Food for Thought – HR 5
New Hire Questionable Questions?
In the previous posts, we touched on the I-9 form, non-discrimination
towards workers as well as non-discrimination toward the forms of
identification being presented, and the need for “due-diligence” when
inspecting documents being presented.
In the last post, HR
4, we approached interviewing prospective new hires, and the subjects that are
considered to be “taboo” when interviewing, or hiring new personnel. We are not to ask about: Race, Age, Religion, Color, Place of Birth,
Disability, Marital Status or Children.
Even an experienced interviewer can mistakenly open the door
to a taboo topic by searching for some “common ground conversation” with a
potential new hire. This only opens the
door to liability. I once had a hiring
manager ask me why they should hire me instead of a younger candidate. I
answered the question quite creatively, but I should have politely excused
myself from the interview right then. I
didn’t, which was a shame. Hind-sight is
always 20/20.
There are different ways to gather information, it just
depends upon what questions you ask, and how you ask them. In reality, what you really want and even
need to know, (besides if this person is qualified, and if they would be a good
fit for your company); is if they are willing and capable of meeting the requirements and demands of the job for
the terms you’re offering. That’s really
the bottom line.
In an article by Megan
Elliott on the Money and Career portion of the www.cheatsheet.com website, the 10
questions you probably never thought were illegal are discussed, as well as the
reasoning behind the illegality of those questions.
D. Conley
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