Correct. There are a bunch of reasons to avoid it but two very tangible reasons are:
1. It makes you susceptible to bias. Say a candidate reveals that they love volunteering at their local church group and it becomes evident that they hold strong religious beliefs; in some circumstances, if the interviewer holds contrary beliefs, it could unfairly affect their perspective of the candidate.
2. Along the same lines as the first example. If the candidate revealed during the interview that they were Muslim for example, and they were unsuccessful in getting the job, there is little preventing them from bringing a case against the company for discrimination. Unless you have absolutely rock solid evidence to prove that their faith had zero influence on the decision making process, it can actually be a very difficult position to defend.
I'm a HR/Talent professional based in London and I can assure you that those questions should be avoided at all costs regardless of your geographic location.
1. It makes you susceptible to bias. Say a candidate reveals that they love volunteering at their local church group and it becomes evident that they hold strong religious beliefs; in some circumstances, if the interviewer holds contrary beliefs, it could unfairly affect their perspective of the candidate.
2. Along the same lines as the first example. If the candidate revealed during the interview that they were Muslim for example, and they were unsuccessful in getting the job, there is little preventing them from bringing a case against the company for discrimination. Unless you have absolutely rock solid evidence to prove that their faith had zero influence on the decision making process, it can actually be a very difficult position to defend.