How to respond to improper questions in an interview

Employers are prohibited from posing certain inquiries that can be seen as discriminatory under rules from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). These inquiries touch on issues like

• What is your race?
• What is your gender? ( based on conditional places)
• What is your sexual orientation?
• What is your religion? 

 and other aspects of one's own identity.

When an interviewer asks a question, you can analyze it, whether it was appropriate or inappropriate, and decide how you can answer it.

You have a few alternatives for responding if a question makes you uncomfortable or you think it is discriminatory:

• Ask the interviewer politely why the question is being asked and how it relates to the job.
• Redirect the conversation to a discussion of your qualifications for the position, including your talents and abilities.
• Refuse to give an answer.
• End the interview.
• You can complain to the EEOC if an employer says anything egregiously disrespectful or discriminatory.