Crucial Interviewing Rules Every Manager Should Follow

As any manager or business leader can tell you, finding and hiring the right employees is a key aspect of growing a successful business. Candidate interviews are typically the best way to determine if a candidate has the right skills and experience for the position. Interviewing job candidates is a skill that takes a great deal of practice to master. Employers should teach hiring managers how to effectively interview candidates and avoid questions that could put the company at risk. Mistakes during the interviewing process not only increase the chances of a poor hiring decision, it can also expose your company to significant liability.

Avoid Inappropriate Interview Questions

When interviewing a candidate, you only have a short amount of time to learn a considerable amount of information. You may want to gather information about the person’s employment history, education, skillset, attitude, long-term career goals, and more. It is often hard to know which questions will help you make an informed decision. Not only are some questions ineffective, but questions about certain aspects of a candidate’s life can also even lead to discrimination claims. When interviewing a candidate or making small talk during the interview, avoid discussing the candidate’s:

• Age
• Citizenship status
• Marital status
• Pregnancy status
• Religion or spiritual beliefs
• Ethnicity
• Gender
• Medical problems or disabilities
• Height or weight

Be Careful When Engaging in Small Talk

Unfortunately, well-meaning managers often make innocent mistakes while trying to get to know a candidate. For example, they may ask about the candidate’s children in an attempt to build rapport or simply because they are being polite. If the candidate does not get the position, however, the candidate could claim that they were discriminated against because they have children. This is why it is best to avoid these topics entirely during the interview process.

Good Interviewing Starts with Good Employee Training

Understandably, managers are not naturally experts at interviewing. Even if a hiring manager has experience interviewing applicants, they may not know the possible legal implications of certain questions and statements. Employers should take the time to sit down with hiring managers and explain what is expected during an interview.

Fortunately, employers and business leaders do not have to figure all of this out on their own. Having an outsourced general counsel on retainer can help employers train staff to avoid risky interview questions.

Call Us For Legal Guidance on Employment Law Issues

When interviewing candidates, it is essential that staff avoid statements that can leave your company vulnerable to discrimination claims. A skilled Naperville business lawyer from the Gierach Law Firm can help you train and prepare staff on how to safely recruit, interview, and hire new employees. Our experienced team can also evaluate your business for other areas that need fine-tuning. Call us at 630-756-1160 for a confidential consultation.

Source:

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission