Working in an office hasn’t been so bad.  I’ve learned many important business skills.  For example, I’ve learned how to interview people.

There are good ways and bad ways to interview people.  Questions that may naturally spring to an interviewer’s mind can be the wrong ones to ask.  Sometimes, those questions can even be illegal.  It’s the hiring manager’s responsibility to understand the difference between a good and bad question.

Unfortunately, sometimes it’s easy to misunderstand which is which.  Therefore, today I’d like to discuss the difference between good and bad interview questions.

Bad Question: How old are you?
This seemingly innocuous question is actually forbidden by law.  It could lead to a charge of age discrimination.

Ask Instead: Do you like to watch reruns of “The Golden Girls”?  OR: What were you doing when General Robert E. Lee surrendered?

Bad Question: You have an interesting name.  Are you Muslim?
It is unlawful to ask about an applicant’s religious background.

Ask Instead: Compare and contrast Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ with The Koran.  Hypothetically speaking, which do you think is least likely to be deemed blasphemous and hurled into a pit of fire by the One True God that rules us all?

Bad Question: Are you married?
It is not legal to ask about an applicant’s marital status.

Ask Instead: Can you please hold up both your hands?  IF RING IS VISIBLE: So, who gave you that?

Bad Question: Who takes care of your children?
You may not use a candidate’s personal commitments as a reason to disqualify him or her from employment.

Ask Instead: Are you comfortable with a working environment in which those who stay late and work long hours are more likely to get promoted?

Bad Question: What organizations do you belong to?
It’s not legal to inquire about personal affiliations that may lead a hiring manager to disqualify the candidate based on political or other grounds.

Ask Instead: After we finish this interview, I’m heading off to meeting of Men Who Shave Their Legs, Cook Dinners, and Save Whales.  Would you care to join me?  Why or why not?

Bad Question: Do you have any disabilities?
Disabled people are a protected class, and this question may not be asked.

Ask Instead: Do you get to park very near the supermarket and other public establishments?  Why or why not?

Bad Question: What are your sexual preferences?
This is a personal and highly inappropriate question.

Ask Instead: Do you like to have sex with geese?  (No one could possibly take such a ludicrous question seriously, and therefore the applicant will likely laugh, feel at ease, and cheerfully volunteer actual preferences.)