All employees have specific rights in the workplace, but do prospective employees have rights? Are there certain rules and regulations that employers must adhere to when dealing with applicants? Although many people are familiar with their rights as employees, they are often unfamiliar with the specific laws that protect them when they are applying to jobs and going to interviews.
During interviews, have you ever felt that the employer or interviewer asked you an inappropriate question? Although employers and interviewers could ask a number of valid questions, they often cross the line between legal interview questions and illegal interview questions. Do you believe that you were asked an illegal question during an interview? Did your interview have an unsuccessful outcome? Do you believe that the illegal question that you were asked during your job interview resulted in the decision to not make you a job offer?
Without a doubt, there are many illegal questions that employers could ask during job interviews. If you believe that you were asked illegal questions during a job interview, you might have grounds to pursue a claim against the employer. If you believe that you lost an important employment opportunity due to the illegal questions asked during the interview, you could sue and receive compensation. If you would like to learn more about your right to sue and receive compensation, you must seek legal assistance with the experts at California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group as soon as possible.
California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group is an employment law firm dedicated to fighting for the rights of all those who have been unfairly treated by employers. If you were asked unlawful questions that made you ineligible for the position based on the employers’ preferences, you might have grounds to pursue a claim. The employment attorneys at California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group are ready to provide you with all the information that you need to pursue a claim against the employers that asked you illegal questions. If you are ready to discuss your claim with our knowledgeable employment attorneys, do not hesitate to contact our firm today.
Understanding Employment Laws
There are many employment laws that protect all employees and job seekers. In many cases, employees and job seekers, alike, are protected by both federal and state laws. For example, based on federal law, it is illegal to make employment decisions (including hiring decisions) based on an individual’s color, race, sex, religion, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship status or national origin. Based on California State law, it is illegal for employers to make employment decisions based on an individual’s status as a victim of domestic violence/assault/stalking, political affiliations, military/veteran status, marital status, genetic information, age, disability, medical conditions, sex, religion, ancestry, national origin, color, rage, sexual orientation, and gender identity/expression. As you can see, there are protected categories both on the state and federal levels. Employers cannot ask about any of the protected characteristics during a job interview.
In addition to not being able to ask about the many protected characteristics both on the state and federal levels, employers cannot ask about an applicant’s salary history. Employers also cannot ask applicants about criminal convictions before making a conditional employment offer. If you would like to learn more about what could and could not be asked or discussed during a job interview, do not hesitate to contact our law firm today.
Examples of Illegal Questions Employers Ask During Job Interviews
Were you asked illegal questions during your interview? You might have been asked any of the following questions or variants of the following questions:
- How much did you make in your previous positions?
- Have you been convicted of any crimes?
- What’s your nationality?
- What’s the origin of your name?
- Are you married?
- Do you have children?
- What are your plans for having children?
- Do you go to church?
- What gender do you identify with?
- Do you have any physical disabilities?
- Do you have any mental disabilities?
- Will you be deployed within the coming months?
All of the questions above cover some sort of topic that is off-limits during an interview. If you were asked any of the questions above or any questions similar to those listed above during your interview, you might have been asked illegal questions—and you might have grounds to pursue a claim and receive compensation. If you would like to further review the illegal questions that employers often ask their applicants, do not hesitate to contact our law firm.
Your Right to Pursue a Claim
There are many employment laws that protect you. If any of the employment laws were broken and your basic rights were infringed during a job interview, you have the right to pursue a claim. It is illegal for employers to make employment decisions based on protected personal characteristics. If an employer decided to not extend a job offer even though you were well qualified, the decision to not offer you the job might have been based on discriminatory reasons. To investigate the situation and hold the employer accountable for any wrongdoings, you must file an employment claim.
Your Right to Compensation
If the employer asked you illegal questions during the job interview, you might have the right to sue. You might also have the right to receive compensation, based on whether you could have been hired had it not been for the illegal questions that were asked. What type of compensation could you receive? How much compensation could you recover? The type and amount of compensation that you are eligible to receive depends on the specific details of the claim that you are pursuing. Although every claim is different, claimants are often eligible to recover some of the following types of compensation:
- Lost income: compensation for the income that you could have earned if you would have been offered the job.
- Lost benefits: compensation for the benefits that you could have earned if you would have been offered the job.
- Emotional distress: compensation for the mental and emotional affliction caused by being asked illegal interview questions and not being offered the job.
- Punitive damages: compensation awarded as punishment to the defendant.
Regardless of the specific type and amount of compensation that you are eligible to receive for your employment claim, you could be certain that the knowledgeable employment lawyers at California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group are ready to fight for your right to sue. Our employment attorneys are ready to fight for your right to recover the highest amount of compensation available for your claim. If you would like to learn more about the type and amount of compensation that you could be eligible to receive, do not hesitate to contact our law firm today.
What Should You Do?
Do you believe that you were asked any illegal questions during a job interview? If you were asked any type of illegal questions, you might have grounds to pursue a claim. Without a doubt, it could be difficult to know exactly whether you could sue during the moment that you are asked specific questions. Therefore, if you have even the slightest suspicion that the interviewer asked you something that they should not have asked, you should begin taking action. First and foremost, you should make a note of exactly what the interviewer asked. Did the interviewer ask many questions about the same subject? Did the interviewer seem to be too interested in a specific aspect of your personal life? Did the interviewer’s attitude change after you answered the question? Did the interview seem to focus more on your personal characteristics or personal life rather than your qualifications for the job? Whatever the case, it is important that you make note of what happened during the interview. Did you contact the employer to find out about your application process? Were you informed about the decision to not make you an employment offer? What explanation were you given, if any? As soon as you are able, you should seek legal assistance. Discussing your claim with an attorney and learning more about employment rights could provide you with the guidance necessary to begin pursuing your claim against the employer. For more information about what you should do after an employer asked you illegal questions during a job interview, do not hesitate to contact California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group as soon as possible.
Contact California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group
If you were asked illegal job interview questions, you might have grounds to pursue an employment claim. The employer might have used the illegal questions to make a decision regarding your employment application. If so, you have been a victim of discrimination, and you are entitled to compensation. If you would like to learn more about your right to sue and receive compensation, you must contact California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group as soon as possible. The knowledgeable attorneys at California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group are ready to handle your claim and provide you with the guidance that you need to reach a successful claim outcome.
Would you like to discuss your claim with the experts at California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group? If so, you must contact our law firm and request a free consultation or free second opinion. During our free consultations and free second opinions, our lawyers will be available to provide you with all the information that you need to pursue your claim or redirect your claim towards a successful outcome. Our free consultations and free second opinions are available to you at no cost as part of our Zero-Fee guarantee. Our Zero-Fee guarantee ensures that our clients never have to worry about having to pay any upfront legal fees for any of our legal services. Our law firm is also based on contingency; therefore, you will not be required to pay anything until your claim reaches a successful outcome. To schedule a free consultation or free second opinion and discuss your claim with our attorneys, do not hesitate to contact our law firm as soon as possible.
