Interview Questions Not to Ask Candidates
For hiring managers, small business owners and first-time interviewers who want to check, before an interview, which questions to leave out. The list follows the hour, from small talk and the walk through the resume to the schedule, health, and background checks and pay, so the familiar trouble spots of age, marriage and children, pregnancy, religion, national origin, disability, arrests and pay history come up where they tend to get asked. Each note gives the risk and the job-related question to ask instead; the rules vary by country and state, so treat this as general practice and not legal advice, and check what applies where you hire.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Small talk
Where are you from originally?
Why ask it
It is meant as a warm-up, but it asks about national origin or ethnicity, which in many places may play no part in a hiring decision. Open with the trip in or what drew them to the role. If location matters, ask whether they can work from the site the job is based at.
Are you married?
Why ask it
Nothing about the work turns on the answer, and once you have heard it you cannot show it stayed out of your decision. Interviewers who ask usually want to know about travel, overtime or relocation, so put that to every candidate directly: 'This role means two nights away most months. Can you do that?'
Do you have kids?
Why ask it
A parent tends to hear this as 'will you be reliable?', however kindly it was meant. Describe the hours, the overtime and the notice people get, then ask whether they can meet them. A yes is the whole answer, and how they manage it at home is theirs to arrange.
Which church do you go to?
Why ask it
In a small town this can feel like asking which school someone went to, but it puts their faith, or the lack of one, into your notes. Hiring discrimination rules commonly cover religion, so there is nothing useful you can do with the answer. If what you want is common ground, talk about the town, the commute or the trade.
How old are you, if you don't mind my asking?
Why ask it
The polite tail does not change what is being asked, and in many places age may not count against a candidate. Where the law sets a minimum, as it can for serving alcohol or driving certain vehicles, ask only that: 'Are you over the minimum age for this job?' Proof can wait for the stage your local rules name.
What does your husband or wife do for a living?
Why ask it
One sentence asks about marital status, guesses at a partner, and hints that a second income might shape the offer. If the candidate mentions a partner, nod and move on without a follow-up. Build the offer from the pay range for the role and nothing else.
Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?
Why ask it
Any question about a partner asks a candidate to reveal their orientation or steer around it, five minutes after meeting you. It often stands in for 'are you likely to stay around here?'. Ask what they hope the next few years of work will look like, and take the answer at face value.
That is an interesting accent. Where is it from?
Why ask it
A candidate with an accent has usually heard this many times and knows it is about where they come from. Leave it alone, even as a compliment. What bears on the job is whether customers and colleagues will understand them, and the interview itself is already showing you that.
Which part of town do you live in?
Why ask it
An address can stand in for income, race or national origin, and it says little about whether someone gets to work on time. Give the start time and ask, 'Can you reliably be here by then?' If the role is on call, say how fast someone must reach the site and ask whether they can.
Is it Miss or Mrs.?
Why ask it
The title is a marital status question in two words. 'What name would you like us to use?' gets you what you need for the badge and the email address. A form that insists on a title can wait until after hiring, if it is needed at all.
Do you wear that for religious reasons?
Why ask it
A head covering, a beard or a piece of jewelry needs no explanation in an interview. If the job has a uniform or a safety rule, such as a hard hat or a hairnet, tell every candidate what it is and let them say whether it works for them. Should someone ask for an exception on religious grounds, hand the request to whoever deals with accommodations where you work instead of settling it in the room.
What did you make of the election?
Why ask it
Whether political views are protected depends on where you are, so find that out. Protected or not, a candidate who disagrees with you now has to guess what the disagreement will cost. Keep current events out of the warm-up altogether.
Resume
Are you a U.S. citizen?
Why ask it
In many places an employer may ask whether someone is allowed to work there but not which citizenship they hold, and preferring citizens over others who have the right to work can be a problem of its own. Ask every candidate the same yes-or-no question: 'Are you legally authorized to work in this country?' If visa sponsorship affects your decision, get the wording from HR or an employment lawyer where you hire.
