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Employment Interview Questions Re-Visited

The topic of lawful employment interview questions prompted much interest and discussion among attendees. They learned that as a prospective employer, you have a perfect right to learn as much as you are legally entitled to know about a person prior to making a hiring decision. This is true regardless of the level of position you are seeking to fill. However, it is very important to know what you can and cannot ask an interviewee to ensure that you do not discriminate or otherwise violate their rights. In general, avoid any questions relating to age, sex, color, race, creed, national origin, religious persuasion, marital status, political belief, physical well- being, or disabilities.

The following are examples of questions/inquiries that an employer should not ask a job seeker during the employment interview.

Questions You CAN'T Ask:

General:

Do not ask the applicant how OLD he/she is.
Do not ask the applicant his/her BIRTH DATE.
Do not ask the applicant how long he/she has resided at his/her PRESENT ADDRESS.
Do not ask the applicant what his/her PREVIOUS ADDRESS was.
Do not ask the applicant what his/her FATHER'S SURNAME is.
Do not ask the applicant what CHURCH he/she attends and what the name is of their RABBI, PRIEST or MINISTER.
Do not ask the applicant whether they are MARRIED, DIVORCED, SEPARATED, WIDOWED, OR SINGLE.
Do not ask the applicant WHO RESIDES with them.
Do not ask the applicant HOW MANY CHILDREN they have.
Do not ask the AGES of any CHILDREN of applicants.
Do not ask who will TAKE CARE OF CHILDREN when the applicant is at work or on a business trip.
Do not ask how the applicant WILL GET TO WORK, unless owning a car is a requirement of the job.
Do not ask the applicant where a SPOUSE OR PARENT WORKS OR RESIDES.
Do not ask the applicant if he/she OWNS OR RENTS his/her place of residence.
Do not ask the applicant the NAME OF THEIR BANK, or any information regarding LOANS OUTSTANDING.
Do not ask the applicant whether he/she has ever had WAGES GARNISHED or DECLARED BANKRUPTCY.
Do not ask the applicant whether he/she has ever been ARRESTED.
Do not ask the applicant if he/she has served in the ARMED FORCES OF ANOTHER COUNTRY.
Do not ask the applicant how he/she spends their SPARE TIME or what CLUB he/she belongs.
Do not ask the job applicant what foreign languages he/she can SPEAK, READ OR WRITE (unless a job requirement).
Do not ask the applicant whether he/she has a DISABILITY.
Do not ask the applicant whether he/she has ever FILED A WORKER'S COMPENSATION CLAIM.

Gender specific:

Do not ask the female applicant what her MAIDEN NAME was.
Do not ask the female applicant if he/she HAS ANY CHILDREN (or plan to) or how many, what ages, or sex they are.
Do not ask the female applicant what her HUSBAND DOES, HOW MUCH HE MAKES, WHETHER HE IS A SUBJECT TO TRANSFER, or anything pertaining to his employment.

The following questions are allowable and can be used "as is" or modified to suit almost any interviewing situation. The answers to these questions will usually give employers additional opportunities to ask further questions. Be inquisitive, ask "why" more frequently, and learn to listen.

Questions You CAN Ask (tailor these to your particular company – supplemental to you employment application):

Work Experience/Responsibilities:

Describe a typical day at your current or last job?
What type of tasks take up most of your time?
What is the most important part of your job?
What aspects of your present or past jobs did you enjoy the most?
When you have questions or problems with your work, where do you go for assistance?
What have you learned from your past job that you can apply here?
What aspects of your work are most difficult?

Education:

How has your education prepared you for your position?
What were your major courses of study in high school (Junior College, College, Graduate School, etc.)?
What courses or professional training/certifications have you taken/achieved since graduating?
How do you keep informed of current issues, innovations in your field?
What plans, if any, do you have for furthering your education?
What advice would you give a student interested in a career in your field?

Job Performance/Motivation:

Tell me about an assignment that really challenged you?
What do you consider your most important accomplishment in your present or last position?
What would your manager say about your performance, Attendance and ability to work with others?
What are you looking for in your next job? How does it fit in with your personal goals?
What interests you about this position?
What was the last job related success (failure) you have had? What did you learn from it?
Describe the perfect job both in terms of job content and company environment?
What are the areas where you feel you need improvement?
Where do you see that you could make an immediate contribution to this organization?
What challenges do you see in this job that you have not faced before?
What is your definition of success?

Decision Making:

Describe the most significant work decision you have made?
What process do you follow when making a decision?
How do you evaluate the decisions you make?
Can you give me an example of a recent decision you made without consulting your manager?
Give me an example of circumstance that you felt it was better not to make a decision?
What kind of latitude do you have for making decisions in your current or last job?
Where do you go for assistance or information to help you make decisions? When is this appropriate?

Planning and Organizing:

What are some characteristics of a "priority" project for you? Describe your last priority project?
What techniques do you use to plan and organize your day?
Tell me about a time where you had to complete a project in a short time frame, what did you do?
Describe a project you managed (worked on) from start to finish?
When your scheduling is offset by unforeseen circumstances, describe how you handle them?
Do you consider yourself a leader or a follower? Share an example of this from your past job?

Closing Questions:

Describe your understanding of the responsibilities for this job?
What else should I know about you or your qualifications?
What else would you like to know about this job?
Describe in three adjectives the greatest strengths you would bring to this job.
If you were offered this position, how soon could we expect your reply?
What information will you consider in evaluating our company and position?
Are you still interested in the job?
Is there anything else you would like to tell me?

Larry Fish is President and Founder of GreenSearch, which provides people solutions for the Green Industry nationwide. E-mail comments about this article to Larry at larry@greensearch.com.

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