{"id":1217,"date":"2017-12-18T10:00:25","date_gmt":"2017-12-18T10:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/?p=1217"},"modified":"2021-11-22T18:32:38","modified_gmt":"2021-11-22T18:32:38","slug":"beware-diy-job-application-may-contain-inappropriate-illegal-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/beware-diy-job-application-may-contain-inappropriate-illegal-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Beware: Your DIY Job Application May Contain Inappropriate and Illegal Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"We\u2019ve all heard stories of job interviews gone bad \u2014 from awkward, cringe-worthy encounters to sensitive situations where hiring managers overstepped their legal bounds.\r\n\r\nYet interviewing isn\u2019t the only hiring activity fraught with danger. If you\u2019re using a \u201cdo it yourself\u201d job application you created on the fly <em>(or a generic one you downloaded online)<\/em>, you may be working with an inappropriate, if not downright illegal, document.\r\n\r\nBeyond federal nondiscriminatory guidelines, there are specific rules and state laws regarding what you can and cannot ask. If you overlook any of the mandatory disclosures \u2014 or ask questions that cross into illegal territory \u2014 you\u2019re only inviting trouble.\r\n\r\nHere are the biggest no-nos with self-created or blank job applications \u2014 and the types of questions that should never appear on a legally compliant application:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Age<\/strong> \u2014 Age shouldn\u2019t be a factor when hiring, unless you\u2019re trying to determine whether a candidate is a minor. <em>(In that case, asking \u201cAre you at least 18?\u201d is OK.)<\/em> Plus, requesting a person\u2019s age <em>(or date of birth, which reveals age)<\/em> could be considered age discrimination.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Date of high school graduation<\/strong> \u2014 This is a sneakier way to find out a person\u2019s age \u2014 and is still off limits.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Criminal record<\/strong> \u2014 Due to the emergence of \u201cban the box\u201d laws in many states and cities, you can\u2019t inquire about criminal convictions. (You\u2019ll have the opportunity to conduct background screenings later, if necessary).<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Salary history<\/strong> \u2014 More and more states are passing laws restricting employers from asking for a candidate\u2019s salary history, which can contribute to discriminatory pay practices.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Gender<\/strong> \u2014 Asking a person\u2019s gender opens the door to sexual discrimination, so strike this question from your job application. Similarly, marital status can be a protected classification, so don\u2019t ask for an applicant\u2019s maiden name.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Race, national origin and religion<\/strong> \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeoc.gov\/laws\/statutes\/titlevii.cfm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Title VII of the Civil Rights Act<\/a> prohibits employers from asking about ethnicity, race and national origin. It\u2019s also illegal to include questions about religion or the observance of religious holidays. Although you may need to make reasonable accommodations down the road for a new employee\u2019s religious practices, it\u2019s up to the employee to make the request.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Citizenship<\/strong> \u2014 The Immigration Reform and Control Act contains anti-discrimination provisions regarding citizenship. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/infographic-how-to-fill-out-an-i9-form-correctly\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mandatory Form I-9<\/a> mandatory Form I-9 is the method for determining U.S. work eligibility \u2014 not the job application.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Affiliations\/organizations<\/strong> \u2014 It\u2019s not acceptable to ask what clubs or social organizations an applicant belongs to. The same goes for any question about off-the-job activities. <em>(What is permissible, however, is a question about professional or trade groups related to the position.)<\/em><\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Physical condition<\/strong> \u2014 The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits employers from asking about mental or physical disabilities, medical issues or addictions. <em>(Instead, you may ask \u201cCan you perform the essential duties required by this job with or without a reasonable accommodation?\u201d)<\/em><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3>Other questions to avoid:<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Are you a member of a union?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Do you have friends or relatives working for the company?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>If discharged from the military, what type of discharge was it?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Do you rent an apartment? Own a home?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div class=\"greenBorderTipBox\">\r\n\r\nAn application should focus on the job, its requirements and the candidate\u2019s skills and qualifications. If should not include questions that violate federal and state anti-discrimination laws regarding:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Race\/ethnicity<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Religion<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Gender<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Age<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Disability<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Marital status<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Financial status<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Criminal record<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2>Be Certain Your Job Application Is Fully Compliant<\/h2>\r\nWith the help of a web-based resource like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/job-applications\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Job Application Smart App<\/a>, you can avoid these and other legal landmines. It\u2019s easier than ever to gather the job-related information you need from candidates, while ensuring you\u2019re in complete compliance with federal and state requirements (and restrictions). You\u2019ll have a stronger foothold on effective, legal hiring, without opening the door to potential lawsuits.\r\n<div class=\"greenBorderTipBox\">\r\n<div class=\"gbTitle\">Key Takeaways:<\/div>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>As with interviews, you can\u2019t ask certain questions on the job application.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Inappropriate inquiries could appear discriminatory under federal and state laws.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Age, gender, religion, race and criminal history are some of the prohibited topics.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Obtaining generic applications online <em>(or creating them yourself)<\/em> is risky because they may not be compliant with your state or private company.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Instead, get state-specific, attorney-approved applications (hard copy or electronic) from a reputable source with HR compliance expertise.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We\u2019ve all heard stories of job interviews gone bad \u2014 from awkward, cringe-worthy encounters to sensitive situations where hiring managers overstepped their legal bounds. Yet interviewing isn\u2019t the only hiring activity fraught with danger. If you\u2019re using a \u201cdo it yourself\u201d job application you created on the fly (or a generic one you downloaded online),&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrdirectapps.com\/blog\/beware-diy-job-application-may-contain-inappropriate-illegal-questions\/\" class=\"readMore\">read&nbsp;more<\/a>","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":1245,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[34,33,9],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v18.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>DIY Job Applications May Be a Ticking Legal Time Bomb<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here are the biggest no-nos with self-created or blank job applications and the types of questions that should never appear on a legally compliant application.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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