Old Man: [to the applicant] “Are you married, son?”
Rick: [to his dad] “You’re not allowed to ask that kind of stuff.”
Old Man: “Why not?”
Rick: “That’s just the laws. Do you understand that?”
Old Man: “I just want to know if he’s got kids running around, if he’s responsible.”
Rick: “You can ask him questions but they have to be pertinent to the job.”
Old Man: “If he’s got kids it’s pertinent to the job, for he needs to feed ‘em.”
Rick: “You’re not allowed to ask them if they’ve got kids.”
Old man: [frustrated] “Well, why are we even interviewing him if I can’t ask questions?”
Touché!
We all know there are questions we can and can’t ask during an interview, but don’t always remember what they are. Check out Chapter 3, Recruiting and hiring, of your Human Resources Manual for a list of can and can’t ask questions and click here for a good overview article by our partners at Fisher & Phillips.
