Legal Interview: Crack the code-Part 2

- MBS Recruiting

That’s a weird way to ask a question. Why can’t you just speak plain English?

Why? Because plain English is not the language of a legally clean interview. EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) interview regulations mandate the use of code language, often stilted and difficult to decipher. Here’s a pocket translator. Keep reading…

  •  “This job requires that you stand for up to 4 hours per day, and carry a 40-pound case of samples from one location to another. Can you perform these essential functions of this job, with or without accommodation?” may mean, DO YOU HAVE ANY DISABILITIES?
  • “Are you a U.S. citizen?” or “Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?” probably is an invitation for the job seeker to explain a non-American accent or intention to permanently reside in the USA. It may be followed by this permissible question: “Will you now or in the future require sponsorship for an employment visa?”
  • “Do you rent or own your home?” is not an acceptable inquiry, according to the EEOC. Neither is, “How long have you lived at this address?”
  • Two other interview question no-no’s: HAVE YOU HAD ANY WORK INJURIES? And here’s another one that doesn’t belong at the interview table: DO YOU WISH TO BE ADDRESSED AS MR., MRS., MISS, OR MS? More obvious, but maybe not so obvious, is this prohibited question: ARE YOU MALE OR FEMALE?

Isn’t this fun? Find solace that this question remains on the acceptable list: WHAT’S YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE?