Section 2. Human Resources

Interviewing

Conducting an employment interview is a structured process. Certain questions cannot legally be asked.

It is illegal for an employer to discriminate against a job applicant because of his or her race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. For example, an employer may not refuse to give employment applications to people of a certain race.
An employer may not base hiring decisions on stereotypes and assumptions about a person's race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has helpful guidelines on how to avoid illegal discrimination in the hiring process. Several guides to appropriate interview questions are available online, including from the University of Rochester and Iowa Workforce Development.

There are many other tools available for pre-hire assessment. For instance, since most safety net dental clinics require the use of dental software and digital radiographic equipment, a basic computer literacy test is a very valuable tool for job description and candidate evaluation success. This type of tool, for instance, might be used to screen applicants or to inform the employer of training the candidate would need before starting in the position.