The questions you should – and shouldn’t – ask in an interview

So, you’re hiring a new member of staff. You’ve been through the rigmarole of advertising the role, sifting through the long list and identifying the candidates you want to see. Now, with the interview looming, you need to decide what questions you’re going to ask them.

But as much as knowing what questions you should be asking, it’s worth making sure you also know which are the ones you’re not allowed to ask.

Generally speaking, if a candidate has made it to the chair on the other side of your desk, the chances are you’ve already decided they’ve got the skills you need within your business.

The question now is whether they’ll be the right fit for your culture and existing team structure.

Interview day is as much, if not more, about learning about the candidates’ personalities, attributes, and personal qualities as it is about satisfying yourself that what they’ve done and/or can do what their CV claims they can.

However, there are some questions that, no matter how revealing the answers may be, are strictly off-limits. But it’s still possible to get the information you need without straying into potentially discriminatory territory

In my guide to the interview minefield that follows, it’s useful to bear in mind that often the secret to getting the information you need from a candidate may lie in rephrasing your questions, so they are non-specific:

Birthplace, ethnicity, and religion

Direct questions focusing on these areas can easily be interpreted as being discriminatory because this is never going to be information you need to have to be able to decide a candidate’s suitability for the role you’re hiring to.

You can ask the candidate whether they are eligible to work in the UK, what languages they’re fluent (in if the role requires a working knowledge of more than one language), and whether they’re able to work to the schedule the role requires.

Relationship status, children, and sexual preference

Again, you any answer you might get in response to a direct question about marital status, existing or planned families or sexual preferences are potentially discriminatory and should never be part of your decision about whether or not to hire someone.

You may well be concerned about whether someone is likely to disappear on maternity leave in six months’ time – but that’s not a legitimate reason to reject them

But it’s possible to get the information you want by asking different questions.

For example, you can ask whether a candidate is available to work overtime or travel on occasion, perhaps at short notice. You may also ask what a candidate’s career plan might be, and whether they have any qualifications under a different name.

All these questions should allow you to satisfy yourself that the candidate has the ability to fulfil the role as you require.

Gender and age

Gender and age discrimination has historically been rife and as a result there’s been a lot of emphasis on making sure potential employers are no longer able to recruit against gender and age benchmarking.

Age is only relevant in recruitment terms in the context of a candidate being at or over the minimum age required to carry out their responsibilities. This would usually be 16 or 18, depending on the job.

You can ask a candidate what their career ambitions are, whether they are over the age of 18 (or 16, if that is the minimum age for the role advertised), previous experiences of managing staff, the qualities, and attributes they feel they will bring to their role.

Location

A candidate may live 60 miles away from your place of work, but it is not for you as an employer to decide whether that will make it difficult or not to carry out their responsibilities.

But you can  ask whether the candidate is in a position to be able to start work at a particular time.

Disability and health (including weight and height)

Most people understand that health and disability can’t be a reason to offer or not offer a candidate a job.

Asking about a candidate’s absences due to health or disability issues is therefore off limits. But it is perfectly all right to ask a candidate how many unplanned or unscheduled absences they have had within a certain (and reasonable) time frame.

Similarly, you are not allowed to ask about someone’s weight or height, but you can ask specific questions relating to actual tasks that may be part of their job description, but which may be challenging (e.g., would you be able to reach stock items on top of a 6ft display shelf?)

Life commitments and affiliations

As a prospective employer, you are not allowed to ask a candidate whether their out of work commitments or affiliations are likely to impact adversely either on your company or on the candidate’s ability to carry out their duties.

However, you can ask whether they belong to any external clubs or organisations that are relevant to the job they may be asked to do, just as you may ask a candidate if they have any commitments away from work that might require extensive time off.