Texas Legal Recruiters

What Employers Cannot Ask in Job Interviews

Like every state, Texas has laws to protect job applicants against discrimination. It is illegal for an employer to refuse to hire someone on the basis of the applicant’s age (if the applicant is over forty), race, sex, religion, national origin, or disability. Because of these laws, there are certain things that employers cannot legally inquire about during a job interview.

Family Life

Employers cannot discriminate against applicants on the basis of their marital status, number of children, plans for a future family or lack thereof. It is not even legal for an employer to make you reveal this information during any part of the application process.

This protects employees from different kinds of discrimination: pregnancy discrimination (the refusal to hire a woman or is or will become pregnant) and sexual orientation discrimination. Although Texas law does not make homosexuals a protected group, it does state that applicants do not have to reveal any information about their family lives.

Prior Arrests

Employers are allowed to inquire about an applicants’ criminal record, and may refuse to hire someone who has been convicted of a crime in the past. However, a person who has only been arrested has not necessarily committed any crime. Therefore, employers are not allowed to ask questions about mere arrests, only convictions.

Religious or Political Affiliation

Belonging to a certain religious or political group may be a bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ) for certain jobs. The vast majority of employers, however, have no justifiable reason to discriminate against certain applicants on these grounds. If a potential employer asks about your political or religious beliefs, you do not have to answer.

Contact Us

For more assistance with the difficult process of starting a legal career, contact Texas legal recruiters through the Sapire Search Group at 1-866-413-2868.