When I was interviewing for one of my first jobs, the company wanted know if I was married, and wanted to meet with my husband to be sure he didn't mind the travel involved. After I got the job, we had hiring criteria for the people who worked for me as part-time merchandisers, including being a married woman whose kids were in school, with time available mid-day to work, and who only needed supplemental income.

Back then, you didn't hear that much about discrimination, but, that was only one blatant example. Federal and state laws prohibit prospective employers from asking certain questions that are not related to the job they are hiring for. That doesn't mean you won't get asked, even today. There are still companies that aren't aware of the rules or will try and discover what they want to know, regardless of the law.

Here's more information on discriminatory interview questions, what hiring managers can ask, and what they shouldn't be asking candidates for employment, plus options for handling discriminatory interview questions.

Job Interview Resources

• Difficult Interview Questions
• Best Answers to Interview Questions
• Interview Thank You Letters

_{Photo © Andy Hwang}

What You Shouldn't be Asked in a Job Interview originally appeared on About.com Job Searching on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at 06:00:00.

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When the job market is tight,  it's more  important than ever to get the inside scoop on companies you're interested in working at.  First of all, the more information you have, the more effectively you'll interview. Secondly, company information will help you decide if you want to work for a company - or not.

Glassdoor, the company and salary research site, has excellent information for job seekers including company reviews, ratings, salaries, CEO approval rating, competitors, and much more company information. Job seekers can find and anonymously share company reviews, ratings and salary details.

Telonu.com is full of company reviews, rants, and raves.  You can search by company and location.  You can also see what site visitors have to say about people i.e. your prospective boss.  

Speaking of people, do keep in mind that reviews on all these sites are posted by individuals, including possibly disgruntled employees. So, use them as a tool to help gather more information about a company, but don't count on them as 100% accurate, because every employee's experience is different.

Vault  is another source of company reviews.  Site visitors can read company reviews, and get the buzz, uppers, and downers, for over 10,000 companies.  Company overviews are free, which is all you need most of the time.  You'll need to pay a fee if you want more details. 

There are also sites which don't contain actual company reviews, but do provide basic company information that's useful for job seekers. Browse the company list on WetFeet.com or search by company name to get an overview and company highlights.   For another quick overview,  Hoovers.com has a large company directory. Again, you'll need a subscription for detailed information, but the basics are free.

Another way to get inside information is to check who you're connected to at the company on LinkedIn.  Ask your connections what they can tell you about the company and what it's like to work for.  Searching by company name on Google is another way to find information about companies.   Search YouTube as well. You may find company produced videos with information on employment opportunities and company culture.

Here's more on  company reviews and getting insider interview advice from Glassdoor.

Related: Glassdoor | Company Reviews

_{Image Copyright Glassdoor} 

Company Reviews originally appeared on About.com Job Searching on Sunday, February 7th, 2010 at 07:00:18.

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