When did you graduate from high school?
Why ask it
A graduation year gives away age to within a year or two. What matters is whether they hold the diploma, degree or license the job requires, so ask that and leave the dates out. Look at your application form for the same problem.
How much longer do you plan to work before you retire?
Why ask it
Put only to older candidates, it tells them their age has been noticed and is being weighed. Nobody of any age can promise how long they will stay. If turnover in the role worries you, ask everyone, 'What would make this a job you stayed in?'
Would you be comfortable reporting to someone younger than you?
Why ask it
The question assumes a problem the candidate has given no sign of, purely from their age. Ask every candidate for a time they took direction from someone with less experience, or to describe the manager they did their best work for. A real difficulty with authority shows up in those stories at any age.
How would you feel about being the only woman on the team?
Why ask it
Only women get asked this, which makes sex part of the interview, and it hints that the team might give her trouble. Describe the team to every candidate in the same terms, its size, how the work is shared and who they would report to, then ask what kind of team they have done their best work in. If your real worry is how the crew will behave, that is yours to fix before anyone starts.
What kind of name is that?
Why ask it
A surname can point to ancestry, a marriage or an adoption, and none of those bears on the job. 'How do you say your last name? I want to get it right' is fair, and courteous too. Write the pronunciation down and move on to the first job on the resume.
Where were your parents born?
Why ask it
Family birthplace is ancestry, and no job depends on it. The question usually comes up when a resume shows work or study abroad. Ask about that experience: what they did there, in which languages, and what of it applies to this role.
Is English your first language?
Why ask it
First language points at national origin, while the job only needs a level of fluency. Name the tasks, such as taking phone orders or writing incident reports, and ask how comfortable they are doing them in English. When a second language is a real requirement, ask everyone which languages they can work in, not how they learned them.
What is your maiden name?
Why ask it
It asks whether a woman is or was married, and a birth name can suggest ethnicity as well. If you need it to verify employment or education, put a neutral version to every candidate when you run the checks: 'Have you worked or studied under any other name we would need for references?'
What kind of discharge did you get from the military?
Why ask it
A discharge type can point to a medical condition or other history that has nothing to do with the job, and how veterans are protected varies by place. Service on a resume is experience like any other. Ask what they were trained to do, what they led, and which parts carry over.
What clubs or organizations do you belong to?
Why ask it
An open list can hand you religion, politics, ethnicity and union ties all at once. Narrow it to the job: 'Are you a member of any professional or trade groups related to this work?' If a resume names a community or faith group, treat it as volunteer experience and ask only about the work they did there.
Schedule
Are you pregnant?
Why ask it
There is no safe wording for this one, even when it seems obvious or the candidate looks happy to talk about it. Pregnancy is among the most widely protected topics in hiring. If timing matters, state the need to everyone: 'We need someone in place from the spring through the busy season. Does that work for you?'
Are you planning to start a family soon?
Why ask it
It is put mostly to women of a certain age, which is part of what makes it a risk. Underneath is a wish to know how long the person will stay, and no candidate can promise that. Ask what they want from the role over the next couple of years, and ask the men too.
Who looks after your children while you are at work?
Why ask it
Childcare is the candidate's to arrange, and asking suggests you expect them to fail at it. The requirement is what you can raise: 'The shift starts at six and sometimes runs over with an hour's notice. Can you work that?' Use the same words with every candidate, since you are not meant to know who has children.
Will your spouse mind you being away this much?
Why ask it
It makes someone outside the room a party to the hiring decision, and it assumes there is a spouse. Give the facts: how many nights away, how much notice, who books the travel. Then ask, 'Is that workable for you?'
Is there anything in your personal life that would stop you working late?
Why ask it
It sounds neutral, but it fishes for the very things on this page: children, a sick relative, a health condition, a religious commitment. A candidate who answers honestly has handed you information you then have to act as if you never heard. Ask about the requirement, 'Can you stay until eight on the two late nights each month?', and stop at yes or no.
