The Connection Magazine The Connection Magazine Fall 2017 | Page 26

RECRUITING & INTERVIEWING
Recruiting & Interviewing:
Be Careful What You Ask For
BY: MARK W. MILLETT, RECRUITER, LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST, A.I.M. MUTUAL
RECENTLY, at an A.I.M. Mutual seminar for contractors, one
policyholder was mystified. “What do you mean I can’t ask a
construction worker whether he has a bad back before I hire him?”
he’d asked. Answer: It violates federal law.
Recruiting is a challenge in every business, not just the insurance
industry. If you’re a hiring manager or someone involved in the
hiring process, you probably already know that recruiting plays
a critical role in the success of your organization. Whether the
candidates are internal or external, you want to make sure you get
the right person: The one who will not only get the job done but will
also be a perfect fit with the rest of the team, helping to move the
organization forward.
Sometimes it feels like you’re looking for a needle in a haystack.
Finding that fit can be tough. Glassdoor, a jobs and recruiting
website, reports that on average, each corporate job opening
attracts 250 resumes. Of those candidates, only four-to-six will
get called for an interview, and only one will get the job. A recent
survey by the Society of Human Resource Management found:
• Sixty-eight percent of HR professionals across industries
report challenging recruiting conditions in the current
talent market.
• One-half of organizations cite factors such as a low
number of applicants (51 percent), a lack of the needed
work experience among candidates (50 percent), and
competition from other employers (49 percent) as reasons
for difficulty finding candidates for their open positions.
• Eighty-four percent of HR professionals report seeing
applied skills shortages in job applicants over the last
12 months.
So when those resumes start coming in, we want to find that
perfect candidate. We need to find out as much as possible about
the person to make sure this is the one. We pull out our list of
questions that we’re going to use to find the perfect hire. We want to
make sure the candidate will be able to do the job, will stay with the
company long term, will be reliable, and is a good person. However,
as a hiring manager, you need to be careful about the questions you
ask during the interview process. There are federal and state laws
What You Can—and Can’t—Ask
We know that it’s illegal to discriminate against applicants on
the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, citizenship,
disability, and age. Some states have even more protected
categories such as sexual orientation and marital status. The best
practice is to just avoid asking any questions related to any of
these topics.
So what can you ask and what’s off-limits? Here’s a list of no-
no’s and possible alternatives:
that pertain to what you can and can’t ask a job candidate.
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Topic You can’t ask…
Age • How old are you?
• When did you graduate high school?
• When do you plan to retire?
Children • Do you have any kids?
• Are you planning on having children?
Citizenship • Are you a U.S. citizen?
• Of what country are you a citizen?
• Where were you born?
Marital Status • Are you married?
• Do you prefer Miss, Ms., or Mrs.?
Gender • Are you comfortable working for
a female boss?
Disability • Have you ever been injured on the job
or filed a Workers’ Compensation claim?
• Have you experienced any serious
illnesses in the past year?
Criminal Record • Have you ever been arrested?
Religion • Are there any religious holidays that
you observe?
Miscellaneous • How far is your commute?