Interviewers cannot just ask you any questions they want, even if they believe they are relevant. There are certain things that are prohibited, and asking you some of these illegal interview questions could end up being a violation of your rights.
The law has been set up this way because certain questions could lead to discrimination. The goal is for everyone to have an equal opportunity to get a job, so discrimination should be avoided. Below are a few potential examples of questions the interviewer may not ask.
Questions about your family
For instance, the interviewer cannot ask you if you are planning to get married or have children. This could lead to pregnancy discrimination or even gender discrimination, where an employer refuses to hire a woman who may become pregnant in the future.
Questions about your national origin
Likewise, interviewers cannot ask you about your citizenship status, what accent you have, what country you come from or where your parents were born. They can ask you if you have legal authorization to work in the United States. But they should not ask questions that could lead to discrimination on the grounds of national origin, race, ethnicity or anything of this nature.
Questions about your religion
As a general rule, employers also cannot ask you what religion you follow or if you have considered switching religions. Some employers will do so because they are afraid there could be a conflict with certain religious holidays and the work schedule. So employers can ask if you would have any obligations that would get in the way of the proposed work schedule, but they cannot directly ask you about your religion.
Unfortunately, discrimination does still happen. If you have experienced it, be sure you know what legal steps to take.