Frequently Asked Questions

Interviews

• An international candidate said they plan to visit the U.S. Can we ask how long they plan to stay in the U.S. on the visit?
  Any questions asked must pertain directly to recruitment; so, this cannot be asked unless it in some way pertains to the job they are seeking.
• During an on-campus interview, committee members learn that a candidate is pregnant. Can we ask anything regarding this?

  Pregnancy should not be discussed at all during the interview process even if the candidate brings it up. Please see the links below for more information from the EEOC on the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and interview guidelines recommended by UNF/EOI.

  • eeoc.gov laws statutes pregnancy
  • eeoc.gov facts fs-preg
  • UNF EEO Guidelines for Interviewing

  A few main considerations:

  • An employer cannot refuse to hire a pregnant woman because of her pregnancy, because of a pregnancy-related condition, or because of the prejudices of co-workers, clients, or customers.
  • An employer may not single out pregnancy-related conditions for special procedures to determine an employee's ability to work.
• During an interview, can I ask the question, “Do you have the right to work in the US, or what is your VISA status?”
  You may only ask, “Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?” and  “Will you now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B, TN, etc.)?”
• We have a candidate who is a member of our department. Does the committee have to interview them by telephone or can we interview in person?
  As the phone interview is a preliminary screening process before incurring the time and cost of on-site interviews, you can interview the internal candidate in person as long as questions asked during preliminary screening are asked during the on-site interview.
• If an applicant has applied for more than one position in the department and they are selected, do they need to be interviewed twice?
  If the committee members or hiring official(s) are the same, then they can be interviewed once. However, the positions and interview questions must be the same or substantially similar. If the positions are different, they should be interviewed separately for each position.