Interview Questions: Pre-Offer Stage

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Interview Questions: Pre-Offer Stage

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is unique among federal civil rights laws in that it flatly prohibits certain inquiries and examinations at the pre-offer stage of the hiring process (the period before an applicant has been given a conditional job offer). Under the ADA, an employer may not ask about the existence, nature, or severity of a disability and may not conduct medical examinations until after it makes a conditional job offer to the applicant. At this pre-offer stage, employers may ask about an applicant’s ability to perform specific job-related functions. An employer may also ask other questions that are not disability-related and may require examinations that are not medical.

The following list of questions is a sampling of those that can be asked in the application, interview, or pre-offer stage of the hiring process. Use only those questions that (a) you feel comfortable with, (b) specifically relate to the position, and (c) can be asked of all the applicants. You should also limit the questions based on the amount of time you have for the interview. Some employers make a list of the questions they plan to ask. They basically limit the questions asked in each interview to those on the list (The interviewer may want to seek further guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and/or have any additional questions reviewed by an attorney before they are added.)

The following questions have been reviewed by NAHB’s legal counsel.

Important Note: The ADA prohibits an employer from asking an applicant, at the pre-offer stage, about job-related injuries or workers’ compensation history because these inquiries are likely to elicit information about an applicant’s disability. In addition, the employer cannot ask these questions of third parties, such as former employers, reporting services, or state workers’ compensation boards, at the pre-offer stage.

1. Have you heard of our firm before today? How did you learn about us? What do you know about us? What attracted you to us?

2. What are your reasons for wanting this job?

3. What are your career goals? What do you want to be doing in 3 years, 7 years, 15 years?

4. Why did you leave your last job or why do you want to leave the one you have now?

a. You have had a number of jobs with different companies. What caused you to make those moves?

b. What was it about x job that led to your staying there for years?

Check job history before asking the applicant either a or b.

5. This job requires an employee to lift pounds on a regular basis. Can you perform this function with or without reasonable accommodation?

If an employer asks whether an applicant can perform certain job functions, the employer should state that the performance may be with or without reasonable accommodation. Also, an applicant with a disability may be asked to describe or demonstrate performance of job tasks if all applicants for the job category are asked to do so. If the applicant asks for a reasonable accommodation in response to an employer’s request to demonstrate performance, the employer must either: (a) provide a reasonable accommodation (in other words, one that does not create an undue hardship on the employer) so that the applicant can demonstrate job performance, or (b) allow the applicant to simply describe how he or she would perform the job function.

6. The company may state on its employment application: “All applicants are required to
demonstrate the following job functions: (a) Move 80-pound stacks of shingles from the
ground to the roof; (2) Retrieve x-pound bags of from the bed of a truck, and (c)
. Please inform the company within 3 days of your submission of this application
if you will need an accommodation to perform this job demonstration.”

7. Employees’ regular work hours are from ______to ______, Monday through Friday.
However, during summer months, we usually require that employees work until ______.
Can you meet these requirements with or without reasonable accommodation?

The applicant is not required to tell why he or she may need reasonable accommodation unless the
applicant thinks it is appropriate.

8. How many days were you absent from work last year? Did you have any unauthorized
absences from your job last year? How many Mondays or Fridays were you absent last year
on leave other than approved vacation leave?

These questions are intended to detect whether an applicant abused his or her leave. Be aware that if
the candidate was absent for any amount of time during the time frame in question the employer is
prohibited from asking the reason (for example, “Were you sick?”).

9. At the pre-offer stage, the employer may ask a third party (such as a former employer) whether
the applicant used illegal drugs. However, at the pre-offer stage an employer is prohibited
from asking a third party anything that the employer is prohibited from asking the applicant
directly (such as Asking the candidate’s former employer, “How many days was the applicant
sick last year,” “How is the applicant’s health,” or “Has the applicant ever filed a workers’
compensation claim?”).

10. Have you ever been convicted of a criminal offense? Please explain.

11. Do you have any experience typing using a word processor or a computer?

Mention the amount of paperwork and any requirement that it be typed.

12. Do you receive any trade publications? Do you read any on a regular basis? Which ones?
Which types of articles? Do you clip and save any? Could you show me your professional
development file?

13. When was the last time you went to a seminar or workshop? What was the topic? Did you or your
employer initiate your going to the seminar or workshop?

14. What do you believe are your two strongest skills for this job? Give examples of how you used these skills in your last job. What do you do best?

Quiz the applicant in depth; after all, he or she chose these skills.

15. What do you think are the two biggest weaknesses in your training or skills to do this job? How do you plan to improve in these areas?

16. What two things caused the most friction between you and your former employer ? How would you have eliminated or handled this problem had you been the boss?

17. What personality trait do you possess that would give you the biggest edge in providing effective customer service to our company’s clients?

18. What do people like about you? What don’t people like about you?

19. Tell me about your construction experience.

A. What kind of hand-framing experience do you have?

B. What have you done? What haven’t you done?

C. What do you feel most confident doing? Least confident?

20. What did you learn at your last job?

21. Describe the best possible job. Describe the worst possible job.

22. Describe the ideal boss. What makes a bad boss?

23. Describe the ideal coworker.

24. Do you prefer working alone or as part of a team? Why? What makes one more preferable than the other?

25. Do you have any questions for us?

26. If you were offered the position, when would you be able to start?

27. Do you have the required licenses to perform this job?

28. How well can you handle stress? Do you work better or worse under pressure?

The employer is not permitted to ask follow-up questions such as, “Have you ever sought treatment for your inability to handle stress?”

29. Is there anything else you think I should know that will help me to understand what kind of person you are or why I should hire you?