interviewers can legally ask about any convicted crime if it is related to work obligations. Maddie Lloyd was the writer of the Zippia Advice blog focused on researching tips for preparing interviews, resumes and cover letters.
If you find that the conversation is getting off track or providing you with information you don't want, refocus the discussion on the topic by asking another work-related interview question. You might think that interviewers are being curious (and it's possible that they are), but these questions arise as a way for employers to determine if you're committed to the job and to the company. When interviewers ask these questions, they may be interested to know about your commitment to the church, but most likely they will actually ask you if you can work certain days or hours.