Which religious holidays do you observe?
Why ask it
Asking which days someone keeps is asking their religion. Lay out the working pattern, including weekends and the holiday season, and ask whether they can work it. If a candidate says they would need certain days off for observance, find out how such requests are handled where you hire before you treat it as a no.
Will you have to miss work for Reserve or National Guard duty?
Why ask it
It usually follows a line of military service on the resume, and what the interviewer is really counting is days away. Military leave is often protected by law, and refusing someone because they may need it can break that law. If a candidate mentions drill weekends or a possible call-up, thank them, and find out how military leave works where you hire before you count it against their availability.
Do you own a car?
Why ask it
Car ownership is a rough measure of income, and plenty of people without one are never late. Unless driving is the job, ask, 'Do you have a reliable way to get here for a 7 a.m. start?' For a driving role, ask about the license class the job requires.
Health
Do you have any disabilities?
Why ask it
In many places an employer may not ask this before making an offer, and the answer would not tell you whether the person can do the work in any case. List the essential tasks and ask every candidate, 'Can you do these, with or without an accommodation?' What may be asked about health, and when, differs by place, so check for where you hire.
Have you ever had a serious illness or an operation?
Why ask it
Medical history is about the past, and the job is about what someone can do now. The question also invites answers about cancer, mental health or pregnancy that you cannot unhear. If the role has a fitness standard, say what it is, and find out how a medical check is meant to be done locally: often after an offer, and by a clinician instead of the interviewer.
How many sick days did you take last year?
Why ask it
Past absence often traces back to a health condition, a disability or caring for a relative, so the number leads straight into protected territory. Say what attendance the job needs, such as being on site for every scheduled shift, and ask whether that is realistic for them. For reliability, ask about a time other people were counting on them to be there and what they did.
Are you taking any medication?
Why ask it
A prescription list reveals conditions the candidate has every reason to keep private. For safety-critical work such as driving or operating machinery, the usual route is a formal check after an offer, run by someone qualified, under whatever rules apply where you are. In the interview, say what the job involves, night driving or work at height for instance, and leave their medicine cabinet out of it.
Have you ever been treated for a drug or alcohol problem?
Why ask it
Past treatment is medical history, and in some places a history of addiction falls under disability rules. What an employer may ask about current drug use, and whether it may test, is set locally, so look that up first. If you have a testing policy, tell every candidate what it covers and at which stage the test happens.
Have you ever filed a workers' compensation claim?
Why ask it
A past claim is an injury history, and turning someone down over one can look like punishing them for using a right. Find out how your state or country treats the question before it goes near an application form. To learn how they work, try 'What did you do the last time you saw something unsafe on a job?'
Have you ever seen a therapist or counselor?
Why ask it
Mental health history is medical history, and a candidate who says yes has told you only that they looked after themselves. What you want to know is how they work under load. 'Tell me about the heaviest stretch in your last job and what you did to get through it' gets you there.
How tall are you, and how much do you weigh?
Why ask it
Height and weight minimums can screen out women and some ethnic groups without measuring the task itself, and a few places protect weight by law. Describe the task: 'You would lift boxes of up to fifty pounds from floor to shelf through the shift. Can you do that?' A practical test given to every finalist is fairer still, if local rules allow one at that stage.
What happened to your leg?
Why ask it
A cast, a limp or a cane invites curiosity, and the answer is either a short-term injury that does not matter or a condition you should not be asking about. Say nothing about it. Describe the physical side of the job as you would to anyone, and if the candidate asks for an accommodation, take the request to the person who deals with those.
Do you smoke or drink?
Why ask it
What someone does legally in their own time is protected in some places, and questions about drinking can stray into medical history. The rule at work is the thing to raise: 'The whole site is smoke-free, the parking lot included. Can you work with that?'
Does anyone in your family have health problems?
