Laws about discrimination during recruiting

Are you one of the many California residents who is looking for a new job? You deserve to know that you have equal chances at being selected for an interview and eventually hired for a job that someone else so long as you are properly qualified for it based upon your education and work history experience. Those, in fact, should be the primary factors upon which a company should assess your potential employment. 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission explains that while discrimination at work is illegal, discrimination during the job recruiting process is also illegal. This may take many forms and sometimes can be very subtle. For example, a company that places an ad for a job in a publication known to predominately be read or seen only by people who are of a certain ethnic group may be at risk of being accused of discriminating against candidates in other ethnic groups.

Similarly, ads should not state any preferences based upon the classes that are protected under the EEOC's laws. An ad stating that a job is ideal for a woman, for example, may be in violation of the law. Companies must not discriminate based upon gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, national origin, disability and other factors. Age is also a consideration as discrimination of people over the age of 40 is prohibited.

This information is not intended to provide legal advice but is instead meant to help give California residents an overview of the laws that govern job recruiting in an effort to protect job applicants from discrimination.