

Ask HN: is it legal to ask for a picture when hiring? - petervandijck

Specifically in the US? What else can you not ask about?
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stonemetal
Asking for a photo is not considered unusual for specific jobs like modeling,
acting. The term you are looking for Equal Opportunity Employment. You should
stay away from anything that might look like you are asking about one of the
protected classes listed below.

[sourced from wikipedia:Equal Opportunity Employment]

The list is: race, sex, creed, religion, national origin, Age(note only ages
over 40 protected, so not hiring 39 year olds is valid ), disabilities,
genetic information, military history.

Twelve states, over one hundred local governments, and the District of
Columbia have passed statutes that forbid discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation.

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brudgers
IANAL, however it is my understanding that although it is legal to ask for a
picture, it opens you up wide to claims of discrimination. I know that some
companies have had a policy of immediately excluding from consideration any
resume with a picture attached.

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rick888
definitely not. I know they do it in other countries.

Things you can't ask about:

religion, sexual preference, relationship status (married), if someone has
kids, age