Why ask it
Some laws treat family medical history as protected genetic information, and the question also digs for caregiving duties. There is no job-related version of it. This is one to cut, not one to reword.
Checks and pay
Have you ever been arrested?
Why ask it
An arrest is not a finding that someone did anything, and many places bar employers from asking about arrests or using them. Take it off your list. Whether, when and how you may ask about convictions is a separate matter with rules of its own, so look those up before the interview.
Do you have a criminal record?
Why ask it
Some places allow this only after a conditional offer, some limit which convictions count, and some roles require a formal check by law. Asked cold in a first interview, it can break a rule you did not know you had. Find out the stage your local rules allow, then use a written check with the candidate's consent and weigh only what bears on the job.
What are you making right now?
Why ask it
Some states and cities ban questions about pay history, on the view that it carries old pay gaps into new jobs, so check whether yours is one. It is a weak way to set pay in any case. Give the range for the role and ask, 'Does that fit what you are looking for?'
What bonus and benefits do you get in your current job?
Why ask it
This is the salary question in different clothes, and where pay history is off limits, bonuses and benefits are often covered too. Ask what matters to them in a package. 'Which benefits would you weigh most heavily?' tells you how to shape an offer without learning what they have now.
Have you ever declared bankruptcy?
Why ask it
Money troubles say little about honesty, and in some places bankruptcy and credit history are restricted in hiring. For a role that handles cash or accounts, the usual route is a formal check with written consent, where the law permits one for that job. In the interview, ask how they have handled responsibility for money or stock before.
Do you own or rent your home?
Why ask it
It is asked as a test of stability and works as a test of income. Length of stay in past jobs is on the resume already. If you need commitment to a location, say for how long and ask whether that suits their plans.
Are you in a union?
Why ask it
Where union membership is protected, as it widely is, an employer may not hold it against an applicant, and asking suggests you will. Leave it out, along with 'how do you feel about unions?'. If the role is covered by a union agreement, tell the candidate so as a fact about the job.
Can I take a look at your Facebook or Instagram?
Why ask it
A personal profile shows age, family, faith, health and politics in one scroll: everything you have been careful not to ask. Some places also bar employers from requesting logins or access. If the job involves posting for the business, ask for samples of that kind of work or a professional profile they choose to share.
Have you ever sued an employer or filed a complaint against one?
Why ask it
Turning someone down for having used a legal right can be retaliation, and this question makes it look as if that is the plan. 'Why did you leave your last job?' is the one to ask every candidate. Listen for an account that is brief and does not blame everyone else.
Can you bring your passport or birth certificate to the interview?
Why ask it
Identity papers show age, birthplace and citizenship before you have judged a single answer. When right-to-work documents may be checked, and which ones you may ask for, is set by local rules, and in some places the candidate chooses which to show. Get the procedure from HR or the government's guidance for employers and follow it the same way for everyone.
How to keep an interview on the job
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the interview
Start from the job, not the person
Write down what the job needs in plain terms: the hours, the travel, the lifting, the license, the languages, the start date. Each line becomes a question you can put to every candidate in the same words. Most of the questions on this page get asked because an interviewer had a real worry about one of those lines and reached for a personal question to settle it.
Check the rules where you hire
This page is general practice, not legal advice. What an employer may ask differs by country, by state and sometimes by city or by the size of the business. The topics that vary most are conviction history, pay history, medical checks and when right-to-work documents may be seen. Before your first interview, ask whoever handles HR, an employment lawyer, or the government agency that publishes guidance for employers in your area.
Read your application form too
A form can ask what you have trained yourself not to say. Look for a date of birth, graduation years, a title such as Mrs. or Miss, a photo, an emergency contact with a 'relationship' line, a previous salary box and a box to check about convictions. Ask whether each is needed before hiring, and whether your local rules allow it at that stage.
Brief everyone who meets the candidate
The person who walks the candidate from reception, the future colleague at lunch and the owner who drops in to say hello are all part of the interview as far as the candidate is concerned. Tell them the same thing: talk about the work and the place, and leave family, age, health and background alone.
