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We have previously covered some questions that an interviewer frequently forgets to ask a candidate during an interview. And we hope it was helpful!
This time, we have to cover something not many people talk about. There is always a line that can’t be crossed with regards to certain questions. These types of questions can make a candidate feel like they are being discriminated against.
Even if you aren’t trying to, it could be perceived as discrimination.
It may seem obvious that you can’t ask certain questions. Yet, there could be times when a line is crossed without realizing it.
In this article, I will go over some of the topics that must be avoided at all costs.
1. Health or disability
There are very strict and clear rules about not asking any personal health information. A person’s health history is very private.
There is a statute called HIPAA which means Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The rules are so specific that there are even guidelines on sending a HIPAA compliant online fax.
It’s ok to want to know if somebody is physically able to do the job at hand. Yet, you must find this information without digging into somebody’s health history.
2. Marital status
It is illegal to ask somebody if they are married or not. It may seem like an innocent question, but it could be viewed as discriminatory.
You may want to know if they are married if it is a woman candidate so you can check her background if she has had a different last name.
In this case, the question should simply be “Have you ever worked under a different name?” And, this question should be asked of all candidates regardless of gender. Even a male may have changed his name so it does pay to ask everybody anyway.
3. Age
Asking a person their age can come in many forms and all of them should be avoided. You may try to guess someone’s age by asking them when they graduated college or how long they have been working. But, those will still put you on the wrong foot.
If you have a minimum age requirement then the age has to be over 18 and that is it. You can ask them simply if they are over 18 as you can’t have any other age as a minimum or maximum.
4. Family planning
Wondering if you should hire somebody because they might have kids is a reason for discrimination. Therefore, asking if they have kids or plan to have kids is off of the table.
Whether a person decides to have a family is entirely up to them and is not a reason that you can decide to not hire them.
Only stick to the job requirements and avoid this question at all costs.
5. Religion
This one should seem obvious, but you cannot ask somebody what faith they are, if any. Any perception that they didn’t get a job because of their religion would spell trouble for your company. And if they did get hired, they might be afraid of future repercussions based on their religion. Either way, this is not something that promotes a harmonious workplace.