If you are hoping to be interviewing for a new job soon or have an interview coming up you may find yourself wondering about the questions that your potential future employer may ask you. Rather than worrying about that you should arrive well aware of the type of questions that they may not ask you.

There is a legal requirement to protect data that you provide to a potential employer and there is only a certain amount of personal information that they may ask you.

It has been reported recently that some employers in the USA have been asking interviewees for their social networking site passwords. Because of this the chief privacy officer of Facebook has suggested that the social networking site could take out legal action in the future against employers who request passwords and other personal information from the site. This is a violation of the websites terms and conditions.

While some of the legal implications of employers asking for this information is different in the USA compared to the United Kingdom it is still incredibly unlikely for employers here to be able to ask for this information due to the 1998 Data Protection Act. Obviously there are going to be people that are always going to adhere to any requests to try and help their job search be fruitful but it seems unlikely that employers would legally be allowed to ask for this information.

When attending an interview or before being offered a job a potential employer may not ask about any disabilities, how many days sickness you have had from a previous job (unless this is a necessary requirement of the offered employment) or any other health related questions.

Once you have been offered a job your new employer may make some inquiries with regards to your health but only to ensure that you are being offered support where necessary and to ensure that your role is adjusted according to any medical needs.

In addition to health related questions an employer cannot ask about your marital status, sexual preference, whether you have any children or dependants or whether you are planning to start a family or have another child in the near future.

An employer is also not permitted to ask for your age. Some employers may try to ask for your date of birth or ask age related questions such as what year did you leave school, what age you plan to retire and how many years you have until this.

When being interviewed for a job an employer should not ask about anything that may allow them to discriminate against you when making their selection for employment. This includes but is not limited to asking your race, first language, heritage, religious beliefs or where you were born.

Once you have passed thorugh the selection process there is a specific set of rules that employers must adhere to. An employer may hold information on your health, origins, race, criminal past, credit history, internet usage or other personal information. Said employer must ensure that they provide a copy of a personal file for anyone writing to request one, they must also correct or remove any information as requested if it may cause personal or professional damage to your reputation or your ability to get a job in the future.

An employer is only allowed to keep information on unsuccessful candidates for a reasonable length of time and this will usually be six months. Sometimes employers may keep this information should they have a similar or identical role in the future but you should agree to your information being kept for this purpose.

There’s no doubt about it – having the right home insurance can take the worry out of emergencies such as burst pipes. But the damage that pipes cause if they do start to leak is most homeowner’s idea of a nightmare.

Water can spread very quickly in a house, potentially ruining carpets and furnishings.  And it might lead to expensive repair bills to your ceiling, floorboards – or even dividing walls.

Having the right insurance could help if things go wrong. So it’s important to check your home insurance or buildings insurance policy to make sure you have all the cover you need. Halifax offers great value house insurance for both your home and contents – have a look at their website to find out more.

But it’s also really important to know what to do if disaster does strike. Here is a handy step-by-step guide to dealing with burst pipes.

Step 1 – cut off the water supply to your home
While this is a simple matter of turning off the stopcock, it’s surprising how many people don’t know where to find this in their home. And in the heat of the moment when your pipes have burst and water is going everywhere, it might be difficult to think rationally. So locate your stopcock in advance and make a note of where it is… just in case.

Step 2 – drain the system
Once your water supply is turned off, make sure you get rid of any water left in the system. To do this simply turn the cold water taps on and flush your toilets.

Step 3 – check the electrics
Water and electrics don’t mix. So if water is leaking near your electrics or your electrical appliances, switch of the mains immediately. But if the mains switch is wet – don’t touch it as you could risk being electrocuted. Instead, call a qualified electrician immediately.

Step 4 – stay safe
If the leak is small – or you have caught it soon after it started – you might just need to put a bucket under the leak, or mop it up. But if the leak is more extensive, it might have affected the structure of your floors or ceilings. Don’t risk going into a room if the ceiling or flooring is bulging or there are signs that it might collapse.

Step 5  – bail out
You might be able to minimise damage by baling out some of the water from your home, with buckets or small pails, or even pushing it through the door using a stiff brush. The sooner you can stop the spread of the water, the less damage your home will suffer.

Step 6 – call a plumber
It’s always a good idea to have the number of a plumber somewhere safe. But if you don’t know a reliable plumber, ask around to see who your friends and neighbours would recommend. And if you don’t know your neighbours too well, asking their advice on plumbers can be a surprisingly good ice-breaker.

Step 7 – call your insurer
The sooner you call your home insurance provider, the better. They will probably want to know how the leak has happened and what parts of your home it affects – and may also want to send someone out to assess the damage.

After your insurance claim is settled, you’ll want to get things back to normal at home. But while it’s on your mind, it might be a good time to think how you can protect your home from burst pipes in the future – perhaps by insulating your loft, or cladding the pipes. As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure.