ARE CERTAIN QUESTIONS OFF-LIMITS DURING A JOB INTERVIEW?
Yes. According to state and federal laws, prospective employers generally must limit their inquiries to topics that explore your qualifications for the job. Any questions that probe for personal information that can be used to discriminate against you are no-nos. Not that it stops some prospective employers from trying to decipher the information more indirectly. A seemingly friendly question about your name (“Gee, Kotzamani, that’s interesting. Where’s your family from?”) is not so friendly if the interviewer is really trying to scope out your race or nationality. The specific topics you cannot be asked about in a job interview include: your age your sexual preference your national origin your race your religion your medical history Which is not to say that every friendly question is a veiled attempt at discrimination. Potential employers are allowed to inquire whether you’re married and the ages of your children–so long as they ask every potential employee the same thing–and don’t
