Seemingly innocent questions could be employment discrimination

Many people may think and hope that by the time they reach the age 50 that they have established themselves in a career and are nearing retirement. However, it is not unusual for older individuals to find themselves needing a new job for one reason or another. Unfortunately, older parties can often face employment discrimination based on their ages.

New York residents may want to pay particular attention to questions that could potentially be discriminatory. While some people may think that age discrimination takes place when an older party is forced to leave his or her job, that is not the only instance. During the hiring process, interviewers may attempt to ask roundabout questions in hopes of determining an applicant’s age and potentially ruling that person out as a candidate.

For instance, if applicants are asked about their college graduation years or in how many years they expect to retire, either of these questions could be a way of trying to find out a person’s age. These questions and others can be even more subtle as an interviewer may try to seem as if he or she is just making small talk when an ulterior motive is actually present. If applicants worry that they are being asked discriminatory questions, they may find giving broad answers a good option.

Of course, if individuals are passed over for jobs and their older age seems to have been a factor, they do not have to accept that outcome. Ruling out an applicant simply based on age is employment discrimination, and New York residents who have endured this type of treatment may have reason to take action. Gaining information on legal options for addressing this predicament may be useful.

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