No-nos;

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A professor at Cleveland State University, reviewing job applications used by Ohio employers, reported that 73% of the applications contained at least one question that was illegal under Ohio law. Since there's no reason to suspect that employers in Ohio are exceptions, here's a general overview of what you can't ask:

* racial or ethnic background

* religious affiliation, what church an applicant attends, or religious holidays an applicant observes

* national origin; where parents, spouse, or relatives are from; what an applicant's native language is

* marital status

* children

You should also avoid questions that will elicit this kind of information indirectly. Some examples are:

* a woman's maiden name

* place of birth

* social clubs

* hobbies

* person to notify in case of emergency

And don't ask applicant for photographs.

While each of these questions may not be specifically unlawful by statute, they may still provide evidence of an intention to discriminate. After all, the reasoning goes, why collect information if you're not going to use it.