Sunday, March 24, 2013

The Basics Of Conducting A Legal Restaurant Interview

In a world that increasingly has rules and regulations which govern the interaction between individuals, both in society and in employee/employer environments, it is important to conduct restaurant employment interviews in a way that will provide useful information about a prospective employee. It is also crucial that the interview complies with legal requirements at state and federal levels.

For the person conducting the interview, every question should meet those two standards. Is it legal? Does it provide job-related information about the ability of the prospective employee to do the job. The interviewer should not assume that spur of the moment questions will meet those standards. Each person interviewed should be asked the same series of questions. If possible, you should review the questions in advance with a legal representative or human resources individual. Don't go off script, it can create problems.

Certain types of questions, such as those about nationality, race, sexual preferences, marital status, religion or gender are not legal. You should never ask how old an employee is or whether they have children. This has no bearing on job performance, from a legal standpoint. You cannot ask questions about race or nationality, since that doesn't affect the ability to do a specific job. You may not ask about political preferences or social status questions.

Keep in mind that there are often ways of getting the information that you want without putting yourself in legal gray areas. Choose questions that encourage prospective employees to provide the information that you want voluntarily. For example, instead of asking how old a person is, you can question him to be sure that he is over age 18. You can't ask whether a person is married, but you can ask if they have worked or earned a degree under another name.

The other standard that is important in the questions that are developed for the interview process is that you want to be able to judge whether the person can perform the specific duties of the position. For those people who must lift heavy weights, for example, your pre-interview process should make such requirements known. In some instances, adjustments to a workplace may be required to comply with the disabilities laws.

Asking the person to describe how their experience in the past has equipped them to fill the requirements of the position is a good way to learn about their ability to bring talents to the job. When interviewing, keep two principles in mind. The first is to ask questions that are allowed by law. The second standard is to ask questions that focus on experience and ability to perform the job.

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