A job interview is a stressful experience for those seeking employment. The market for employees is highly competitive were attractive jobs will usually be hotly contested. Some employers take advantage of this by asking questions of a personal and private nature that have no bearing on the job criteria. These questions can sometimes be the difference between success and failure yet they are outlawed in many Western cultures.

Marital status may seem an innocent enough question however the underlying discrimination exists where employers use this information to form conclusions regarding a potential candidate and the impact of their marital status in the organization. There is no right or wrong answer to this question because the candidate will not know whether the employer considers attractive single females a risk due to pregnancy or interoffice relationships, or if a married female will be a liability because of family responsibilities. This can also work against male candidates if an organization considers a young male employee a risk while a married man represents stability. Irrespective of it's purpose, questions about marital status, sexual orientation or personal relationships.

Any question about sex is unacceptable, usually irrelevant unless you are applying to work in the sex industry, and again illegal in most jurisdictions. The employer will have no reason to ask questions of this nature unless perhaps it is for some kind of perverse enjoyment. This type of question will be more common with females but males are not exempt.

A set of interview questions heed to be relative to the position sought and for that reason, anything irrelevant should be treated with care. It is a difficult balance because of the empowerment issue. A job applicant is at a disadvantage and refusal to answer questions may lead to failure. A hard balance and you need to decide whether you want to answer or not.

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