What shift do you prefer? (also, how do you feel about overtime?) For an interviewer to conduct a lawful employment interview, the employer must demonstrate job related necessity for asking the questions. The intent of the question is important and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will look at the relevancy to determine if discrimination has incurred.
| SUBJECT | ACCEPTABLE | UNACCEPTABLE |
| Disability | Applicants may be asked about their ability to perform specific job functions. | Employers may not ask job applicants about the existence, nature, or severity of a disability before an offer of employment has been made. |
| Name | Have you ever worked for this company under a different name? Is any additional information relative to change of name, use of an assumed name, or nickname necessary to enable a check on your work record? If yes, explain. | Original name of applicant whose name has been changed by court or otherwise. If you ever worked under another name, state name and dates. |
| Address or Duration of Residence | Applicant’s place of residence. | |
| Photograph | May be required after hiring for identification. | Requirement or option that applicant affix a photograph to employment form at any time before hiring. |
| Citizenship | Are you authorized to work in the United States? | Whether an applicant is naturalized or a native-born citizen; the date when the applicant acquired citizenship. Birthplace of applicant. Birthplace of applicant’s parents, spouse, or other close relatives. |
| Education | Inquiry into applicant’s academic, vocational, or professional education and the public and private schools attended. | |
| Experience | Inquiry into work experience. | |
| Relatives | Names of applicant’s relatives, other than spouse, already employed by a company. | Names, addresses, ages, number or other information concerning applicant’s spouse, children or other relatives not employed by a company. |
| Notice In Case of Emergency | Names of persons to be notified. | Name and address of person to be notified in case of accident or emergency. |
| Military Experience | Inquiry into applicant’s military experience in the United States or in a State Militia. Inquiry into applicant’s service in particular branch of United States Army, Navy, etc. | Inquiry into applicant’s general military experience. |
| Organization | Inquiry into applicant’s membership in an organization which the applicant considers relevant to his or her ability to perform the job. | List all clubs, societies, and lodges to which you belong. |
| Religion or Creed | Inquiries into applicant’s religious denomination, religious affiliations, church, parish, pastor, or religious holidays observed. Applicant may not to be told, “This is a (Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish) organization.” | |
| Race, National Origin, or Languages | What languages do you read, speak, or write fluently? (only if pertinent to or required for the job in question). | Inquiry into applicant’s lineage, ancestry, national origin, descent, parentage, nationality, race, or color. What is your native language? Inquiry into how applicant acquired ability to read, write, or speak a foreign language. Nationality of applicant’s parents or spouse. What is your mother’s tongue? |
| Sex | Inquiry as to sex. Do you wish to be addressed as Mr.?, Mrs.? or Ms.? | |
| Marital Status | Can you meet specified work schedules, or do you have activities, commitments, or responsibilities that may hinder the meeting of work requirements? | Are you married? Are you single? Divorced? Separated? Engaged? Name or other information about spouse. Where does your spouse work? What are the ages of your children, if any? Who will care for your children when you work? |
| Birth Control | Inquiry as to capacity to reproduce, advocacy of any form of birth control or family planning. | |
| Age or Date of Birth | Are you over 18? | How old are you? What is your date of birth? Requirement that applicant submit birth certificate, naturalization or baptismal record. Requirement that applicant produce proof of age in the form baptismal. |
| Arrest Records | Have you ever been convicted of a crime? (Give details*) | Have you ever been arrested? |
* An applicant may not be denied employment because of a conviction record unless there is a direct relationship between the offense and the job or unless hiring would be an unreasonable risk. An ex-offender denied employment is entitled to a statement of the reasons for such denial. Correction Law, Article 23-A, 6754
Common Interview Questions
- Tell me about yourself.
- What is your greatest strength?
- What is your greatest weakness?
- Where do you want to be in 3, 5, 10 years?
- Tell me about a situation where you disagreed with a co-worker/supervisor. What did you do?
- Tell me about your organization/time-management style.
- What do you have to offer us? (also, why should we hire you?)
- Why do you want to work for us? (also, why do you want this job?)
- How do you handle pressure and deadlines?
- Explain a major obstacle in your life and how you overcame it.
- Why did you pick your major in college? (also, why did you pick a certain university?)
- What was your favorite/least favorite class and why?
- What did you enjoy/dislike most about your last job?
- Describe your ideal working environment.
- How would previous co-workers and supervisors describe you?
- What do you do in your spare time? (also, do you have any hobbies?)
- If you could have one wish, what would you choose and why?
- What are you looking for in terms of salary?
- Would you be willing to relocate?