In the room
Have small talk ready
The Small talk group comes first because that is when most of these get asked: while everyone is still sitting down, before the interviewer has started treating it as an interview. Bring two or three openers so you do not have to improvise: how the trip in was, what caught their eye in the posting, how they got into the trade. Those warm a room just as well.
Same question, same words, every candidate
A fair question becomes a risky one when only some people get it. Asking about travel is fine. Asking only the women, or only the candidate who mentioned a child, is where the trouble starts. Print the requirement questions and read them out if you need to.
Stop at yes
When a candidate says they can work the hours, do the lifting or make the start date, take the answer. 'How will you manage that?' and 'Are you sure?' reopen the personal ground you just avoided. If the yes turns out to be untrue, that is a performance matter to handle later, the same as for anyone.
When the candidate brings it up
A candidate may tell you about a baby on the way, a diagnosis or their church before you have asked anything. You did nothing wrong by hearing it. Say 'Thanks for telling me' or 'Congratulations', ask nothing further, and pick up the question you were on. If they ask outright whether it will count against them, say the decision rests on the job requirements, and make sure it does. When what they said is really a request, for a different interview time, a ground-floor room or a change to the job, hand it to whoever deals with accommodations instead of settling it yourself.
If you have already asked one
Do not chase the answer and do not launch into a long apology, which keeps the topic in the room. Say something brief, such as 'That is not something I need to know, so let's go back to the role', and carry on. Leave the answer out of your notes and your scoring. Afterward, tell whoever is responsible for hiring where you work what you asked, and let them decide whether anything more needs doing.
Turning a risky question into a fair one
Find the worry behind the question
Nearly every question here stands in for one of five worries. Will they show up? Will they stay? Can they physically do it? Are they allowed to work here? Can we afford them? Name the worry to yourself and the fair question is usually obvious: the start time, the role's future, the task, the right-to-work question, the pay range.
State the requirement, then ask
The pattern is a fact followed by a yes-or-no question. 'The role covers one weekend in four. Can you work that?' 'You would be on your feet for most of an eight-hour shift. Can you do that, with or without an accommodation?' 'The range is posted in the ad. Does it fit what you are looking for?' The candidate learns something true about the job, and you learn what you needed.
When there is no fair version
Some questions have no substitute because there is no job requirement underneath them. Pregnancy, family plans, faith, a partner, family health and arrests are in that group. The fix for those is to cut them.
Requirements that touch a protected topic
A few jobs have a real requirement that sits close to one of these topics: a legal minimum age, fluency in a particular language, a physical standard, a citizenship rule or security clearance for certain government work. Ask about the requirement itself and nothing wider. Exceptions of this kind tend to be narrow and defined by law, so get advice before you rely on one.
Notes, checks and the decision
Personal details in your notes
Interview notes can be read later by other people, sometimes in a dispute. Write what the candidate said about the work and how it measured against the job. 'Mother of three' or 'older, may not stay' has no place in them, even as a memory aid. To tell candidates apart, note what they wore or which project they described.
Deciding on a feeling you cannot explain
Before you settle on someone, say the reason out loud in a sentence you would be willing to repeat to the candidates you turned down. If it rests on answers to job questions, you are on firm ground. If it rests on something you guessed about their life, go back to your notes.
Running checks at the wrong stage
Background checks, medical checks and document checks each have their own timing, and in many places that is after a conditional offer and with written consent. Run the same checks for everyone hired into the same role, not only for the candidates who made you curious. Ask how and when each one is done where you hire before you promise anyone a start date.
Asking after the offer what you could not ask before
Once someone has accepted, you will need a date of birth, an emergency contact and tax and payroll details, and collecting them then is ordinary paperwork. That is not a license to revisit the interview. A question about family plans or health put to a new hire over coffee carries much of the same risk as it did before the offer.