With new discrimination laws in place, Scott Personnel feels it is necessary to highlight certain areas of questioning in relation to your interviewing technique.

Anti-discrimination laws now flow onto all areas of our lives including the workplace.  We are very aware of the questions we may ask and have listed some of these areas you may not be aware of.

It is generally inappropriate to have these questions on your company application forms, in your telephone screening or at the interview.

Please avoid asking the applicants about:

*Marital status, their sexuality, age, number of children, plans to have children, spouses name and place of work, country of birth, medical history, sick leave record, previous workcover claims, religion, criminal record, political beliefs, attitude to unions.*

Questions you can ask the applicant
It is best to have a full job specification at each interview to keep the interview uniform with each applicant.
 *   references
 *   qualifications
 *   work experience
 *   other relevant skills and experience

What about Medical Tests?
For most jobs, candidates should not be required to do a medical test before they are employed.  Medical tests may be required after the candidate has been employed for superannuation purposes.

If the candidate is required to do a pre-employment medical, it should focus on the specific health risks associated with the job, rather than being a general medical.  For example, if the job involves working in dusty conditions, an employer may ask if the candidate has any respiratory illnesses.

Can employers ask for a photo?
Employers should not ask candidates to send in a photo with their application.  This may be just the same as asking the candidate about their age, sex or race.

Some employers ask applicants to bring a photo along to the job interview because it helps the interview panel to remember the candidates.  It is not against the law for employers to ask for a photo at the interview stage.