Recently I had an opportunity to help my friend by siting-in on several interviews with potential candidates for tech related job at his company.  His big complaint was that he is unable to find “the best” candidate because of inability to ask specific personal questions that in his mind would separate “an average” candidate from “the best”. This got me into several debates and led me to conclusion that you can perform a great interview without asking personal (and often illegal) questions. Many books have been written on this topic outlining the basic principle that personal questions do not matter when it comes to assessing the quality of a candidate. Even all other questions that do not pertain to job performance do not matter. These guidelines will cover some basic issues and save you a lot of potential legal trouble: Never ask your candidate about his age. Even further, don’t ask him questions that can determine his age (for example, it is fine to ask a candidate about his academic accomplishments but it is not fine to ask him WHEN did he graduate) Getting arrested and getting convicted are two separate things. Asking your candidate if he has a previous criminal record is fine; asking him if he was ever arrested is not. Do not ask your candidate how he spends his free time or what clubs he belongs too. This can be viewed as a basis for socio-economic discrimination. That also means questions such as “what part of town do you live in” are also not recommended. Family status is also a forbidden topic.  Don’t even think about asking candidate if he/she is planning to have children or get married in the near future. This person might think that they were not hired because you deemed that they will neglect their job over family responsibilities. Sexual preference and religion I should even have to mention.  It’s a huge no-no. In essence do not be afraid to ask any questions that relate to the job, or to the performance you expect at the job.  If you are unsure about legalities of specific questions you like to ask during interview it is always a good idea to consult a lawyer. Last year’s average settlement price tag was 60,000 dollars.