Historically, employers have had the latitude to ask an array of questions in an interview. In the 1960s, however, some laws began to shape up regarding the kind of questions that were permitted in an interview.
Questions pertaining to elements like race, religion, beliefs, marital status and the age of an applicant are illegal and must not be asked. The tale of prejudice in hiring, however, does not end here. While employers may not discriminate openly about the above-mentioned elements, they can still be biased about several other features not mentioned in the law such as the appearance or economic background of a candidate.
An employer should look for the best job applicant and while they may have a high degree of authority, they still cannot cross the boundaries concerning illegal interview questions. When put in a situation where you are asked illegal questions, you can tactfully let the interviewer know that you are aware of the legal rights you possess. Hopefully, this will make the interviewer watchful in the future when conducting interviews. Another option would be to lie to the interviewer.
If they do not have the courtesy to abstain from an illegal question, so be it. The legal way to pursue this issue would be to hire an experienced attorney who can help you file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Office. This will help address the problem from a legal point of view, and the company may face the consequences of asking illegal interview questions.