Are you looking to interview a candidate for a job posting? Do you have a well-defined interview process and compliance checklist in place? If not, you could be putting your reputation and your business at serious risk.
Conducting a job interview and hiring the right candidate is not an easy process. There are strict employment laws that outline the type of interview questions you can and cannot ask. These laws are designed to protect candidates against discrimination during the interview process.
You may think you are asking a seemingly innocent question about the candidates’ personal life. After all, we like to know more about the people we hire, but do you know that an inappropriate question can land you in very hot water?
Let’s talk about three major topics you always want to avoid during the recruitment process.
Top 3 Questions You Should Never Ask in an Interview
1. Don’t Ask About Their Personal Life
When it comes to talent acquisition, you must hire a candidate based on their qualifications to do the job. For this reason, asking questions about their personal life is seen as unnecessary and therefore not allowed. Avoid questions or comments that relate to:
- Age, gender, or sexual preference
- Religious beliefs or practices
- Marital status or whether they have kids
- Physical appearance, weight, and height
While many of these topics form a normal part of polite everyday conversation, delving into the personal life of a candidate during a job interview is viewed as prejudicial.
2. Don’t Ask About Their Ethnicity or Where They’re From
If a candidate is authorized to work in Canada and has the appropriate skills and qualifications to perform the job effectively, their country of origin is not a factor that should be considered. For this reason, it is important not to:
- Ask a candidate where they are from
- Ask about their citizenship status
- Ask what language they speak at home
By asking these questions during the interview process, a candidate might feel that they are being unfairly judged and discriminated against based on these factors.
However, finding out if a potential candidate is legally authorized to work in Canada is a fair question that can be asked. You may also ask what languages they speak and their level of proficiency if it is related to their potential work.
3. Don’t Ask About Disabilities
Another no-go area when it comes to interviewing is to ask a candidate about any disabilities they may have. While some disabilities are visible, others are not, and in both cases, this line of questioning is seen as discrimination, which is illegal.
You are required to make hiring decisions based only on the skills and abilities of the candidate. When you bring disabilities or health into the conversation, the assumption is that you are using these factors to make a hiring decision.
If a candidate has a disability that needs accommodation, they will most likely bring this to your attention during the interview process.
Develop Your Hiring Process Checklist
While the law is clear in defining the topics, you must avoid during an interview, staying within the boundaries can be difficult. Any missteps can result in serious charges and costly litigation. My Hiring Essentials course is designed to help hiring teams get the guidance they need to hire right. This course will give you the tools you need to create a straightforward and effective hiring system for your business.
Within the six modules of the course, you will learn how to:
- Create a functional job description
- Entice your ideal applicants using strategic ads
- Scan through cover letters and resumes in the pre-screening process
- Create a set list of the best interview questions and stick to the script
- Conduct comprehensive background checks
- Navigate the selection and job offer process
As a hiring consultant for over 20 years, I know how important the hiring process is to the success of your business. This is why I developed a comprehensive program that can be used by businesses across numerous industries.
Remove the headaches involved in attracting your next hire by enrolling in the Hiring Essentials course today.
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