Are you up-to-date on the type of questions that you cannot ask a candidate during a job interview?

Two years ago, I applied for a job through a temp agency and was scheduled for an interview the following Saturday morning. The employer showed up for the interview shabbily dressed, though the agency had told me to "Dress well! Wear a suit!" During the interview, this employer asked me all the illegal questions in the book, and some of these questions were shrouded within the form of a different question, but the meaning was clear to me. For example, he asked me if I had a Canadian passport, my month of birth, my marital status, where I was from ... Unbelievable but true. To each of these questions, I asked him why he had to know this information and he said that I may be required to travel to California sometimes and he wanted to ensure that I could travel.

Nevertheless, after the interview I complained to the temp agency about the inappropriate questions I was asked. They said that in a case like this, the employer would need to be "educated". When they spoke to the employer, he said that he had shortlisted me, and that he felt so bad about how I felt and was truly sorry. But I was angry. His behaviour was inexcusable. He had been an employer for a long time (since the '60s) and I somehow expected him to know better.

You may know the type of questions you can and cannot ask a candidate in an interview, but let's look at three tricky ones that could put you at risk of violating discrimination laws.

1. Asking if the candidate belongs to any clubs or social organizations. This question can open up a candidate's religious or political affiliation that have nothing to do with the job itself. Instead, ask if they are a member of a professional group related to the industry

2. Asking how many sick days they took last year. This question digs into a candidate's personal health information. Instead, ask how many days of work they missed last year

3. Asking how far is their commute. This question digs into the particular neighbourhood that they live in, and some neighbourhoods are populated by specific ethnic groups. Instead, ask if they are able to start work at 8:30 a.m.

Here's a link to sample job interview questions. http://humanresources.about.com/od/interviewing/tp/interview_questions.htm

Share your experiences with us. Have you ever been asked inappropriate questions during a job interview? Do share your thoughts!