Questions Employers should not ask during a Job Interview
When you are sitting across from a potential employer who is interviewing you there are a few questions you might expect to hear. It is commonplace for an employer to ask about your work experience, job history and job skills. There are some questions, however, that interviewers should steer clear of. If someone interviewing you asks you one of these questions you don't have to answer them. It's your personal choice whether to answer or not. In truth you might not get the job if you skip some of the questions. You may no longer want the job either depending on what kind of negative interview question was asked.
One thing an employer should never ask you during the interview process is whether or not you have children. Potential employers might ask this to find out if you might need a lot of time off from work in the future. They also may assume that you want a certain shift due to having kids or that you may not be able to work overtime. Even so, asking if you have children has nothing to do with your ability to perform the job. Being a parent should have no bearing on if you are awarded the job or not. You may choose to provide this information yourself during the interview. But, the interviewer should never ask.
Your sexual orientation should never come into question during an interview either. An employer should never discriminate against people who are gay or straight or who have had a sex change. These things have nothing at all to do with the job and should never be part of the interview process. Likewise, an interviewer should never ask you out or otherwise come on to you romantically during the questioning. They should be more concerned with asking you about your professional skills rather than trying to score a date.
An interviewer also cannot ask about your religious preferences. They should also never ask you your age. They can ask if you are over 18 however. You need to be of legal age to work in the environment you are applying for; but, asking your age is discriminatory. A potential employer can't ask if you are a smoker, drinker or drug user. It is okay to ask if you use illegal drugs and to ask you to submit a urine sample to be drug tested. They cannot ask you how much you weigh or how tall you are or if you have any disabilities. Instead they can ask simply, "are you able to perform the duties the job requires?"
If you find yourself job-hunting and preparing to be interviewed keep these negative interview questions in mind. Do be prepared to answer the normal questions about your skills, education, job history, etc. But if a question comes up during the interview that you know is out of place don't answer it. Simply state that you don't think that the question is relevant to the job in question. Think carefully before answering any questions a potential employer may ask. You just have to be wary of potential, negative questioning that has no place in a formal job interview. It's your call and it's your career so you need to make sure that the company you are planning on working for is playing by all the rules.
