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The goal of an interview is to find out as much as possible about the applicant’s work background, habits, and skills and to encourage the best applicants to want to work for the interviewing company. A candidate should be treated the way the interviewer would like to be treated. It is more likely that a person treated in a warm and friendly manner from the start will respond to questioning in an open and honest manner.
Interviewers should thoroughly describe both the company and the position. They want to stress the good points, but not mislead. If there are aspects of the position past employees have complained about, they should be brought up and explained. It is both costly and time consuming to hire and train candidates who later discover that this is not the right position for them.
The applicant should do most of the talking. Follow the 80/20 rule. The candidate should do 80 percent of the talking to the interviewer’s 20 percent. The interviewer should not jump in with a question every time the candidate pauses. Silence after a response will encourage the candidate to offer more explanation.
Here are some additional interview guidelines:
Here are some general questions that will help an employer get started in an interview.
Questions that can lead to trouble
While there is no definitive list of questions that may not be asked, it is best to avoid questions that suggest a company might be taking illegal factors into consideration when hiring.
Unless there is a legitimate business necessity, the following questions should not be asked:
Other questions to avoid:
These lists are not exhaustive. Any of these questions (or similar ones) could lead to charges of discrimination. The best way to stay out of trouble with employment questions is to make sure each question is job related. If it is not, it should not be asked.