求職者哪怕準備再充分,面試時也可能緊張不安。招聘經理固然是面試的主導,但也有可能把握不好,踩到禁忌問題的紅線。有些問題求職者真的無需回答,有時根本不必回答。
“即使是訓練有素的招聘經理和面試官,有時也會提出一些法律不允許提的問題。”芝加哥人力資源律師查爾斯?克魯格爾表示。
美國國會1964年通過的《公民權利法案》,“禁止基于種族、膚色、宗教、性和國籍出身采取就業歧視。”作為求職者,一旦有跡象表明可能遭到不公對待,你應該立刻識別。記住,以下五種面試問題都是違反法律的。
“你在身體或者精神方面有沒有殘障?”
為何問題違法:《美國殘疾人法案》(ADA)規定,用人機構歧視身體殘疾但可以勝任工作的應聘者或員工是違法行為。員工人數超過15名的私人雇主,州政府和地方政府都必須遵守ADA規定。
需要指出的是,雖然ADA禁止用人機構在決定錄用員工以前提出歧視性問題,但發送入職邀約后可以詢問殘疾相關的問題,前提是,所有同類型工作的求職者都要回答相同問題,不是只針對有明顯殘障的求職者。
同類禁問問題:
? “你現在服用什么處方藥?”
? “你有沒有因為精神方面的問題看過病?”
“你打算什么時候生孩子?”
為何問題違法:聯邦政府法律禁止性別歧視。也就是說,用人機構不能因為性別歧視求職者。
律師事務所Nilan Johnson Lewis的勞動法律師麗莎?施密德說,招聘經理可能只是擔心求職者能否勝任工作,比如有的崗位需要員工出差或者加班。如果是這種情況,面試官可以直接向求職者提出有關工作職責的問題。比如這份工作需要每個月出差五天,你有沒有什么困難?
同類禁問問題:
? “你現在怎么帶孩子?”
? “如果懷孕了會作何打算?”
“過宗教性節日的時候,你需不需要放假?”
為何問題違法:法律禁止宗教歧視,所以用人單位不得基于求職者的宗教信仰、習俗或者活動決定是否錄用。
同類禁問問題:
? “你信奉什么宗教?”
? “你屬于哪個教堂?”
“你來自哪個國家?”
為何問題違法:聯邦政府禁止歧視求職者的原始國籍。因此,用人單位不能基于求職者來自哪個國家或者是隸屬哪個民族決定是否錄用。
同類禁問問題:
? “你是哪個民族的?”
? “你講話口音很重,你是哪國人?”
“你多久參加一次陸軍預備役訓練?”
為何問題違法:因為聯邦政府保護服兵役的權力。用人公司不得基于求職者以往、現在或者未來服兵役或履行軍事義務而決定是否錄用。
同類禁問問題:
? “你會不會很快應招入伍?”
? “你從軍隊復員屬于哪種類型?”
假如面試官提出違反法律規定的問題,你的反應取決于令你不適的程度。你可以只回答“這不影響我做好工作”,然后不再多說。如果感覺用人公司實在過分,你完全有權停止面試起身離開。如果你特別需要那份工作,決然離開確實有點難。但換個角度想,你真的希望在一家存在歧視的公司工作嗎?
本文的用意并不是提供專業的法律意見。讀者若有任何法律問題,還請咨詢律師,請律師給出專業建議。(財富中文網) 本文首發于求職網站Monster.com。
譯者:Pessy
審校:夏林
? |
Job interviews can make even the most prepared candidates uncomfortable. But although the hiring manager is in the driver’s seat, there’s a chance they’ll make a wrong turn and ask a question that is off limits—a question that you don’t have to answer, and sometimes definitely shouldn’t.
“Even trained hiring managers and recruiters sometimes ask illegal questions,” says Charles Krugel, an HR attorney in Chicago.
The Civil Rights Act of l964 “prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.” As a job seeker, you want to be able to spot red flags that could indicate you’re not being treated fairly. These five interview questions are illegal for potential employers to ask you.
“Do you have any physical or mental disabilities?”
Why it’s illegal: The Americans with Disability Act (ADA) says it is unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a qualified applicant or employee with a disability. Private employers with 15 or more employees, as well as state and local government employers, must abide by the ADA.
Note that that the ADA prohibits employers from asking discriminatory questions before making a job offer; after a job offer has been extended, employers are permitted to ask questions about disabilities as long as they ask the same questions of other applicants offered the same type of job, not just applicants with an obvious disability.
Similar off-limit questions:
? “What prescription drugs are you currently taking?”
? “Have you ever been treated for mental health problems?”
“When are you planning to have children?”
Why it’s illegal: Sex is a federally protected class, which means an employer cannot discriminate against a male or female job applicant.
A hiring manager simply may have concerns about the applicant’s ability to perform the job duties (such as travel or work overtime), says Lisa Schmid, employment law attorney at Nilan Johnson Lewis. If that’s the case, the interviewer needs to ask the candidate directly about job-related responsibilities (e.g. “This job requires five days of travel per month. Do you have any restrictions that would prevent you from doing that?”).
Similar off-limit questions:
? “What kind of childcare arrangements do you have in place?”
? “What are your plans if you get pregnant?”
“Will you need time off for religious holidays?”
Why it’s illegal: Religious discrimination is prohibited, so employers are barred from basing hiring decisions on a person’s religious beliefs, observances, or practices.
Similar off-limit questions:
? “What is your religious affiliation?”
? “What church do you belong to?”
“What country are you from?”
Why it’s illegal: National origin is a federally protected class. Consequently, employers cannot base hiring decisions on whether an applicant is from a different country or of a specific ethnicity.
Similar off-limit questions:
? “What is your nationality?”
? “You have a strong accent. Where are you from?”
“How often are you deployed for Army Reserve training?”
Why it’s illegal: Because military status is a federally protected class, companies cannot make employment decisions based on a job candidate’s past, current, or future military membership or service.
Similar off-limit questions:
? “Will you be deployed any time soon?”
? “What type of discharge did you receive from the military?”
If you happen to be in a situation where an interviewer asks you an illegal question, how you respond is entirely based on your comfort level. You could simply state, “That doesn’t affect my ability to perform the duties of this job,” and leave it at that. Or, if you feel the potential employer has crossed a line, you have every right to end the interview and leave. Granted, this is a difficult thing to do if you really want or need the job, but on the flipside, would you really want to work for someone who indicates a bias?
This article is not intended as a substitute for professional legal advice. Always seek the professional advice of an attorney regarding any legal questions you may have.
This article originally appeared on Monster.com. |