{"id":7307,"date":"2012-05-22T11:26:39","date_gmt":"2012-05-22T11:26:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/affinityhrgroup.com\/2019\/05\/steer-clear-of-those-illegal-interview-questions\/"},"modified":"2012-05-22T11:26:39","modified_gmt":"2012-05-22T11:26:39","slug":"steer-clear-of-those-illegal-interview-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theworkplaceadvisors.com\/steer-clear-of-those-illegal-interview-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Steer Clear of Those Illegal Interview Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

In general, as business owners and managers you want to stay away from questions that are not job related. Federal and state laws prohibit you from asking questions that deal with race, citizenship, pregnancy status, gender, religion, age, disability, marital status, children, sexual orientation and questions about previous worker\u2019s comp claims. Any question that asks a candidate to reveal information about such topics may be a violation of State and Federal law anti discrimination laws. Often employers stumble into illegal areas unintentionally.<\/p>\n

The best way to stay out of trouble when interviewing candidates is to stick to job related questions and to have a well-written job description and a list of legal interview questions prepared in advance and on hand. The chart below, developed by the University of Wisconsin, is also useful to have on hand when preparing for an interview. Feel free to use it as a reference guide for your interview.<\/p>\n

Illegal Interview Questions<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
QUESTION<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\nAPPROPRIATE<\/strong><\/td>\nINAPPROPRIATE<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Age<\/td>\n <\/td>\nQuestions about age are only permitted if it is necessary to ensure that a person is legally old enough to do the job.\u00a0 For example \u201cAre you over the age of 18?\u201d<\/td>\nQuestions about age, dates of attending school, dates of military service, requests for birth certificate.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Address<\/td>\n <\/td>\nWhat is your address?<\/td>\nExamples: Do you own or rent your home?\u00a0 How long have you lived at your current address?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Arrest Record<\/td>\n <\/td>\nMay ask about arrests or pending charges if they are substantially related to the job.<\/td>\nQuestions about arrests or pending charges for jobs other than those that are substantially related to the particular job.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Credit Rating or Garnishments<\/td>\n <\/td>\nOnly if the job requires significant financial responsibility or access to cash or funds.\u00a0 In most cases, no question is acceptable.<\/td>\nQuestions about credit ratings since they have little or no relations to job performance.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Disability<\/td>\n <\/td>\nAre you able to perform the essential functions of this job \u2013 with or without accommodations?\u00a0 Questions about knowledge of skills necessary to perform the job requirements.<\/td>\nExample: Do you have a disability?\u00a0 What is the nature of severity of your disability?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Education<\/td>\n <\/td>\nInquiries about degrees or equivalent experiences that are related to the job being applied for.<\/td>\nQuestions about education that are not related to the job being applied for.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Family\/Marital Status<\/td>\n <\/td>\nWhether an applicant can meet work schedules or job requirements.\u00a0 If asking, should ask all applicants.<\/td>\nAny inquiry about marital status: married, single, separated, divorced, and engaged; children; pregnancy or child care plans.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Health<\/td>\n <\/td>\nNone<\/td>\nExample: How is your (or your family\u2019s) health?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Name<\/td>\n <\/td>\nMay ask current legal name.\u00a0 \u201cIs additional information, such as a different name or nickname necessary in order to check job references?\u201d<\/td>\nQuestions about national origin, ancestry, or prior marital status.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Organizations<\/td>\n <\/td>\nInquiries about professional organizations related to the position.<\/td>\nInquiries about organizations that might indicate race, sex, religion, or national origin.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Race or Appearance<\/td>\n <\/td>\nNone<\/p>\n

 <\/td>\n

Comments about complexion, color, height, or weight.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Religion<\/td>\n <\/td>\nDescribe the work schedule and ask whether applicant can work that schedule.\u00a0 If asking, should ask of all applicants.<\/td>\nInquiries on religious preferences, affiliations, or denominations.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sexual Orientation<\/td>\n <\/td>\nNone<\/td>\nInquiries about sexual orientation.\u00a0 Inquiries revealing stereotypes for certain sexual orientation (i.e. why do you wear an earring?)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Work Experience<\/td>\n <\/td>\nApplicants\u2019 previous employment experience.<\/td>\nQuestions about sick leave use or worker\u2019s compensation claims in previous jobs.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

by Julie Leutschaft, Contributor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In general, as business owners and managers you want to stay away from questions that are not job related. Federal and state laws prohibit you from asking questions that deal with race, citizenship, pregnancy status, gender, religion, age, disability, marital status, children, sexual orientation and questions about previous worker\u2019s comp claims. Any question that asks […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nSteer Clear of Those Illegal Interview Questions - The Workplace Advisors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theworkplaceadvisors.com\/steer-clear-of-those-illegal-interview-questions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Steer Clear of Those Illegal Interview Questions - The Workplace Advisors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In general, as business owners and managers you want to stay away from questions that are not job related. 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