Firefighter Specialist Question:

It is illegal for an interviewer to ask you about your religion, age, marital status, if you're a parent, or your sexual orientation. Employers use these questions to discriminate against applicants in the hiring process.

Don't assume your interviewer is intentionally asking illegal questions. One in five interviewers unknowingly asks an illegal interview question based on CareerBuilder's April survey.

There are three ways you can answer this question.

If you feel comfortable answering the question, just answer it.

Or, instead of responding to the original question, try answering the question you think the interviewer is trying to ask. Interviewers asking what holidays you participate in religiously could be their way of finding out if you will be unable to work on specific days of the year.

Finally, if you feel the question is too personal, you can refuse to answer it. Decline to answer respectfully and let the interviewer know the answer will not impact your work ethic. However, refusing to answer might result in another candidate receiving the job offer.