Suppose you walk into a company building and ask to see the manager about a job...,but as soon as he sees you he ask you your age....is this legal?

Depends.
How old are you?

i ask sometimes. it's not a part of my hiring process, so to speak, but it depends on the position i'm looking to fill. in some positions i prefer a more mature person (older than 25), some positions i need youthful exhuberance. some positions are better suited for people over the age of 50. i won't exclude anybody from a position, but i kinda use a mental guideline that most people with grandkids don't want to be around a bunch of kids talking about twittering and the jonas bros

Techincally it's illegal. However, they can ask you if you are over a certain age like 16 or 18.

Fury said:

Yeah, but that's illegal. Be careful.

http://www.jobinterviewqu...viewer.asp
[Edited 8/18/09 9:03am]

If you're young or look really young, some retail and waiting positions require you to be over 21 due to the sell of alcohol (depends on the state). An appropriate question is "are you at least 21"?

It's not legal to ask a person's actual age. And if it's an office job or anything that doesn't require you to be a certain age (to operate equipment, sell alchohol, etc.) he can land himself in hot water.
I'd say that 80% of retail managers, if given the choice, would rather pay a youngster less than paying someone more mature a bit more.

Imago said:

well people say I look 14...so I guess...my cousin works there she is a lot bigger than me, but she is much younger...I'm a tiny little thing.

PANDURITO said:

24, but I'm small.

SCNDLS said:

I paused for a sec before answering.

SCNDLS said:

i never ask anybody i don't intend to hire,and even then it's really in a indirect way ( i usually go 10 years or so under), although one lady a few years back was like 45 and i had her pegged at 60

You not supposed to ask, or you can be charged with Age Discrimination. So instead, they ask for a copy of your driver's license or other such info that has your birthdate.

I think it's silly, actually. If I want to hire somebody just because they're young, old, male, female, 25years and 3 months old with blond hair and a 6th toe on the left foot, etc., I should be able to.

Dauphin said:

Okay, then someone should be allowed to only hire whites???

I often have to remind them I'm in my 50s

SCNDLS said:

I don't see why not. Could you imagine the public backlash from that choice? Who would purchase your goods or services? How could you make money vs competition that employs from a larger pool of employees?

Now, a government agency is a different deal altogether. But a private business? Let them cut their own throat.