Procedures And Guidelines For Conducting Faculty And Staff Searches At UMCP

Appendix F

RESTRICTION ON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
QUESTIONS YOU MAY AND MAY NOT ASK OF A CANDIDATE

Interview questions must be job-related and should flow from the essential job functions. Questions should focus on a candidate’s ability to perform the job. You must not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual o rientation, marital status, personal appearance, national origin, political affiliation, disability, or on the basis of the exercise rights secured by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

1. You may not ask questions about marital status, (e.g., spouse’s name, spouse’s employment status, whether the candidate is single, married, divorced, separated, engaged, or widowed), pregnancy, ability to reproduce, advocacy of any form of birth contr ol, plans for a family, or child care issues. You may inquire if the applicant has any commitments that would preclude her or him from satisfying job requirements. If such questions are asked, they must be asked for both genders.

2. You may not ask questions about weight or height.

3. You may not ask questions designed to discover an applicant’s physical or mental condition. An applicant may be asked to describe how she/he will perform specific job functions, if this is required of everyone applying for a job in this categor y, regardless of disability.

4. You may not ask questions designed to discover one’s age.

5. You may not ask questions about a foreign address which would indicate national origin. You may, however, ask about the locations and length of time of one’s current residence.

6. You may not ask questions concerning the candidate’s place of birth or similar questions about the parents, grandparents, and or spouse of the candidate.

7. You may ask if one is a U.S. citizen (i.e., for proof of her/his citizenship), if one intends to become a U.S. citizen, or if one’s U.S. residence, is legal as well as the status of one’s visa.

8. You may not ask what is one’s native tongue or how one’s foreign language ability has been acquired. You may inquire into languages which the candidate speaks and writes fluently.

9. You may not ask about one’s willingness to work on any particular religious holiday. You may ask about one’s willingness to work a required work schedule.

10. You may not ask if a candidate has filed or has threatened to file discrimination charges.

11. You may not ask questions about organizations that would reveal the race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, age, political affiliation, or disability of the applicant. You may inquire about membershi p in job related professional organizations (e.g., does an applicant for the position of an English department of an English department belong to the Modern Language Associate?).

12. You may not ask about military service in the armed forces of any country except the U.S., nor may not inquire into one’s type of discharge. You may ask questions inquire concerning a candidate’s military experience in the Armed Forces of the Unit ed States or in a Stat Militia.

13. You may not ask questions which would reveal arrests without convictions. You may ask if the candidate has been convicted of a crime and if any felony charges are pending against the candidate.

14. You may not ask questions about one’s credit rating or request financial data.

(Information excerpted from Handbook for Faculty Searches with Special Reference to Affirmative Action, 1989-90. Office of the Provost, Department of Human Relations Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan.)




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