Three Things Companies Do While Hiring . . . That Should Be Illegal:

Fourteen million Americans are currently unemployed, and the things some companies do while hiring doesn't help. Here are three things companies do while hiring . . . that should be illegal.

#1.) Discriminating Against the Unemployed. Companies are allowed to post job listings that say they're only interested in hiring people who currently have a job. And it tends to weed out the people who aren't really qualified. But it also does nothing to help the national unemployment rate, which bounced back up to 9% last month. And it discriminates against women who take time off to have a baby, then want to go back to work.

#2.) Employment-Based Credit Checks. If you apply for a job, the company is allowed to check your credit history to see how responsible you are with your finances which makes sense if you're applying for a job as a banker. For most jobs though, it's not really necessary. But according to the Society for Human Resource Management, 60% of all employers do credit checks on their employees. And obviously, if you've been out of work for a while, your credit might be less-than-perfect.

#3.) Asking for Someone's Social Security Number Before They Have the Job. Obviously, you have to give it to them for tax reasons and to prove who you are. But there's no good reason for a company to ask for it until they've offered you the job and you've accepted. Identity theft affects nearly 10 million people in the U.S. each year. And if you have to send your social security number to ten or twenty different companies you're applying to, you're much more at risk. Plus, if your identity is compromised, it can affect your credit . . . which we already know can prevent you from getting a job in the first place.