How To Comply With The ADA In An Interview

Interviews are inherently harder to manage and control than written questions on a job application. However, interviews usually provide employers with the best type of information for making hiring decisions. In order to ensure that persons conducting interviews do not violate any of the requirements of the American With Disabilities Act (ADA), prior to any job interview an employer should consider taking the following steps: - Supply written guidelines to all persons conducting employment interviews. - Give detailed information about the job tasks of the position. Specify the physical and mental requirements. - Provide a checklist setting forth the essential functions of the job. Have the applicant indicate whether he or she can or cannot perform each of the functions. - Prepare written questions in advance. All questions should be related to the skills and performance requirements of the specific job. In conducting a job interview, the interviewer should keep in mind the following general guidelines: - Do not ask about an applicant's mental or physical impairments, unless the applicant raises the subject. - If the subject of an applicant's disability is raised, inform the applicant that the employer is committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and will make a reasonable accommodation to a qualified individual with a disability if one is necessary. - Limit any discussion of an applicant's mental or physical impairment to ascertaining whether the disability would interfere with the performance of essential job functions and the nature of possible accommodations. - If an applicant discloses an impairment that is job related, the interviewer may ask questions to determine how the person would perform the essential job tasks. Interview questions should relate to the employer's business and the requirements of the specific job. Listed below are examples of questions that should be avoided and those that may be appropriate to ask.