What You Can and Cannot Say During a Job Interview …

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By Alan Knowsley, Wednesday, 31 March, 2010, Employment

Job interviews can be a very stressful time and what can make it worse is either potential employer or employee not being fully aware what topics can be addressed during the interview process.

Parties can be unsure of what they can and cannot say or ask during the interview process for fear of discrimination or unfair disadvantage during the appointment process.

Historically it has been acceptable to touch on many topics such as marital status, when planning on having children, religion, and many more topics. These types of questions are just simply not acceptable in society today.

Generally topics that should not be discussed by either party in the interview process are:

Religion
Politics
Marital status
Plans for children/starting a family
Any personal type questions that have no relevance to carrying out the tasks for the job.

None of these aspects should impact on the applicant’s availability or ability to perform in the position. However, it is important to note followers of some religions may have different/more holidays that they feel compelled to celebrate. If so, there may be special arrangements for how they could take these holidays.

An employer and employee could agree to things like availability by positively setting out attendance requirements and confirming these in writing in any offer of employment. Careful management may be needed for situations such as if an employee said, for example, that he/she would prefer to work Christmas day as they did not celebrate it but wanted another less common day of religious significance off instead.

It is important to note that potential employees must be honest in their answers, and, if requested, supply references/educational records and any other details to assist the employer in making their decision.

If you would like to discuss this further, the please phone Alan Knowsley on our free phone number 0800 733 424 for a relaxed chat about the job interview process.

Call us Toll Free on 0800 733 424

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