85% OF MINORITIES HAVE BEEN ASKED ILLEGAL QUESTIONS DURING JOB INTERVIEWS LETS FACT CHECK TOGETHER

Fair hiring laws were enacted to give every candidate a fair shake in the interview and selection process. Yet more than 40 years after the first of these guidelines became law, job candidates today still are asked questions that are illegal, insulting, and irrelevant to job performance. The keys to eradicating this kind of behavior are ongoing education and consistent interviewing processes and selection practices.

• Affiliations: Do not ask about clubs, social organizations, or union membership; do ask about relevant professional associations.

• Age: Do not ask a candidate's age other than, "if hired," can a candidate produce proof that he or she is 18 years of age.

• Alcohol or Drug Use: The only allowable question relating to current or past drug or alcohol use is, "Do you currently use illegal drugs?"

• Criminal Record: Do not ask if a candidate has been arrested; you may ask if the candidate has ever been convicted of a crime.

• Culture/Natural Origin: You may ask if the individual can, "upon hire," provide proof of legal right to work in the United States. You may ask about language fluency if it is relevant to job performance.

• Disability: You may ask if candidates can perform essential job functions, with or without reasonable accommodation; and you may ask them to demonstrate how they would perform a job-related function. You may ask about prior attendance records. And you may require candidates to undergo a medical exam after an offer of employment has been made.

• Marital/Family Status: Questions about marital status and family issues are discouraged except as they relate to job performance, as in the child care example above.

• Personal: Avoid questions related to appearance, home ownership, and personal financial situation.

• Race/Color: No race-related questions are legal.

• Religion: If Saturday or Sunday is a required work day, you may ask candidates if they will have a problem working on those days.

• Sex: You may ask if a candidate has ever worked under another name. Be sure not to make gender-related assumptions about job capabilities.

These are factual, according to monster.com by Louise Kursmark, Monster Contributing Writer