Interviewing

A step-by-step guide to legally safe hiring practices

11/27/2012

Hiring is one of the most difficult and legally dangerous tasks for supervisors. Just a few ill-timed words in a want ad or interview can trigger a legal complaint. Here are the key liability hot spots to watch out for in the hiring process:

Worried candidate is too volatile to promote? Reason enough to give the job to someone else

11/11/2012

Some employees who are quick to anger may not have the interpersonal skills needed for a promotion, even if they are technically qualified to do the job. If you choose not to promote a hothead, few courts will second-guess your decision …

Must we employ someone with allergies?

10/18/2012

Q. We recently hired someone we didn’t know has a severe allergy to peanuts. If she even smells peanut butter, she has a severe allergic reaction, requiring her to use an EpiPen and head to the emergency room. Could we have refused to hire her if we had known about her allergies?

Hiring: Sometimes, personal questions are OK

09/21/2012

We all know that hiring managers are supposed to avoid personal or intrusive questions when interviewing job applicants. However, under some limited circumstances, getting answers to such questions may be relevant and necessary to the hiring process.

Interviewee raises sensitive issue: Is it still bias?

08/13/2012

Q. I understand there are lots of questions we can’t ask during interviews. But what if the applicant brings up the subject? For example, if she mentions that she just had a baby, can I ask if she’s made child care arrangements? If a person is coming from out of town, I may ask why. If they say “boyfriend/girlfriend,” can I ask if it’s a permanent move?

May we ever ask about applicant’s religion?

07/27/2012

Q. When, if ever, can our company legally ask an applicant about his or her religious affiliation?

Subjective hiring criteria are fine–if you can cite a sound business reason

07/13/2012

When you have several good applicants for a job opening, picking the best-qualified candidate isn’t easy. While you should be as objective as possible, the final decision can have a subjective element. Just make sure you document a good business reason to back up your choice.

One innocent interview question that could land you in court

07/12/2012

Do you ask applicants what year they graduated from high school or college (or otherwise finished their education)? Does your application request that information? Watch out!

Avoid ‘talented terrors’: Hire for attitude

07/06/2012

Figuring out if applicants have the technical skills to perform a job is relatively easy. What’s more difficult is finding out whether a person has the personal characteristics to become successful and be someone co-workers wouldn’t go nuts working alongside.

‘Projectlications’: The future of smart hiring?

06/11/2012

Realizing that no amount of interviewing or psychological tests can substitute for seeing an applicant perform the task at hand, more employers these days are asking candidates to do serious work to get a serious job offer, according to a Harvard Business Review article.