Question asked during interview

[Allison]

A potential employer can ask a previous employer anything they want. That previous employer may have policies on what questions they will answer.

 

[bcla]

A potential employer can ask a previous employer anything they want. That previous employer may have policies on what questions they will answer.

There are limits to what should be asked based on the possibility of illegal discrimination based on protected status. For example, asking about marital status or family is very troublesome since that could be construed as discriminating against people with families on the basis that they might not work longer hours or may be distracted. Obviously my former employers generally know all that, but it was pretty much only disclosed after I'd accepted each position.

 

[_19disnA]

^^ I was providing an example of companies that commonly use contract employees.

 

[sam_gordon]

There are limits to what should be asked based on the possibility of illegal discrimination based on protected status. For example, asking about marital status or family is very troublesome since that could be construed as discriminating against people with families on the basis that they might not work longer hours or may be distracted. Obviously my former employers generally know all that, but it was pretty much only disclosed after I'd accepted each position.

SHOULD be asked <> CAN be asked.

 

[bcla]

SHOULD be asked <> CAN be asked.

A lot companies train their employees who conduct interviews about what shouldn’t be asked. There have been lawsuits for discrimination where a pattern of asking such questions was crucial to the case.

https://www.eeoc.gov/employers/small-business/what-shouldnt-i-ask-when-hiring

 

[Allison]

There are limits to what should be asked based on the possibility of illegal discrimination based on protected status.

The key word is should.

Obviously, you should be thoughtful about what is asked.

 

[DopeyDame]

Not private employer. Civil service means government job.

The government still doesn't have to hire you either.
Just because you may be "eligible" to be rehired doesn't mean you automatically get a job. Most civil servant jobs, both federally and on a state level, have really strict ranking criteria to determine who gets a specific job. It's defies credulity that there wasn't someone who ranked higher than these examples.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

That's a strange question.
Some places are just trying to see how you handle yourself by throwing odd questions.
My place ask where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10? We are looking for growth .
Its crazy some of things people have said.

 

[tzolkin]

^^ Those online taxi companies are good examples of using 'contract employees'. Some companies use this as a way to avoid paying their people benefits, vacation time, etc.

I'm sure this is true of some companies, but definitely not always the case with all companies who hire contractors instead of employees. We have a lot of people who prefer 1099 to being a W2 employee. They get paid a significantly higher hourly rate and it's more flexible, so many people will choose that option if they don't need/want the benefits.