The committee should devise a list of questions that will be asked of all candidates. A patterned interview with every candidate allows the committee to make the best comparisons, ensures that each candidate is treated fairly, and minimizes unconscious biases.
The questions should be aimed at discovering what the candidate can bring to the position and the College, and must be limited to issues that directly relate to the job to be performed. There are inquiries that are not permitted because they request or allow use of information that may lead to an unfairly (and illegally) biased decision. Examples of the inquiries that are acceptable and unacceptable follow. If you have additional questions, please contact the Office of Affirmative Action.
The following chart was adapted from materials from the University of Iowa. It has been significantly modified.
(Netscape or another browser that supports HTML 3.0 tables is needed to view the following table. To request a print version of this handout, please contact the Office of Affirmative Action.)
| Subject | Acceptable Inquiries** | Unacceptable Inquiries |
| Name |
|
Inquiries about the name that would seek to elicit information about the candidate's ancestry or descent. Inquiries about name change due to a court order, marriage, or otherwise. |
| Birthplace | See Citizenship, under Acceptable Inquiries, below. | Birthplace of applicant, spouse, parents, or other relatives. |
| Citizenship |
|
|
| Residence,
Nationality |
Place of residence. Length of residence in this city. | Specific inquiry into foreign addresses that would indicate national origin, nationality of applicant, applicant's parents, or spouse. Whether applicant owns or rents home. |
| Age | Can inquire if applicant meets minimum age requirements, or state that proof may be required upon hiring, or that hire is subject to verification of minimum age. | Cannot require that applicant state age or date of birth. Cannot require that applicant submit proof of age before hiring. Any questions that may tend to identify applicants over 40 years of age. |
| Sex | Inquiry or restriction of employment is permissible only when a Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ) exists. BFOQ is very narrowly interpreted by the courts, and is rarely allowed, with the burden of proof for BFOQ resting on the employer. | Any inquiry that would indicate sex of applicant. (Sex is not a BFOQ because a job involves physical labor, such as heavy lifting beyond capacity of some women.) Applicant's sex cannot be used as a factor for determining whether an applicant will be "satisfied" in a particular job. |
| Marital and
family status, sexual identity, orientation |
Whether applicant can meet specific work schedules. | Marital status or number of dependents. Names, ages or addresses of
spouse, children, or relatives. Questions about sexual identity, orientation,
or preference.
|
| Race, color, physical characteristics | (Voluntary submission of AA/EEO information is made directly to Office of Affirmative Action.) | Inquiry as to applicant's race; color of skin, eyes, or hair, or other questions directly or indirectly indicating race or color. Applicant's height or weight when it is not relevant to the job. |
| Disabilities | Can ask an applicant questions about his or her ability to perform
job-related functions, as long as the questions are not phrased in terms
which would seek to elicit whether the applicant has a disability.
supply attendance record but not reasons for absence related to illness. |
General inquiries ("Are you disabled?") that would tend to reveal disabilities
or health conditions that do not relate to fitness to perform the job.
Applicant's height or weight when it is not relevant to the job. It is
unlawful to ask an applicant whether he or she is disabled or about the
nature or severity of his or her disability.
"How many days were you absent last year due to illness?" |
| Education | Applicant's academic, vocational, or professional education; schools attended. | Date last attended high school (reflects age of applicant). Inquiry as to religious or racial affiliation of school. |
| Work experience, military experience | Applicant's work experience, including names, addresses of previous employers, dates of employment, reasons for leaving. | Type of military discharge. |
| Conviction, arrest, and court record | Inquiry into actual convictions (not arrests) that relate reasonably
to fitness to perform a particular job.
Note: Effective 1/1/77, an applicant may not be denied employment because of a conviction record unless there is a direct relationship between the offense and the job or unless hiring would be an unreasonable risk. An ex-offender denied employment is entitled to a statement of the reasons for such denial. |
Any inquiry relating to arrests. Any inquiry or check into a person's arrest, court, or conviction record if not substantially related to functions and responsibilities of the prospective employment. |
| Photograph | Statement that it may be required after hiring. | Request, even if optional, for photograph before hiring. |
| Religion | Whether applicant can meet specific work schedule(s). | Applicant's religious denomination or affliation, parish, religious leader, or religious holidays observed. Any inquiry made to identify religious denominations or customs. |
**Inquiries which would otherwise be deemed lawful may, in certain
circumstances, be deemed as evidence of unlawful discrimination when the
inquirer seeks to elicit information about a selection criterion which
is not job-related and which has a disproportionately burdensome effect
upon the members of a minority group and cannot be justified by business
necessity.
1. Narrow the selection down to best two or three candidates.
2. Call back strong candidates for second interviews, if possible.
3. Ask both general and specific questions about the applicant's qualifications, skills, and abilities and previous job experiences. Include questions about actual job duties, skills and how they were acquired, areas of responsibility, how the applicant felt about various aspects of previous jobs, and any aspects of applicant's experience which might indicate potential for new or increased responsibilities.
4. If the applicant has a visible disability or informs you that he/she will need accommodation to do the job, ask what accommodations the applicant will need. How has the disability been accommodated on previous jobs? You may ask applicants with known disabilities to demonstrate their ability to do the job.
5. If an applicant identifies him or herself as disabled, ask how he or she will be able to perform the job function.
6. If you have no reason to believe the applicant is disabled, do not ask.
7. Follow with some broad, open-ended questions that will elicit clues to the candidate's personality -- ask about outside interests or use questions that reveal general attitudes.
8. Listen carefully to applicant's responses and demonstrate that you have listened by taking notes and by asking for more specific information or examples when the applicant speaks in general terms.
9. Never accept an incomplete answer. Don't get sidetracked.
10. Set a starting date that doesn't allow the new employee to shop around or find a better offer. The longer the time delay, the greater the risk of losing a prospective employee.
11. Surveys
show that the first person interviewed is often the last one hired.
Even if that person has the best qualifications, a quirk of human nature
doesn't allow us to pick the first person we interview. Try to counter
this tendency.
Collaborative Training Dinner
5 pm - 7 pm
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8:30 am - 10:30 am
Collaborative Training
1 pm - 5:30 pm
Red Cross Blood Drive
11 am - 4 pm
