The questions listed below are some that you might want to consider asking. Many of the questions are job specific (such as those included for someone seeking a human resources position), but others apply to jobs in general.
Recruiting, EEO and Affirmative Action Questions (For people applying for a human resources position):
- Does the company hire management personnel from outside?
- How does the company recruit now?
- Are all positions recruited through the personnel department?
- Does the company recruit through free agencies, such as the YWCA displaced homemaker program or 40 Plus?
- Is the company required to recruit certain protected group members due to a suit, charge or settlement of a charge from that group?
- Does the company have a recruitment program for protected group candidates?
- Is the company active in affirmative action?
- What are the provisions of the company's current affirmative action plan?
- Has the company ever been reviewed for compliance?
- Does the company currently have an EEO or other personnel-related suit or charge pending? In what area(s)?
- Does the company directly contract with governments (federal, state and/or local)? Indirectly through subcontractors or clients?
- What kinds of insurance benefits do you have?
- Medical?
- Major medical?
- Dental?
- Eye care?
- Short-term disability?
- Long-term disability?
- Sick leave policy?
- Pregnancy sick leave policy?
- Paternity leave policy?
- What are your vacation policies?
- Based on length of service?
- How many days after how much service?
- Which holidays?
- What are your policies on "personal days"?
- What are the normal working hours? Lunch break?
- What type of pension plan do you have? Vested after how long? Do you offer a 40IK option?
- Is there a stock option plan? To whom available? At reduced rates?
- Do you offer a profit-sharing plan?
- Do you have a credit union? Is there a payroll deduction plan?
Illegal Topics
Recent employment laws have made certain topics illegal for discussion. The Equal Employment Opportunities Act restricted topics that could be asked of minority groups and women. Later, laws restricted questions about age, health and physical disabilities. Briefly stated, the restrictions on questions that can be asked, either on application forms or in personal interviews prior to employment are as follows:
Responding to Illegal Questions
Most companies are aware of what they can and can't ask on applications. However, if the organization does not have a human resources department or legal department that sees that the organization doesn't open itself to possible litigation, you may find an application containing illegal questions. And you'll almost certainly come up against illegal questions in interviews. How do you handle these?
- If you come up against an illegal question on an application, ignore the question and don't answer it, or put an "NA" (not applicable) in the blank. Be aware, however, that after the company has made you a job offer, you are required to answer many of those same questions for insurance purposes and to show that the company is in compliance with state and federal regulations.
- When you are asked an illegal question in an interview, you can try any of these strategies:
- Counter the question with a question: "Do you believe that my ability to do this job is contingent on that factor?"
- Go ahead and answer the question as though it is no big deal. Get off it as fast as you can.
- Don't pontificate, or call the interviewer's attention to the fact that the question is illegal, unless you have definitely decided you don't want the job, and don't want anything more to do with that organization. n A suggestion: Do write down the interviewer's name and the exact question you were asked, with the date, location and the job you applied for, just for your own possible protection.
Regardless of what kind of interview(s) you have undergone, consider the activity a learning experience. When you leave the site of the interview, take time to make notes on how you did. Before you forget, note the areas you thought you handled well, the areas where your answers were not what you would have liked. Also make notes of anything else that you think you should work on.
Debriefing. Convene your support group. If you are a member of a job search group, that support group would be the strategy group to which you belong. Discuss your feelings about the interview, and try to reconstruct the interview for the others. Describe the interviewer. What communications style did you observe? Were your responses appropriate for that style? Talk about the chemistry of the interaction. How did the two of you get along? Describe the organization and the work climate that you could observe. What did the organization do? If the interview was not good, tell the group why, and try to look on it as a practice session.
Develop Strategies for Improvement. Discuss whatever negatives there were. Get feedback from the group on possible ways to turn those negatives into positives. Work out better responses together on the tough questions you may have fluffed.
Follow-up. Then, honestly, answer for yourself, "Do I really want to work there?" If you do, and you feel you have an honest chance at the job, ask the strategy group to suggest ways you can further your "suit" for the job. Write your follow-up letter(s) and ask them to evaluate the letter(s) before you send them. What other suggestions do they have for you? If they seem reasonable, do them.
